Who doesn’t love chicken wings?
Err, that would be vegetarians, vegans and those who generally don’t like meat. But why should they miss out?
Which is why Waitrose is now stocking vegan “chicken wingz” complete with a fake bone made from sugar cane. And we thought “bleeding burgers” were extreme...
The new bone-filled wings use jackfruit in place of meat and are created by street food brand Biff’s. They have been launched as part of a wider vegan range now available in 300 Waitrose stores, which includes: jackfruit burgers with panko breadcrumbs, chilli cheeze waffle fries, bhaji loaded fries (with mango chutney drizzle) a plant based burger sauce, and a maple-lime Chipotle burger sauce.
We hungry folks at HuffPost decided to try the eyebrow-raising product and see what it’s all about. I, a meat-eater, decided to break my fast during Ramadan with the ‘chicken wingz’, while shopping writer Georgia Lockstone, who is actually vegan, also agreed to give them a go.
Spoiler alert: they weren’t as weird as they sound.
A meat-eater’s verdict:
Faima, 4/5
Going in, I didn’t expect it to taste like chicken and I don’t really look for vegan items to replicate this exactly. I hate jackfruit in its raw form, but once it’s cooked, can easily lap it up.
I enjoyed the wings, though I wouldn’t say they’re close to the real thing, and would eat it as a snack in future. They could be spicier though. I also put it in an air fryer which didn’t create the same golden colour and texture as Georgia’s (maybe next time).
Though we were tasked with reviewing the chicken wings only, the folks at Biff’s did send us the entire range and I have to say the burger was probably my favourite, and once relished with tomato, cucumber, ‘cheeze’ and the sauces, is quite delicious. Better than the average bean burger which is often the only plant-based burger flouted by some restaurants.
A vegan’s verdict
Georgia, 3/5
I’ve been a vegan for a while now, so I’ve had more than a few meat substitutes in my time. And when I heard that these wings were made with jackfruit, I was pretty convinced they’d be a bit of a mushy mess. So I was pleasantly surprised when they held their shape beautifully around the sugar cane ‘bone’, and didn’t crumble apart after one bite.
They came out of the oven golden and crispy, and were just really delicious when dunked in the chipotle barbecue sauce. These wings don’t mimic chicken in taste and texture as closely as some of the other alternatives I’ve tried, but I’d actually say they are far more tasty as a stand-alone vegan product.