Buffalo Vegetarian Chicken Sandwich with Cauliflower

🌶 What makes this recipe special?

I am not a vegetarian, but there is one in my house, and I love trying new things we can eat together. This comfort food is great because it is both a vegetarian option and has a wonderfully comforting Buffalo Chicken flavor.

If you are looking for other vegetarian game day snacks, consider checking out this unique Cheesy Fried Pickles recipe made in wonton wrappers or this BBQ Jackfruit Tacos recipe with Mango Salsa. Both of these are great for all your guests. But, no matter what, make sure to treat yourself. 

🥬 Ingredients

Cauliflower is the main ingredient here, but there is a symphony of ingredients that go into making this taste like chicken. 

• Cauliflower
• Eggs
• Parmesan cheese
• Progresso Italian Style Breadcrumbs
• Oregano
• Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian Chicken.
• Frank’s Hotsauce 
• Wish-Bone Lite Blue Cheese Dressing
• Lettuce
• Buns
• Salt & Pepper

See the recipe card for quantities.

What size cauliflower to use?

Cauliflower comes in so many sizes. This recipe calls for an average-sized cauliflower. What does that mean? For me, that is a cauliflower that is about 1 pound after it has been cleaned. You don’t need a cauliflower that is super tiny or really big. Pick out that medium-sized cauliflower.

Better Than Bouillon vegetarian chicken broth

I list Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian Chicken Broth as an optional ingredient in this recipe. While it is optional, I think anybody interested in vegetarian recipes and wants to have chicken flavors, should give this product a look. It isn’t a perfect replication of chicken stock, but it is pretty dang good.

I put a bit of this into the patty mixture to help give a chicken flavor to this sandwich that tries to emulate a popular chicken flavor. I have made this without this bouillon and it still tastes great. This just helps add a bit extra to the recipe.

What hot sauce should I use?

I use Frank’s Hot Sauce. It is what I tend to use for a traditional wing sauce and I think it gives a great chicken wing buffalo flavor. Use what you like. That said, use what you like or have. If you want to live dangerously, you could even try our homemade Carolina Reaper hot sauce. 

🍲 Instructions

The patties are the most important part of this recipe. Pulse a cauliflower in a food processor and then mix it with other ingredients. 

Mix the pulsed cauliflower with eggs that help serve to bind everything together. Add cheese, breadcrumbs, and other spices to add substance and flavoring.

After mixing the ingredients, bake the patties in the oven for a bit of time. On top of these patties, sprinkle a bit of hot sauce on each side. This helps give a bit of that great buffalo flavor we are looking for in this sandwich.

Handle the patties with care

The eggs help bind the uncooked sandwich together, but they are still a bit delicate until the point you flip the patties in your oven. To help make sure these stay together, I encourage a few different things you can do to ensure success with this buffalo-style vegetarian chicken sandwich.

When first forming the patties, they are going to be particularly delicate. If you understand this, it can help you prepare. Patty them properly and gently lay them on your oiled baking pan

Lightly oil the baking pan

The oil helps crisp up the patty when cooking and also helps prevent sticking. This is a very important part of this recipe and should not be skipped.

Use a metal spatula to flip and remove

The total cooking time is thirty minutes but flip the veggie patties halfway through. A good metal spatula will help you ensure the patty does not fall apart. 

In my experience, the patty is a bit fragile until done. The oil crisps up the patty fairly well, but the caution you take during baking can help make sure everything comes out well.

On the second side, you can use a silicone brush to spread Frank’s Hotsauce. 

What next after baking? Once cooked, put the cooked patty on a bun with lettuce, blue cheese (or optionally ranch dressing), and then some more Franks Hot Sauce to finish it off. 

🤷 Substitutions and variations

There are a few ways that this can be changed.

• Better than Bouillon – This ingredient is optional, but the vegetarian chicken bouillon is great. 
• Blue Cheese Dressing – Keeping in line with a buffalo-style sandwich, I call for blue cheese. You don’t have to use it or maybe you prefer ranch. 
• Bread Crumbs – I call for Progresso Italian Style breadcrumbs. Use what you have!

📦 Storage

I would not recommend storing this and trying to eat them up right away. If you want to store them, add them to an airtight container and store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. I would recommend reheating them in the oven.

🎓 History Tidbit

Meat alternatives like tofu goes back centuries and chicken alternatives really started to come into their own over the past 100 years or so.

In the 1960s, vegetarian chicken-like products were introduced by companies such as Worthington Foods, and in the 1970s, health food stores began to sell them. The 1980s saw a rise in the popularity of vegetarian meat substitutes, and companies like MorningStar Farms and Gardein entered the market.

Today, vegetarian chicken products are widely available in supermarkets and natural food stores. The market for plant-based meat alternatives continues to grow as more people seek out meat-free options for environmental, health, or ethical reasons. Of course, we make our own in this recipe!

❓ FAQ

📝 Tips and tricks

• Be careful with your patty, as it is a bit fragile until it is fully cooked. Oil your pan and use a metal spatula to handle the patties. 
• The Cauliflower you should use should be about 1lb of florets. 
• I use Frank’s Hot Sauce, but use what you like.
• I use Progresso Italian bread crumbs, but use what you like.
• After you flip to the second side, use a silicone brush to spread the Franks hot sauce. The brush does NOT work well for the first side.
• Both your bun choice and your blue cheese choice can greatly impact the calories in this sandwich. Choose the best for you.

🛠 Products used in this recipe

• Food Processor
• Baking Pan
• Metal Spatula
• Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Broth
• Frank’s Hot Sauce
• Cheese Cloth
• Silicon Brush

😋 Did you make this recipe?

That is awesome, and thank you so much for giving this Buffalo Vegetarian Chicken Sandwich recipe a try. If you could leave a rating in the comment area below, it would be greatly appreciated. This lets me know how I am doing and also helps others decide if they want to make this recipe. Most of all, thanks for visiting Ramshackle Pantry.