Five vegan ways to celebrate National Fried Chicken Sandwich Day

Yes, but: It's easy to feel like you're missing out if you don't eat meat (or you're trying to cut back).

Yes, but but: You don't have to! Here are five places in Indianapolis to get delicious fried "chicken" made with plant-based ingredients.

🍗 Baby's has probably the best meat-free tenders in town.

• The "chicken" is so perfectly breaded and fried I did a double-take, making sure it wasn't real chicken. They're crispy, juicy and so, so good.

🥪 World Famous HotBoys is the spot to get your fried chicken sandwich fix.

• The Veggie Sando features a meat-free patty that's seasoned, marinated and breaded before getting fried to crunchy perfection. It's got plenty of heat (I like the medium) and enough heft to feel pretty darn close to the real thing.

🐓 Yard House has us covered when it comes to wings.

• We aren't talkin' cauliflower wings, either. The Gardein Wings are a meat-free version of boneless wings from a well-established maker of plant-based proteins.
• Choose from buffalo, BBQ, lemon pepper, Korean chili garlic and whiskey black pepper sauces. My pick is classic buffalo.

🐥 10th Street Diner is another great wing spot.

• These are made from seitan, deep-fried and tossed in your favorite sauce.

🧇 Good Vegan Bad Vegan, which is operating out of the Circle City Eats cloud kitchen, has veg-ified another fried chicken staple — chicken and waffles.

• This vegan food truck takes oyster mushrooms and turns them into fried "chicken" with shatteringly crunchy breading and deep-fryer. Served over a thick Belgian waffle, just like the "real" thing.