This post is sponsored by ALDI. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Friends and family who know I’m a food blogger are always asking me where I get ideas for my recipes. Sometimes a flavor or ingredient combination will just pop into my head. I have a running list of recipes I want to test in my phone. But more often than not, I’m inspired by one of my favorite past times – trying new restaurants. One menu item I’ve been seeing on repeat is Nashville hot chicken.
Upon researching this regional dish, I discovered two things: 1.) It’s extremely spicy, and 2.) It has a cult following. Made the traditional way, Nashville hot chicken is marinated in hot sauce, fried, and brushed with flaming hot cayenne pepper oil. It’s so spicy that it’s served with a slice of white bread to soothe the pain! I wanted to create a vegan (and less spicy) version of this flavorful dish, and the Earth Grown Chickenless Tenders from ALDI seemed like the perfect starting point.
I’ve been grocery shopping at ALDI since college and was so excited to see a vegan-friendly product line hit the shelves. All of the Earth Grown products are vegetarian, and a handful of them, including the Chickenless Tenders, are vegan. I was especially looking forward to trying the Chickenless Tenders because they were chosen as a 2019 Product of the Year* in the Vegetarian Entrée category. I knew they had to be good!
While I love spicy foods, I realize heat is a very personal preference. So, I kept this Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken Bowl fairly mild. To get the signature flavor, I coated the frozen tenders with hot sauce prior to baking and whipped up some spicy oil for brushing on just before serving.
Don’t worry; our Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken Bowl isn’t nearly as spicy as what I assume the real deal is. Plus, a pillow-y mountain of mashed potatoes and cauliflower is just a forkful away to take the edge off. Sautéed garlicky kale and sweet corn add a pop of color and flavor to this comforting bowl. You have to try it.
Have you shopped at ALDI? A few of my friends have seen the stores but haven’t popped in yet. I keep asking them what they’re waiting for! The selection is incredible and I’m always surprised at how low my grocery bill is. Let us know if you grocery shop at ALDI and share your fresh, affordable finds with us. I’m always curious to see what you all are making! Click here to find an ALDI store near you and visit their blog for more recipes. ALDI is on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram, too!
Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken Bowl
- Prep Time: 25 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Vegan
Description
Our Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken Bowl isn’t nearly as spicy as the real deal. Plus, a pillow-y mountain of mashed potatoes and cauliflower is just a forkful away to take the edge off.
Ingredients
For the mashed potatoes/cauliflower
- 1 lb gold potatoes, peeled and diced into ½-inch cubes
- ½ large head (or 1 small head) cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 Tbsp. vegan butter
- ½ tsp. sea salt
For the hot "chicken"
- 1 10-oz. package Earth Grown Chickenless Tenders
- ¼ cup hot sauce, divided
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. chili powder
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- 2 tsp. maple syrup or agave
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
For the garlicky greens
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 6 cups kale, chopped into small pieces
- Pinch of sea salt
For the corn
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1 cup of water
- Pinch of sea salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper
For serving
- Sliced pickles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 450F.
- Combine the potatoes and cauliflower in a medium saucepan. Fill with water, covering the veggies by an inch. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook until the potatoes and cauliflower are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the veggies and return them to the pot along with the vegan butter and salt. Use a fork to mash and adjust salt to taste.
- Arrange the Earth Grown Chickenless Tenders on a baking sheet and coat with 3 tablespoons of hot sauce. Bake for 8 minutes, flip the pieces, and brush with another tablespoon of hot sauce. Bake for 8 minutes more. Then transfer the Chickenless Tenders to a plate.
- Combine the cayenne pepper, paprika, garlic powder, sea salt, maple syrup or agave, and olive oil in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Then brush both sides of each Chickenless Tender with the spicy oil.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat and add the garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds, then add the kale. Stir to coat the kale in the garlic oil and continue cooking until slightly wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Combine the frozen corn and 1 cup of water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain, return the corn to the pot, and season with a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
- To assemble, add a scoop of potato/cauliflower mash to each bowl, followed by the Chickenless Tenders, kale, and corn. Serve with extra hot sauce and a side of sliced pickles.
*Based on a survey of 40,000 American shoppers by global research agency Kantar TNS.
Katie Koteen
Aww, thanks! Glad you liked it! And yes, super adaptable to whatever your meat eating preferences are.
Casi Johnson
Yum...yum..yum! This one is definitely going on the rotation! And super easy if you have others over who are vegan… Just throw in some real chicken tenders. Thank you so much this took me back to Nashville! I will definitely be sharing your site.
Nisha Batel
It looks amazing in pictures and I’m definitely making this recipe on this weekend. Hopefully, it will taste better.
Varun Sharma
This looks so delicious...I will try this recipe at home. Thanks for the recipe!!
Bev
You use a lot of oil in your dishes and I am one who choose not to use it ( I am whole food plant based ) ! You can definitely not use oil and replace with veggie broth or water to sauté!
John
Great flavor. I love spicy foods
Vivian Dsouza
I just loved it, I’m not only going to give it 5 stars. But, I’m going to share it with all my website’s followers on the social media. Thank you for giving me something useful to share it today!