Nashville Hot “Chicken” Tofu

Mark Cerkvenik

24oz (700g) medium firm tofu, frozen and thawed twice, drained and pressed well*

FREEZE AND THAW THE TOFU

✓ Place the whole unopened package or packages of tofu in the freezer and freeze until solid (about 6 hours to overnight).
✓ Thaw completely. Do this quickly and safely by thawing on the counter until mostly thawed but still cold (about 4 hours) then letting it thaw the rest of the way in the fridge.
✓ Once you believe the tofu is completely thawed, freeze it solid again.
✓ Then, take it out of the freezer at least 5 hours before you want to start making your vegan chicken. You can hasten the last thaw by defrosting in the microwave.
✓ Then drain, and let the tofu sit on clean kitchen towels. Tofu that has been thawed the second time should be consumed within one or two days

PREP THAWED TOFU

INSTRUCTIONS:

Rip the tofu into bite-sized pieces. Place them on a baking sheet lined with asilicone baking liner or parchment paper. Place in your cold oven and turn the heatto 425°F. There's no need to preheat.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the tofu turns yellow-ish and is dry looking on the top.
Afterwards, flip the tofu pieces and bake for another 10 minutes or until the tofu isalmost completely dry.
Meanwhile prepare the marinade.

MARINADE

INGREDIENTS:

FINISHING INSTRUCTIONS:

Whisk together all the marinade ingredients. Taste and adjust to your preference.
Remove the tofu from the baking sheet and toss with the marinade. Make sure each piece gets nicely saturated. You can use a spoon to press into some of the pieces so the tofu really soaks up the marinade.
Return the tofu to the baking sheet,
Bake for another 10 minutes or until the edges of the tofu get crispy and a little brown.

NOTE: If the brand of tofu you're using is not one that turns flaky after freezing but rather

spongy, you may only need to freeze and thaw your tofu ONE time.