Vegan Chicken Tofu Nuggets

 Variations:

• I love the shape and size of this recipe because the ratio between the tofu and breadcrumbs is perfect for me. The shape can be changed into any other shape that you would choose. Make note to the fact that thicker or bigger shapes will need different baking times. (I even made dinosaur shaped nuggets for my son)

• Classic nuggets are of course deep fried, I prefer the baked version but this recipe will work just as well for fried nuggets.

• Food processor 
• Rubber spatula
• Mixing bowl
• Oven
• Scale
• Baking screen tray and same size regular baking tray

• 2 x 14 Oz Extra firm tofu, drained from liquid
• 2 tbsp Ketchup
• 2 tbsp crushed tomato sauce
• 90 g vital wheat gluten
• 3 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper according to taste.

• 135 g filtered water
• 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 3 tbsp tomatoes sauce
• 70 g all purpose flour
• 1 tsp maple syrup

• 1 cup of breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp of all purpose flour
• 1.5 tbsp of sesame 
• 1/2 tsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Make sure the tofu has no liquid in it after draining well. Break the tofu up to pieces and place in the food processor, add the tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard and soy sauce. Blend well until smooth.
3. Add the gluten and the spices and blend again for 30 more seconds.
4. Remove the tofu mixture from the food processor and knead a little on a clean surface. The mixture should be thick enough to work with, if it is too wet, add a little gluten and knead well until absorbed.
5. Prepare the baking screen with baking paper, spray a little oil on the paper.
6. Wet your hands slightly and roll small balls of the mixture. Place the balls on top of the screen tray. 
7. Put the screen tray with the balls on a regular baking tray with 1 inch of water in it. (We are trying to simultaneously steam and bake the balls, it is important for the gluten end texture) 
8. Bake the balls in a preheated oven  for 10 minutes, turn the balls upside down and bake for another 10 minutes.
9. Take the balls out of the oven and set aside to cool down. You can place them in the refrigerator to help cool them down faster.
10. At this point, the balls will still be very soft but will have a slightly firm exterior that allows us to batter it more easily.
11. Prepare the wet batter: Mix all ingredients together, the batter should be thick enough to stick to the nuggets but not too thick that it leaves a heavy layer of batter on the ball. If the mixture is too liquidy, add a little flour and if it is too thick add some water.
12. In a bowl put all the breadcrumbs mixture ingredients together. Place the balls in the wet batter and then toss them in the breadcrumbs. Roll well and make sure every side of the nugget is well covered.
13. Heat the oven to 400 F.
14. Place each covered ball on a baking screen tray with oiled baking paper (the screen will help to even out the baking process and prevent from the bottom side to crisp faster). Spray the nuggets with a thin layer of your choice of oil (I like sunflower).
15. Bake on the screen tray for 15 minutes, turn the nuggets around and bake for another 10 minutes. The nuggets will come out crisp and golden!
16. Enjoy!