The first time I cooked Daring’s plant-based chicken pieces, I was freaked out. I’d let the product samples sit in their colorful little pouches in my freezer for about a month before I was brave enough to cook them. Chicken was what made me stop eating meat in the first place. One morning, I walked by a fresh-kill butchery and saw a flock of chickens in their cages, patiently awaiting their fate. I haven’t touched meat since. (Though I do break for fish once or twice a month. I live in New England. It’s practically the law.)
- It’s squishy.
- It’s breaded and fried.
- It’s sort of nebulously textured.
- It’s that pink leftover goo that nearly broke Jamie Oliver on national TV.
But Daring’s “chicken” comes in unbreaded pieces, like pre-cooked grilled strips. They do sell a breaded, tender-type product, but the brand’s real appeal—and prowess—is in the form of pre-seasoned, plain strips that cook up and shred like real chicken.
Daring’s pieces are easy enough to cook with. Throw the strips into a pan over medium heat with a bit of oil, and let them sizzle. Unlike the uniformity of nuggets, they’re slightly varying sizes, as though you chopped up a chicken breast or thigh into strips. They quickly brown and get crispy at the edges. They sizzle and get a satisfying sear. They smell like chicken. The experience could be alarming for someone who hasn’t eaten meat in a long time. Which probably only adds to their appeal.
With 14g of protein per serving, Daring’s strips give a more flavorful protein heft to a salad that cans of chickpeas and cubes of tofu never quite delivered. They’re fantastic for fajitas or threaded onto skewers and brushed with sauce in a grill pan. My Daring pieces did not fare so well in soup; they turned slimy and unappealing. But for other meals, they are quick, low in fat, and oh-so-chicken-like. And for some non-meat-eaters, that might be a bit too much. If Impossible’s “heme”—the plant-based “bleed” that gives the protein an iron-like flavor and the ability to ooze red juices—grosses you out, these might, too, as they’re almost too real. But, for others, that might be a good thing.
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