No animals harmed. But taste buds?
Consider them lassoed.
Welcome back to 10 Days of Vegan Stampede, an annual feature whereby I veganize some of the wacky and wonderful midway foods at the Calgary Stampede. But why you ask? The answer can be found back at Day 1 – [HERE]. Miss yesterday’s post? Find it [HERE].
And now? Onward to DAY 8!!
Day 8: Nashville Hot Chickun Mac & Cheese
If you’re a regular of mine, you’ll know we’re no stranger to wacky macs; from meatball marinara to pulled jackfruit, we’ve made a few. This year, the Stampede original that inspired me features classic mac and cheese topped with chicken in a Nashville hot sauce and deep fried pickles. Easy peasy.
When given a choice to make or buy my cheese sauce, I usually pick make; my Best Ever Vegan Cheese Sauce is always an option, or melting some soft cashew cheese in soymilk and margarine. But Le Grand makes a cheese sauce you can buy at Blush Lane or Amaranth, and my goodness – it’s pretty cheesy.
But not in that horrific artificial cheddar way. The best part is it’s little resealable container and the fact that I can just apply it cold directly to food – no heating or whisking or effort required. So simple.
But we are going to have to make our own pickle chips. And our own Nashville hot sauce. The second one really surprised me; surely somebody carried a Nashville hot spice mix. But I searched all over and came up empty. So we’re making our own with plant butter and smoked spices. (Maas BBQ makes a great salt, pepper, garlic powder that is just *chefs kiss*) The cayenne pepper is where it gets it’s heat, so make it as spicy (or un-spicy) as you prefer.
And how does it all taste you ask? Delightful. Sweet and smoky chickun bites on top of creamy mac & cheese; you really can’t go wrong. That crisp you see on the pickle chips is the cornstarch I fried them in, and they are crispy little bites of joy, not too salty, just tangy and good.
So while there are a few steps involved in assembling this Nashville Hot Chickun Mac & Cheese, it’s totally worth it. This is one that will totally impress your friends and have them saying, “That’s VEGAN?!”
Like this recipe? Share it! Made this recipe? Rate it! Post your comments below, and use the hashtag #10DaysofVeganStampede on social media platforms so I can see your stuff. Meet me back here tomorrow for the next installment of 10 Days of Vegan Stampede!
Ingredients
For the Pickle Chips
- 1 large dill pickle
- 1 tsp cornstarch
For the Nashville Hot Sauce
- 2 tbsp melted plant butter
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you want it hotter)
To Assemble The Mac:
- 1 serving popcorn chickun, cooked according to package directions
- 1 serving cooked macaroni noodles or small pasta of choice
- vegan cheese sauce
- chopped fresh dill (for garnish)
Instructions
For the Pickle Chips
-
Cut one large pickle into thin chips, about 3mm wide. Set chips between paper towel and allow to dry for at least an hour.
-
Once dry, combine with cornstarch in a bowl and toss so chips are well coated.
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Add one at a time to your deep fryer or a pot of oil heated to 375℉; if using your deep fryer, put the basket in first, and then toss the chips into the deep fryer so that they don't stick to the basket, but you can still use it to pull them out.
Fry for about 3 minutes or until crispy.
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Remove from oil, and blot with paper towel. Set aside.
For the Nashville Hot Sauce
-
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl until sugar is well incorporated; the mixture will be a bit grainy. Set aside.
Assemble the Mac
-
Toss cheese sauce with noodles and put in the bottom of your serving dish/basket. Toss cooked chickun with Nashville Hot sauce and top the mac & cheese. Sprinkle pickle chips and fresh dill on top.
Recipe Notes
If you want to use Maas BBQ Smoked Salt Pepper & Garlic powder mix, sub 1 tbsp of the SP&G for the 3 tsp of individual salt, pepper, and garlic powder the recipe calls for.
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