Vegan "Fried Chicken"

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs oyster mushrooms in clusters, not king oyster
• 1 cup breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup panko
• 1/4 cup fine polenta (optional but recommended)
• salt, pepper, smoked paprika to taste
• 1 cup aquafaba or 1 egg if you eat eggs
• 1 tbsp vegan parmesan cheese optional
• Extra-virgin olive oil either in spray or in the bottle, for drizzling

Instructions

1. Clean your mushrooms with a damp towel (oyster mushrooms tend to be very clean) then separate them into smaller clusters (this will resemble fried chicken chunks)
2. Mix together all the dry ingredients for the breading (paprika, breadcrumbs, panko, salt, corn flour and parmesan cheese) and pour the aquafaba (or eggs) in a separate bowl. Lightly salt both.
3. Now dip the clusters of mushrooms in the aquafaba (or egg) first, with one hand, then in the breading with the other hand, making sure the breading sticks nicely to the mushroom.
4. Place all the mushrooms on a baking sheet (you may need two for this quantities) and either spray or drizzle them with a good extra-virgin olive oil.
5. Bake at 425 F for 15-20 minutes with convection on, or until they are nice and golden.
6. Take out of the oven, salt to taste (I love salt flakes for this) and serve immediately. The crunch is irresistible!