Buttermilk-Style Vegan Fried Chicken Sandwich with Dill Pickles

This is the vegan fried chicken sandwich worth clearing your Sunday afternoon for. Dried soy curls are rehydrated and marinated in a tangy, peppery plant-based buttermilk made from soy milk and apple cider vinegar, which both flavors and tenderizes them until they're juicy and deeply savory. A double dredge through seasoned flour creates the shaggy, craggy crust that fries up into a crackling, golden-brown shell with every bite delivering that signature crunch. Once fried, the cutlets get stacked onto toasted brioche-style vegan buns with a slick of spicy mayo and a generous layer of briny dill pickle chips. The result is a sandwich that hits every note: tangy, spicy, crunchy, and soft, all in one bite. It takes a bit of time and planning, with an overnight marinade for best results, but the payoff is a plant-based fried chicken sandwich that rivals (and arguably beats) the fast-food original. This recipe is fully vegan, relying on soy curls for protein-rich texture, plant milk and vinegar for buttermilk tang, and vegan mayo for the creamy finish. It's a great weekend project for anyone craving indulgent comfort food without any animal products, and it's easily doubled for a crowd.</long_description> <parameter name="meta_description">Crispy vegan fried chicken sandwich: soy curls marinated in plant buttermilk, fried golden, stacked with pickles and spicy mayo.

Ingredients

• 8 ozDried soy curls, rehydrated in hot water
• 1.5 cupsunsweetened soy milk
• 2 tbspapple cider vinegar, divided
• 0.25 cupdill pickle brine
• 1 tbspHot sauce
• 2 tspgarlic powder, divided
• 2 tsponion powder, divided
• 1.5 tspblack pepper, divided
• 2 cupsall-purpose flour, divided for dredge
• 0.5 cupcornstarch
• 1.5 tspsmoked paprika
• 1 tspcayenne pepper
• 2 tspsalt, divided, plus more to taste
• 1 tspbaking powder
• 4 cupsNeutral vegetable oil, for frying
• 0.5 cupVegan mayonnaise
• 1.5 tbspsriracha
• 4vegan brioche-style buns, split
• 1 cupsliced dill pickles
• 1 cupshredded lettuce, optional

Method

1. Place the dried soy curls in a large bowl and cover with hot water. Let soak for 10 minutes until softened and pliable, then drain well and squeeze out excess water with your hands. 10:00
2. In the medium bowl, whisk together the soy milk and 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar; let sit for 2 minutes until it curdles slightly to form a vegan buttermilk. Whisk in the pickle brine, hot sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. 2:00
3. Add the drained soy curls to the buttermilk mixture, pressing them down to submerge. Cover and refrigerate to marinate, ideally overnight, for at least 4 hours for the best flavor and texture. 480:00
4. When ready to fry, set up a dredging station: in the shallow dish, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, cayenne, remaining garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, 2 teaspoons salt, and baking powder.
5. Working in batches, lift soy curl pieces from the marinade, letting excess drip off, and press firmly into the seasoned flour mixture to coat thoroughly. Dip briefly back into the marinade, then dredge again in the flour for a thick, craggy coating. Set coated pieces on the wire rack.
6. Pour the vegetable oil into the heavy pot to a depth of about 2 inches and heat over medium-high heat to 350°F (175°C), monitoring with a thermometer. 10:00
7. Fry the coated soy curl pieces in batches of 3-4, without crowding the pot, for 3-4 minutes per batch, turning once, until deeply golden brown and crisp. 4:00
8. Transfer fried cutlets to the wire rack to drain and immediately sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat frying until all pieces are cooked, letting the oil return to temperature between batches.
9. While the oil heats or cutlets rest, stir together the vegan mayonnaise and sriracha in a small bowl to make the spicy mayo.
10. Toast the split buns cut-side down in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden and lightly crisp, about 2 minutes. 2:00
11. Spread spicy mayo generously on both cut sides of each bun. Place a crispy fried cutlet on the bottom bun, top with sliced dill pickles and lettuce if using, then close with the top bun.
12. Serve the sandwiches immediately while the crust is at its crunchiest.