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This vegan “chicken” is made from seitan and tastes super similar to the real thing! Cook this vegan meat-substitute any way you’d like – in a stir fry, on the grill, or simply as-is.
Looking for more flavor? Try our seitan grilled chicken with vegan barbecue sauce!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s the perfect meat-free substitute for chicken! Seitan is impressively meaty in both taste and texture. It’s the perfect way to curb those chicken cravings!
- It’s super easy to make! With just five ingredients, and a few simple steps you’ll have perfect and delicious seitan “chicken”. It’s an ideal recipe to prep ahead of a busy week, or throw together when you’re craving something hearty.
- It’s better than anything you’d find at the store! Making it yourself means less preservatives and more flavor. The store-bought seitan simply doesn’t stand a chance against this homemade recipe.
Key Ingredients
Vital Wheat Gluten – Vital wheat gluten is flour that’s been stripped of everything except gluten. It’s super high in protein and low in carbs, as well as a great source of vitamins and minerals. Once hydrated, then cooked, the vital wheat gluten turns into seitan. Seitan has a chewy, meat-like texture that resembles chicken!
Chicken Seasoning – Any chicken/poultry seasoning blend will work in this vegan recipe. You can either buy this from the store, or make a simple spice blend yourself. You can even swap this seasoning out for any other seasonings you’d like to give this dish a different flavor.
Chef’s Tips
- Be sure to steam the seitan “chicken” before either shredding, roasting, or pan-frying it. Steaming will give your seitan that delightfully tender texture! Without steaming, then it could turn out tough and chewy.
- Knead the seitan dough for just one minute after mixing. Kneading it any longer could cause too much gluten to activate, therefore making it tough. Just one minute of kneading will help to smooth the dough, without affecting the texture of your “chicken.”
- Have fun with this vegan seitan “chicken” and serve it up any way you’d like! I recommend experimenting with all three serving/cooking methods offered in this recipe before deciding which is your favorite. The shredded tastes delicious in tacos, roasted is great on its own, and pan-fried is the perfect base for a vegan chicken parmesan.
Other Vegan Recipes You’ll Love
Vegan Seitan “Chicken”
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Steamer basket
Ingredients
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1 tablespoon chicken seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups water
Instructions
- Mix together the vital wheat gluten, chicken seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a large bowl.
- Add in water and mix until a dough forms. Knead dough on a work surface dusted with vital wheat gluten for 1 minute before stretching into a large disc. Cut the disc into chicken cutlet-sized pieces.
- Lightly grease inside of a steaming basket with oil, then place seitan chicken inside basket, avoid layering pieces and work in batches if necessary. Steam for 30 minutes.
- Leave chicken to cool at room temperature before refrigerating for 1 hour.
Shred:
- Place seitan “chicken” on a cutting board and use two forks to shred as thin or thick as you’d like.
Roast:
- Place on a baking sheet and roast at 400° Fahrenheit for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Pan-Fry:
- Heat about a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook “chicken” in skillet for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and crispy.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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great recipe, thanks for sharing! what’s the conversion ratio? i.e., how much seitan do i make for approximately 1 lb of chicken? thanks!