I love fried chicken.
I also love mushrooms. Is there a way to have mushrooms that taste like fried chicken?
Yes, there is. We have the best chicken mushrooms. Please note that there is a
mushroom called Chicken of the Woods and it is almost exactly like chicken in
texture. It is only available from wild foraging and not everyone can get it. This
recipe uses readily available white oyster mushrooms that work very well and
are extremely satisfying.
Marinating is
the key
How do you turn delicious fried mushrooms into vegan friendly fried chicken? The answer is easy. You
need to use a marinade to soak the mushroom in. This not only imparts more flavor
it also makes for a more chicken like texture. This marinade is simple and just
requires buttermilk or plant milk and lemon juice. Add in your favorite spices
and a little salt and you are ready.
Native PA White
Oysters
The best
mushrooms for this are White Oysters. They have the meatiest texture of any
oyster and they are amazing in this recipe. My preference is the medium
ones that strike a balance of the perfect firmness and texture.
Deep Fry or
Air-Fry?
I think either
works in this recipe. The deep-fried mushrooms took less time and had a crispier
coating. The air-fried “chicken” had a slightly firmer coating, but both are
very good. Just make sure to put oil on at the beginning and maybe once as you cook
in the air-fryer to be sure you get a nice golden finish.
Delicious juice and crispy fried chicken made with oyster mushrooms.
Ingredients
½ pound white
oyster mushrooms
1 cup buttermilk/ or 1 cup water or non-dairy milk with 1 Tsp lemon juice
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tsp each garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin
1 tsp salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp oil to spray on for air-fryer or 4 cups to deep fry.
Directions
Separate individual mushrooms from the bunch.
Clean off any substrate on the bottom and cut off any hard bottom part of the
stem. Do not cut off firm stem parts just hard.
Mix together the buttermilk (lemon juice if using
milk or non-dairy milk) and the seasonings in a large bowl or bag. Place the
individual mushrooms into the marinade.
Let them marinate for 30-60 minutes or overnight.
The longer the better. Stir the bowl to make sure each mushrooms gets fully
covered or flip over the bag. The mushrooms are completely ready when you can
pull apart a small section of mushroom and it is wet from the milk.
In a bowl combine flour with a little salt. Take
the mushrooms out of the buttermilk, but save the buttermilk.
Dredge each mushroom in the flour. Clean off the
extra flour and then dip in the buttermilk again. Put it into the flour again
and shake off excess flour, dip once more in the buttermilk, then once more in
the flour.
Heat oil in a pan to about 350 degrees. It should
be about 2 inches deep.
Or preheat air fryer to 375 degrees F (190 C).
Spray the mushrooms with oil and cook for 8-10 until crispy and brown.
