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Bourbon Buffalo Molé Vegan Chicken Wings + Bleu Cheese Aioli & Cilantro Frisée Salad

Thank you all for being patient while we worked the kinks out of the new website. As much as I wish Queer Eye for the Straight Guy would've accepted my web design invitation, I feel like I did well enough adding a little flare and feng shui. The lack of balance was starting to haunt me in my sleep almost as badly as a sink full of unwashed dishes. 

There were some issues with the comment box, but I'm pretty sure it's working now. If you're having difficulties, shoot me an email in the new, extremely stylin' left sidebar. Before you think I'm crazy(er), moving onward...

In my home town, Youngstown, Ohio, Tuesday night meant wing night. Meat-hungry, hormone-driven teenage boys would pile into their F150s and S10s, then make the trek across the state line to Sharon, PA to a popular Nascar-themed spot for "All You Can Eat Wing Night". They would starve themselves for days, take enough bong rips to intensify their already inhuman hunger, then slam down as many chicken wings as their growing bodies could handle in hopes of be crowned Wing Eating Champ (Slob?). I'm not going to say this contributed to my lack of attraction to the male species, but let's just say that the combined aroma of teenage boy B.O. and BBQ sauce wasn't my idea of an aphrodisiac. 

Although the aforementioned wing establishment wasn't located in our home town, my old stomping grounds had no shortage of restaurants where you could consume buckets of poultry appendages. It's nothing shy of disgusting how un-veggie and health-food friendly many Midwesterners could be in the early 2Ks. It really hasn't improved much since I left. 

To frame it differently: On every corner of LA. we have Starbucks. In Ohio, it's Old Country Buffet or McDonalds. I thank my lucky stars that Los Angeles isn't full of red-neck wing & beer restaurants. In any event, no matter where you live, the summer months ring in BBQ Season. Company picnic, family reunions and beach party invitations will flood our inboxes and Facebook event pages. 90% of them will require us to "BYOFSV" (Bring Your Own Food, Silly Vegan). Most vegans have grown accustomed to whipping up a salad and buying a box of veggie burgers for our own peace of mind and hanger. 

We're also well accustomed to the weird stares from everyone chowing down on t-bones, wings and potato salad. Well, not anymore. Stand over those hot coals and grill with pride and a little, mischievous FU glint in your eyes. You'll feel the satisfaction of a job well done when your omnivore friends bite into a cruelty free chicken wing, then jump in amazement of how delicious (and spicy!) vegan BBQ can be.

Bourbon Buffalo Molé Vegan Chicken Wings + Bleu Cheese Aioli & Cilantro Frisée Salad
  • 2 batches Chicken Style Seitan, cut into "wing" shaped pieces (or packaged vegan grilled chicken)
  • 3 TBSP Vegan Butter
  • 1/2 large Shallot, finely diced
  • 2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced or pressed
  • 2 oz. Bourbon
  • 3 TBSP Organic Light Brown Sugar
  • 1/2 cup Agave Nectar
  • 4 oz. Chili Sauce
  • 4 oz. Barbecue Sauce
  • 1 1/2 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup Hot Sauce
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper, to taste
In a large saucepan over medium, melt the vegan butter. Add the shallot and sauté about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic, and sauté an additional minute. 

Pour in the bourbon, brown sugar and agave, and turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the contents of the saucepan come to a fast simmer while stirring occasionally. Let it simmer 3-5 minutes. The sugar should be be dissolved. *Warning - the alcohol will be cooking out of simmering pan. The fumes are ferocious if you put your face right over the pot and inhale them. Grown men have cried making this in my kitchen.*

Next, stir in the chili sauce, barbecue sauce, chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon and hot sauce. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes. 

Add in a small pinch of salt and black pepper, stir them in well, then taste to make sure its seasoned to your liking. Keep warm until ready to serve. 


For the "chicken wings"... 

Grill Method: Spray your grill rack or grill pan with non-stick spray, and get the grill or pan pre-heating. In a large mixing bowl, pour the Bourbon Buffalo Molé Sauce over the "wing" shaped pieces of chicken seitan. Toss well to coat. Insert some bamboo skewers or popsicle sticks into the ends of each wing (optional).  Grill each wing for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned and warmed through. 

Fry method: Heat a good amount of oil (at least 2-3 inches) in a very deep, heavy skillet or deep-fryer. Fry the wings until golden brown. Remove the wings from the oil and drain. In a large mixing bowl, pour the Bourbon Buffalo Molé Sauce over the fried wings. Toss well to coat. Insert some bamboo skewers or popsicle sticks into the ends of each wing (optional). 

Vegan Bleu Cheese Avocado Oil Aioli
  • 1/2 cup Vegan Heavy Cream (or Plant-Based Creamer)
  • 1/2 cup Vegan Sour Cream
  • 1/3 cup Vegan Mayo
  • 2 cloves Garlic
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 1 package Vegan Bleu Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Avocado Oil
  • 1 TBSP Fresh Dill
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
First, place the Vegan Bleu Cheese and garlic cloves in a food processor or blender, and pulse about 10 times to break them up a bit. Add the remaining ingredients except the avocado oil to the blender or food processor, and turn the machine on high. While the machine is running, slowly pour in the avocado oil until all the ingredients are fully incorporated. Keep chilled until ready to serve.

 
Cilantro Frisée Salad with Garlic & Cumin Vinaigrette
  • 2 medium Carrots
  • 4 stalks Celery
  • 1 small Red Onion
  • 1/2 cup grilled Corn Kernels (canned will work just fine)
  • 2 heads Frisee, torn into pieces
  • 3 TBSP fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 cloves Garlic, finely minced or pressed
  • 2 1/2 TBSP Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp ground Cumin
  • 3 TBSP Brown Rice Vinegar
  • 2 TBSP chopped fresh Cilantro Leaves
  • Salt and Pepper, to taste
Cut all veggies (except corn) uniformly into matchstick-size pieces. 

In a mixing bowl, toss Frisée with and touch of salt and pepper, then combine with chopped veggies. 

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cumin and cook for about 1 minute. 

Remove from heat, then whisk in vinegar and lemon juice. Add dressing and cilantro to veggie/frisee mixture and toss to coat. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Comments

Ricki said…
I just love those "wing-shaped pieces"! The new layout looks great, too! :)
iRaw said…
Oh yum, this looks so good! Your blog is always a pleasure to visit.
Anonymous said…
I love your new blog layout/look! Well done :-)

Courtney
brea said…
i can attest to the deliciousness of this meal.
quarrygirl said…
omfg i am dying that looks so good. ha, can you come over and cook for me? :/
Jes said…
I'm loving the layout and the wingz look so darn delicious! And the blue cheeze--I so wish I lived around the corner from you and could show up at your door and sample your recipes!!
Wow, the blog looks even more beautiful!!

I loved the recipe of "Vegan Bleu Cheese Avocado Oil Aioli", sounds different and deliciouos ;-)
Recipe man said…
this looks amazing. i just love it
thanks!
Unknown said…
I recently discovered your blog through my vegan idol, Natasha at Voracious Vegan. Hot winge were one of my favorite foods, so I love a good meatless version. And these are fantastic! The bourban sauce is amazing. I wanted to drink it. It was also great on some sweet potato fries. I did make a small change. At the last minute I substituted the agave with molasses. And I didn't have any chili sauce, so I doubled (or more) the Crystal hot sauce. It was so good! The seitan was awesome as well. I'm so glad to discover the no-chicken paste. I think I need to knead it a bit more next time as it was really airy, not chewy enough. But I'll try again soon. I already know I'll be craving these often. Too bad there's no vegan bleu cheese or MimicCreme around here.
Jenn Shagrin said…
Thanks, Terra.

I don't know where you're located, but Whole Foods Markets are starting to carry MimicCreme, and already carry Sunergia products. If you don't see either item on their shelves, they're usually happy to place special orders free of charge.

I found the sauce to be just as addicting. I even put it on a sandwich :)
Unknown said…
i've totally been craving some vegan buffalo wings..but the recipes i've tried have been total bummers. i'm excited to try yours!!
and i agree....i dont know what is so "awesome" about eating as many hot wings as possible..haha it's quite silly ;)
i'm loving your layout though..it looks really nice!
Farty Girl said…
Jesus Christ... did you go to art school? You cut that seitan like it's meat exactly. It took me a sec... I was like, wait, am I looking at a vegan blog for real? Beautiful work.
Chicken Recipe said…
Want a delicious recipe for chicken
then try this new recipe
I made it for a family dinner
the kids at it all up in no time