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This vegan grilled chicken is made from seitan, and complete with a simple vegan bbq sauce! It’s extra flavorful and has an impressively tender texture. This easy meal is perfect for vegans, or even non-vegans looking to switch things up!
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- It’s a meat-free alternative to grilled bbq chicken! Whether you’re vegan, or simply searching for a meatless meal, this tasty lunch or dinner recipe is perfect for you. The seitan has a surprisingly similar texture to grilled chicken, and the homemade vegan bbq sauce takes this recipe to the next level.
- It’s actually easy to make! Start by making the seitan dough, cutting it into cutlets, then steaming it until tender. Last, brush with homemade vegan bbq sauce and grill the “chicken” for only a few minutes per side.
- The seitan grilled chicken and vegan bbq sauce can either be made together, or separately! If you’re short on time, make just the seitan chicken and use a store-bought bbq sauce instead. And in case you’re only on the hunt for a vegan bbq sauce recipe, then easily skip to that part of the instructions.
Key Ingredients
Vital Wheat Gluten – Vital wheat gluten is flour that’s been stripped of almost everything, namely starch, leaving behind only the gluten. Once hydrated, then cooked, the vital wheat gluten transforms into seitan. Seitan has a chewy, meat-like texture, making it the perfect vegan chicken substitute. Vital wheat gluten is sold in some grocery stores, though you might be better off ordering it online since it’s still a pretty rare ingredient!
Vegan Worcestershire Sauce – Standard Worcestershire sauce typically contains some type of fish sauce, meaning it’s not always vegan-friendly. Therefore, be sure to pick up a vegan Worcestershire sauce for this recipe. While vegan Worcestershire sauce tastes best in this seitan grilled chicken recipe, you can substitute it for soy sauce or coconut aminos if you’d like.
Chef’s Tips
- Serve this delicious vegan recipe any way you’d like! I enjoyed mine over veggies and lettuce, as a sort of plant-based bbq chicken salad. Though it’d also taste great alongside grilled vegetables!
- If you don’t have a grill or grill pan handy, simply pan sear this “chicken” instead! To do this, heat about a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Then, sear the seitan chicken in the skillet for about 3-5 minutes per side, or until lightly charred and delicious!
- Leftover seitan grilled chicken will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or, you can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months! I also recommend storing any leftover vegan bbq sauce separately from the chicken.
Other Vegan Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Tempeh Bacon
- Lemongrass Tofu with Red Thai Chili Peppers
- Vegan Seitan “Chicken”
- Pinto Bean Soup
- Crispy Baked Tofu
- How to Cook Tempeh
- 15-Minute Hearty Chickpea Soup
- Vegan Garlic Bread
Seitan Grilled Chicken with Vegan BBQ Sauce
Equipment
- Steamer basket
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Grill or grill pan
Ingredients
For the seitan chicken:
- 2 cups vital wheat gluten
- 1 tablespoon chicken seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
For the vegan bbq sauce:
- 1 cup ketchup
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon coconut aminos or soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Mix together the vital wheat gluten, chicken seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add in the water and Worcestershire sauce, 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. While seitan chicken chills, make the vegan bbq sauce by whisking together all ingredients in a small bowl until combined.
- Heat grill to 400° Fahrenheit and brush each piece of “chicken” with sauce. Grill seitan chicken for 3-5 minutes per side, then brush with more bbq sauce to serve.
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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The bbq sauce is great! However, the recipe for the chicken itself is NOT good 🙁 EXTREMELY tough to chew!
We’re so sorry to hear this!