When I was a kid growing up in Buffalo, NY, my older cousin used to take me to this place that had these awesome chicken finger subs. Back then – about 20+ years ago – no one was really doing anything like that, which is probably one of the reasons this sandwich stands out so perfectly in my memory. The other reason is it was the simplest thing, but it was so good. The sandwich was: 2 to 3 chicken fingers coated in Buffalo sauce, deli-sliced provolone cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, and blue cheese dressing.
For whatever reason, the memory of that chicken finger sub flooded my brain the other night, and I thought, “That would be so easy to veganize… we should totally do it ASAP!”
We usually make our recipes from scratch, but for this specific recipe, it seemed like store-bought ingredients would be the best way to go about it. For the chicken fingers, we used Gardein Crispy Tenders; for the deli cheese, we used Daiya Blocks; and for the blue cheese dressing we used a combination of Vegenaise, vegan sour cream, more Daiya cheese, vegan buttermilk, nutritional yeast, and spices – pretty much the same way you’d make a classic blue cheese dressing except with vegan versions of all the ingredients.
We were really surprised how much the overall flavor of the sub tasted just like blue cheese and chicken wings. We’re sure even an omnivore would love this sandwich. Enjoy!
Vegan chicken fingers slathered in Buffalo sauce, served on a hoagie roll topped with lettuce, tomato, Daiya cheese, and vegan blue cheese dressing.
Ingredients
- Gardein chicken tenders or vegan chicken of choice
- Jalapeño Havarti Daiya Blocks or vegan cheese of choice
- Lettuce
- Tomato
- Hoagie rolls
- 1/4 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce
- 2 tbsp vegan margarine
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1/4 cup Tofuti Sour Supereme or vegan sour cream of choice
- 3 tbsp Vegenaise or vegan mayo of choice
- 3 tbsp unsweetened soy milk
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Jalapeño Havarti Daiya Blocks – optional
Instructions
- Cook vegan chicken strips according to package directions.
- Melt vegan margarine in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add vinegar and hot sauce, stir together, then let simmer for about one or two minutes. Just long enough for a light boil to start.
- Place the chicken fingers in the sauce and coat thoroughly.
- Combine soy milk with vinegar and lemon juice, and let stand for 5 to 10 min. This turns it into vegan buttermilk.
- Cut off a thick slice of the Daiya cheese and crumble it with your fingers until it resembles little pieces of blue cheese.
- Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use.
Notes
The Jalapeño Havarti Daiya Blocks look like blue cheese and they have a very strong and sharp cheesy flavor, so they ended up being a great blue cheese substitute for the dressing. However, it's not absolutely necessary. It just takes it up a notch.
Use the vinegar to control the heat of your Buffalo sauce. If it's too spicy, and more vinegar until it's mild enough for your liking.
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