Description
This super tender, sweet and tangy Vegan BBQ Chicken is made from soy curls and it’s unbelievable! Super hands off, with 3 ingredients.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 heaping cups Butler Soy Curls (powder at bottom of bag discarded (see note 1 for uses))
- 3 cups vegetable broth (see note 2)
- 19.5 ounces your favorite BBQ sauce (see note 3)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (191 degrees Celsius).
- Separate your soy curls from the bag: Just go through your bag of soy curls and separate out the crumbles. Save them for another dish (see note 1). Add the non-crumble soy curls (a little over 3 cups are left in an 8 ounce bag of soy curls after removing the crumbly bits) to a large bowl.
- Cover the soy curls with hot vegetable broth: Lightly press them with your hand or a spoon so they all get wet. If your vegetable broth comes from a carton and isn’t hot, you can briefly warm it in the microwave or in a small pot on the stove. It should not be boiling, just hot like a hot shower. This helps rehydrate the soy curls more fully and helps them rehydrate faster. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
- Squeeze out excess liquid: When they’re rehydrated, grab a large handful of soy curls, squeeze out some excess liquid (no need to squeeze more than once or twice), and throw them in a 9x13 baking dish. RESERVE 1 cup of the broth you used to soak them.
- Toss soy curls with BBQ sauce: If you’re going to bake your soy curls the full 40-45 minutes, go ahead and use the 1 cup of broth. If you prefer to bake for less time, like say 20-30 minutes, only use ½ - ¾ cup of the broth, otherwise it won’t cook down enough and you’ll have soupy baked soy curls--not exactly the texture we’re looking for!
- Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, but stir the soy curls at least once halfway through. I typically stir mine twice--once at the 15 minute mark and once at the 30 minute mark. This allows me to see how they’re progressing. The BBQ soy curls are done when most of the liquid is absorbed--the remaining liquid should be thick and saucy--and the curls are much darker and coated in the sauce.
- Serve however you like--in a vegan BBQ sandwich with some vegan coleslaw, in a salad with some corn and bell peppers, with some vegan macaroni salad, etc. So many possibilities!
- Store: Refrigerate leftover barbecue soy curls in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days. Or freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Notes
- Note 1: Save the crumbles in the bag for another dish like a vegan meat sauce (in my TVP meat sauce you can sub soy curl crumbles 1:1 for the TVP).
- Note 2: You need some kind of liquid to rehydrate the soy curls. I like to use Better Than Bouillon Vegetable Base mixed with hot water for this. If you want extra “chicken” flavor, use their Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base.
- Note 3: You’ll need a 19.5 ounce bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce. If this method has too much sodium, you can easily use low sodium vegetable broth (or water), and make your own sauce--try my vegan BBQ sauce which should get you enough sauce to make this vegan BBQ chicken. My recipe has much less sodium than store-bought--and you can always use less salt when you make your own! I also really like the “bourbon-style” BBQ sauces for this dish, but any will work!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Vegan BBQ Chicken, BBQ Soy Curl, Soy Curl Recipes, Vegan food