We tried the new Beyond Chicken Tenders. Here's what we thought of the new vegan chicken nuggets from Beyond Meat.
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We ate Beyond Chicken Tenders!
One of our favorite takeout spots -- Plant Based Pizzeria -- was having a BOGO sale on their Philly pizza, so we went for it. And when we saw that they also had the new Beyond Chicken Tenders the menu, we knew we had to try them. For the pod!
When it came to the Beyond Chicken Tenders, we were a house divided. The kid and I loved them!
I thought that the texture was fantastic and that the breading was crisp and light. As you probably know by now, I do not like thick breading.
For me, the protein part had a nice, toothsome texture. Though I've definitely had other vegan meats that had a "meatier" texture, I found this one very pleasant.
Dave was not a fan of these. He thought that they were bland and that they were too dense.
We both agreed that these really shined with a good dipping sauce. We ordered a few sauces, but the standout for both of us was the ranch. Definitely dip your Beyond Chicken Tenders in a good vegan ranch. You won't regret it!
If you're a fan of Beyond Meat, also check out our reviews of Beyond Breakfast Sausage patties and their Beyond Breakfast Sausage links!
How to cook them
We got our Beyond Tenders from a restaurant, so they were cooked for us. But since originally trying these, they've become available at grocery stores.
You can cook these in the oven, air fryer, or the microwave. I wouldn't recommend the microwave, unless you're really in a pinch, because the breading won't be as crispy.
These are the cooking instructions, according to the package:
- in the oven: The package says to bake these at 425° F for 8 minutes, flipping halfway through the baking time.
- in the air fryer: Air fry them at 360° F for 5 minutes, no need to preheat.
- in the microwave: microwave on high on a microwave-safe plate for for 1 minute to 1 minute 15 seconds per serving. Let stand for 1-2 minutes before serving.
The baking and air fryer times both seem short to me. That might be enough to cook these through, but in my experience, frozen vegan nuggets air fry best at 400° F for 10-12 minutes. That would put the baking time closer to 20-25 minutes.
My recommendation would be to start with the time that the package recommends, then add on additional baking/air fryer time, as needed, to get them to your desired level of crispiness.
What are they made of?
Here's the full ingredients list:
Water, Faba Bean Protein, Breading (Wheat Flour, Rice Flour, Salt, Corn Starch, Pea Protein, Canola Oil, Wheat Gluten, Paprika, Spices, Dextrose, Leavening [Sodium Acid Phrophosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, Monocalcium Phosphate], Sugar, Sunflower Oil, Dried Onion, Dried Garlic, Yeast Extract, Natural Flavors), Breadcrumbs (Wheat Flour, Sugar, Sea Salt, Dried Yeast), Vital Wheat Gluten, Modified Corn Starch, Natural Flavors, Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Pea starch, Methylcellulose, and 1% or less of Yeast Extract, Refined Coconut Oil, Salt, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Sodium Phosphates, Spices, Titanium dioxide (for color), Sunflower Lecithin.
I think this is the first vegan meat that I've seen made from faba bean protein. It looks like they also use wheat gluten (seitan), as well.
The Beyond Meat Tenders are not gluten-free, since they are partially seitan-based.
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