Fried Cauliflower 'Chicken’ Sandwich
There is nothing quite like a sandwich with a fried something that has all the textures and flavours going on, especially when you are hungry! This sandwich takes the joys of a fried chicken sandwich but makes it plant-based by switching out the chicken with cauliflower.
Cauliflower is great because it’s surprisingly more versatile than you may expect. Not to mention the health benefits.
You get the crunch from the breaded cauliflower and slaw, the tang from the ranch and pickles, the juiciness from the tomato, and of course the soft bun.
This is a great sandwich for lunch or dinner and will get you filled up. Pair it up with some sweet potato fries or zucchini crisps!
Ingredients
12 ounces cauliflower florets
1 cup red cabbage, chopped into a slaw
Ranch
2 cups breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons all-purpose seasoning or old bay (I used Primal Palate’s New Bae)
Mayonnaise and butter
1/2 cup pickles, sliced
1 large, sturdy tomato, cut into thin slices
4 hamburger buns
Instructions
Prepare the cauliflower. Line up your flour, egg mix, and breadcrumbs in separate bowls. Season the eggs and flour. Reserving one hand for dry dipping and one hand for wet dipping, dunk the cauliflower florets in the flour, then egg mix, and breadcrumbs. Set aside in preparation for frying.
I used an air fryer, but you can use vegetable oil in a pot and drain the excess fat on a paper towel. Do it in batches to prevent overcrowding both the air fryer and the pot.
For the air fryer, I sprayed the coated florets who olive oil spray to ensure there would be a nice crunch. Fry at 400F for 14 minutes, turning over after 7 minutes, set aside.
In a small bowl, toss the cabbage in about a tablespoon of the ranch to give it a bit of flavour, but no need to drench the slaw!
Toast your buns! Smother the insides of each bun with mayonnaise and butter, then broil at 500F for about 2 minutes. Keep an eye to avoid burning anything.
Assemble your sandwich. Place the tomato on the bottom of the bun, then a few pickles, the cauliflower florets, the slaw, and then drizzle with some ranch.
