These vegan chicken breasts are a perfect meat substitute! They are versatile and can be baked, seared, or added to stir-fries. This freezer-friendly recipe is excellent for meal prep.
If you are looking for a chicken substitute that tastes like meat, this recipe is for you! Like my vegan gyros and Italian sausages, these vegan chicken breasts are made from seitan, giving them a chewy, meaty texture.
My favorite way to enjoy them is to sear them in vegan butter. They also work great as a substitute for tofu in my vegan tom kha and hoisin stir-fry. Or, you could chop them up and add them to my eggless crepes.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- Juicy, chewy, and has a mindblowing meat-like consistency
- Budget-friendly and is way cheaper than store-bought meat substitutes
- Packed with protein - made with seitan and tofu, a serving contains 27g of protein
- Incredibly versatile and can be grilled, seared, baked, minced, and added to stir-fries
🤔What are vegan chicken breasts
These vegan chicken breasts are made using seitan, which provides them with an exceptional chewy and meat-like texture. Seitan is made by combining a fine flour called vital wheat gluten with liquids such as water or broth to form a dough. The dough is then shaped and cooked to produce seitan.
Although vegan chicken breasts may not have a strong flavor, they are highly absorbent and can easily take on the taste of seasonings and sauces. This makes them incredibly versatile and allows you to customize their taste.
These tenders are made from seitan and are incredibly high in protein. Add them to sandwiches, salads, and soups for a protein boost.
🧂What you will need
📃Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Vital wheat gluten - Also known as gluten flour, it is the main ingredient used to make seitan. You can find it in your local grocery and specialty stores or buy them online.
- Tofu - Make sure to use firm or extra-firm tofu that has been drained and pressed beforehand. Press tofu either using a tofu press or stacking something heavy on top.
- Stock powder or cubes - I recommend using this vegan 'chicken' stock powder. However, vegetable stock powder or cubes will also work.
- Liquid smoke - An optional ingredient that gives some extra smokiness and savoriness to our vegan chicken breast.
🔪How to make
In a food processor, add all ingredients except wheat gluten. Process until a smooth batter forms.
Add wheat gluten and pulse until a dough forms.
Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes.
Separate them into 5 parts, and shape them into the shape of chicken breast. Wrap them in aluminum foil.
Place them into a steamer basket and steam for 30 minutes.
Let them cool down slightly before removing the foil. You can now prepare your seitan chicken breasts however you like!
✔Helpful tips
- Do not over-knead - Overkneading will cause excess gluten formation, yielding tough seitan. I find kneading it for 3-4 minutes sufficient.
- Allow to cool before use - Seitan will appear soft after cooking but will firm up once cooled. To get the best stringy texture, refrigerate vegan chicken breast for at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing and serving.
- Get creative with the seasonings - Feel free to experiment with different seasonings to make this recipe your own. Try adding dried herbs like thyme, oregano, Italian seasonings, miso, white wine, and paprika.
- Cooking seitan in the Instant Pot - Place a cup of water into the inner pot and insert the trivet. Cook at high pressure for 20 minutes, then quickly release the pressure.
- Making minced chicken - To turn vegan chicken into mince, simply pulse it a few times in a food processor.
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🥗How to use
- Searing - My favorite way to cook these vegan chicken breasts is to sear them in vegan butter or oil. Cook them for 2-3 minutes on each side or until both sides are browned. You can then serve them with rice, mix them into my protein pasta salad, or have them with mashed potatoes and green beans.
- Stir-fries - Chop them up and add them to stir-fries like my seitan stir-fry or gochujang stir-fry.
- In chicken dishes - I love using it to make chicken-based dishes such as teriyaki chicken, sweet and sour chicken, or orange chicken.
- Curries and stews - Try adding chunks of vegan chicken instead of tofu in my Thai red curry and vegan massaman curry.
- In sandwiches and wraps - Lightly sear them, then dice or slice them into smaller pieces. You can use them as a high-protein filling for your burritos, sandwiches, or tacos.
❄Storage suggestions
Allow vegan chicken breast to cool down completely before refrigerating or freezing.
Fridge - Seitan chicken can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Freezer - This recipe can be frozen for up to 3 months. Simply transfer them to a zip-locked bag before keeping them. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge before using.
❔Commonly asked questions
Seitan, a meat substitute, is made primarily from wheat gluten and cannot be made gluten-free.
If your seitan chicken turns out to be tough, you have likely kneaded the dough for too long. Kneading the dough more develops gluten flour, which results in tougher seitan.
On the other hand, if your seitan is too soft and not chewy enough, try kneading it for a little longer next time.
Seitan is mild in flavor and serves as an excellent backdrop for various seasonings and sauces.
📖 Recipe
Vegan Chicken Breast
Ingredients
- ½ block extra firm tofu drained and pressed (about 200g/7oz)
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari/shoyu (use gluten-free if needed)
- 1 teaspoon 'chicken' stock powder or vegetable stock powder/cubes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke optional
- 1 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten
Instructions
- In a food processor, place all ingredients, except vital wheat gluten. Blend until a smooth batter forms.
- Next, add vital wheat gluten to the food processor and pulse until a dough forms.
- Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes, then separate it into 5 parts. Shape them into the shape of chicken breast by lightly pressing the dough down.
- Individually wrap the shaped dough in aluminum foil.
- To steam - Bring 1-2 inches of water to boil in a pot with the steamer basket inserted in. Once the water starts boiling, transfer seitan chicken into the basket and place the lid on. Steam for 30 minutes.Instant Pot - Place a cup of water into the pot and insert the trivet. Place vegan chicken breasts in and cook at high pressure for 15 minutes. Quick release pressure after the timer goes off.
- Let cooked seitan cool slightly before removing them from the foil. You can now prepare them however you like!
Video
Notes
- Do not over-knead - Overkneading will cause excess gluten formation, yielding tough seitan.
- Allow to cool before use - Seitan will appear soft after cooking but will firm up once cooled. To get the best stringy texture, refrigerate vegan chicken breast for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Making minced chicken - To turn vegan chicken into mince, simply pulse it a few times in a food processor.
Save this recipe!
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Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
Andrea says
Just made this.. i used regular tofu and just decreased the water a bit. I probably overkneaded them, but they came out perfect. I cooked them wrapped in foul in my pressure cooker. Regular presdure cooker with a valve. So fast, so easy. These are awesome!
Meesha says
Thanks for leaving a review! I am happy to hear that you like them. 😊
Kris says
I don’t like my food touching foil so I usually wrap in parchment first, then foil. Do you think I need to add more steaming time?
Meesha says
No, you do not need to increase the steaming time 😁
Kathy haisley says
Poultry seasoning varies so much, do you have an American favorite?
Meesha says
This is the one I am using - https://amzn.to/3MVNSwV.