This vegan seitan chicken is super meaty and chewy, making it a great high-protein meat substitute! Easy to make and can be grilled, fried or baked. They are freezable too, which makes them a great recipe to meal prep on the weekends.
I wouldn't say that this seitan chicken taste exactly like chicken, but its texture is pretty darn close to it ! It works really well as a meat replacement in any kinds of meals, and is super high in protein as well.
The star ingredient in this recipe is vital wheat gluten, and it is what gives these vegan chicken a super meaty texture.
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🌾What is vital wheat gluten
Let me first introduce the star of today's recipe - vital wheat gluten ! It is a flour that consist of mainly gluten, which is the protein that is found in wheat, hence making it super high in protein.
Vital wheat gluten can be made by hydrating wheat flour to activate gluten. It is then being processed so that only gluten is left behind. The lump of gluten is then being dried and grounded into a fine powder.
You can find it in most well-stocked groceries, either in the baking aisle or health aisle. It can also be found in health food stores or through online retailers like Amazon. ( I am using the Bob's Red Mill brand. )
🧂What you will need
📓Notes / Substitutions
- Soy sauce - Can be substituted with tamari or coconut aminos.
- Whole-wheat flour - You can use chickpea flour or all purpose flour in place.
- Liquid smoke - An optional ingredient, but I find that it gives seitan chicken a nice hint of smokiness. You can also use ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika in place.
- Other spices - Feel free to add-in other spices that complements this recipe like dried thyme, sage and parsley.
🔪How to make
In a large mixing bowl, combine together vital wheat gluten, whole-wheat flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir until everything is well combined.
Next, add in soy sauce, liquid smoke and water. Stir well until a dough forms. The dough should be moist to touch, but not sticky. Add water or vital wheat gluten a tablespoon at a time, if needed.
Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for roughly 30 seconds. Do not overdo with the kneading or your seitan will come out tough! Separate the dough into 6 equal parts and shape them into the shape of tenders.
Wrap each piece individually in aluminum foil.
In a pot, add in a few inches of water and insert in a steamer basket. Bring water to boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Place wrapped chicken pieces in and steam for 25 minutes.
Let them cool down slightly before removing them from foil. You can now prepare these vegan chicken however you like !
🍗How to use
Simply use these vegan chicken tenders like you would use chicken breast ! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use it :
- Pan-fry them either in some oil or vegan butter. You can also cook them without oil, but do be sure to use a good non-stick pan. Fry them for a few minutes on each sides, until both sides are crispy and golden brown.
- Chop them up into small pieces and add them into stir-fries.
- You can also cut them up and use them in curries, soups or stews.
- I love marinating them in sauces, particularly in some homemade teriyaki sauce before baking them at 200 c / 400 f for around 20 minutes until golden.
- They can also be chopped up into bite sized pieces to be grilled on skewers.
❔Commonly asked questions
Store seitan chicken in sealed containers and it can be refrigerated for a week. They are freezable too ! To freeze, place them in freezable containers or zip-top bags. They can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat frozen vegan chicken, simply let it thaw in the fridge overnight or on countertop for a few hours. You can then cook them up however you like.
If you seitan chicken turns out to be really tough, chances are you had knead the dough for too long. The more you knead the dough, the more the gluten flour develops which leads to tougher seitan.
The opposite is also true. So if you find that yours too soft and not chewy enough, try kneading them for a little longer next time.
This seitan chicken contains a significant amount of protein, which is about 25g of protein per serving. This is because the main ingredient in this recipe - gluten flour, is super high in wheat protein !
Unfortunately, these vegan chicken are not and cannot be made gluten-free. Vital wheat gluten is the key ingredient in giving seitan its meaty texture, and it is close to impossible to substitute them.
I do recommend checking out this post on making gluten-free seitan by one green planet if you are sensitive to gluten.
🍽More high-protein vegan mains
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📖 Recipe
Meaty Vegan Seitan Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cup vital wheat gluten
- ⅓ cup whole-wheat flour *
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
- 1 teaspoon liquid smoke ( optional )
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine together vital wheat gluten, whole-wheat flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder and garlic powder. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Next, add in soy sauce, liquid smoke and water. Stir well until a dough forms. The dough should be moist to touch, but not sticky. Add water or vital wheat gluten a tablespoon at a time, if needed.
- Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface for roughly 30 seconds. Do not overdo with the kneading or your seitan will come out tough!
- Separate the dough into 6 equal parts and shape them into the shape of tenders. Wrap each piece individually in aluminum foil.
- In a pot, add in a few inches of water and insert in a steamer basket. Bring water to boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Place wrapped chicken pieces in and steam for 25 minutes.
- Let them cool down slightly before removing them from foil. You can now prepare them however you like.
Video
Notes
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.
Join the discussion !