Hi, I’m Lauren and I love a great many things. But none more than buffalo sauce. I crave it, dream about it, need it! So, this buffalo ranch vegan “chicken” and rice is so yummy, spicy, vinegary. All I’m saying is this super easy meal satisfies all those buffalo cravings. PLUS, I added ranch spices directly into the rice to give it a nice flavor. Also, the replacement for the chicken in this recipe is tofu, tossed in a ranch spice mix and roasted. Then the tofu is stirred into the rice when the rice is close to being done.
What You Need For This Spicy Rice:
- Extra Firm Tofu: For the “chicken”.
- Olive Oil: For roasting the tofu.
- Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Parsley, Dill, Chives, Tarragon, Mustard, Salt, Pepper and Sugar: These make up my ranch spice mix!
- Rice: Any long grain rice will do.
- Carrots, Celery, Onion, Garlic: Sautéed to start the rice.
- Veggie Broth, Hot Sauce and Vegan Butter: To cook the rice in.
This buffalo ranch vegan “chicken” and rice is perfection. However, if you don’t love spice or you want to make this for kids, it is honestly so good even with out the hot sauce. You can use this as a base and have a lemon herb dish by adding lemon juice instead of hot sauce. Or add vegan yogurt and have a creamy herb “chicken” and rice! However you want to season this hearty dish up, I think you’ll love it!
Why Should You Make This Vegan Rice?
- It is tasty as heck.
- This meal is really easy, throw tofu in the oven. Simmer rice. Mix together.
- The buffalo and ranch flavor paired with rice is incredible.
- This recipe will feed a crowd.
- And that whole crowd will be pleased.
Buffalo Ranch Vegan “Chicken” and Rice
Ingredients
Ranch Tofu
- 1 Block(15oz) Extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
- 1 Tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon Dried chives
- 1/4 teaspoon Dried tarragon
- 1/4 teaspoon Black pepper
- Pinch of Dried mustard
- Pinch of Organic cane sugar
Buffalo Ranch Rice
- 4 Tablespoons Vegan butter, divided
- 2 Large Carrots, diced
- 1 stalk Celery, diced
- 1/2 a Yellow onion, diced
- 4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 Cups Long grain rice
- 2 teaspoons Dried dill
- 2 teaspoons Dried parsley
- 6 Cups Vegetable broth, divided
- 1/3 Cup Hot sauce, I used Franks
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees(F).
- After you have drained and pressed the tofu, break the block of tofu up into chunks with your hands and put them in a medium sized mixing bowl.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the tofu and then toss to coat the tofu.
- Then sprinkle all the spices over the tofu and toss to coat evenly.
- Put the tofu on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
- Bake for 15 minutes, flip the tofu and then bake for another 15 minutes or until the tofu is starting to brown and get firm.
- While the tofu bakes, make the rice. Add 2 tablespoons of the vegan butter to a very large skillet(one that has a good amount of liquid capacity), heat on medium high.
- Then add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic. Sauté, reducing heat as needed for about 4 to 5 minutes or until the onions is translucent.
- Now, season with a pinch of salt and pepper and then sprinkle in the dill and parsley. Toss to combine everything.
- Pour in the rice and then toss everything and let the rice sauté for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Then add 4 cups of broth, the hot sauce and another pinch of salt and pepper to the skillet and stir to combine everything.
- Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium to medium low, just so it is at a simmer. Cover and simmer, stirring every few minutes, for about 20 minutes. Most of the liquid should be absorbed at this time.
- Pour the remaining 2 cups of broth into the skillet, stir to combine everything. Then bring back to a simmer, recover, and simmer for about 10 more minutes, stirring every few minutes.
- Now add the roasted tofu to the skillet with the rice and stir to combine. Recover and then let the tofu and rice to simmer for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Stirring every few minutes.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegan butter and then stir it into the rice and let it melt.
- Taste and adjust seasonings adding more hot sauce or salt if needed.
I absolutely loved this! And so did my meat loving husband!
This looks amazing! I have a tofu averse husband – do you think this could be made with soy curls?
Soy curls would be perfect for this! You should be able to just season them and bake them just like the tofu.
It was great and enjoyed by kids and husband so thank you! I think my rice was a little mushy. Would less liquid help?
It may just need to cook a little less. I think the amount of liquid is probably what it needs to cook all the way. However, if you want you could try a little less liquid and then see if you need more at the end! I hope that’s helpful!
I have a unique talent for always burning my rice on the stove top, so I used an instant pot – followed the instructions up to 10 and then just reduced the amount of broth as per the guide to my pot. I kept the amount of hot sauce the same and cooked for 9 minutes. After, I added the baked tofu and it was great! My tofu probably is a slightly different texture since it didn’t simmer with the rice, but I think it still turned out really delicious!
Just made this for dinner tonight and it was fabulous!
I used brown rice so it took much longer, so next time I’ll either use white long grain or pre-cook the brown rice a bit to cut down on the wait time! But the flavors are great and the tofu bites are great. I’d use them for other dishes.
Thank you for the recipe! You always give us such wonderful dishes. ❤️