Seitan chicken
The best vegan chicken recipe made from seitan. Easy to make, one bowl and high in protein. You won’t believe how delicious and versatile this plant based chicken is.
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❤️ Why you’ll love this recipe
This soy free plant based chicken recipe has a lot of amazing benefits, such as:
- it’s a healthy meat alternative for vegans and vegetarians, or people wanting to eat less meat.
- it’s a lot better for the environment than eating meat.
- it’s cholesterol free and high in plant based protein.
- it’s a great soy free meat replacement.
- it’s easy to make, just mix together the ingredients, knead and then steam.
🧂 Ingredient notes
This chicken seitan recipe is amazingly flavorful and can be used in many different ways, including as vegan chicken alternatives. It’s made up of:
- Vital wheat gluten flour – this is a high protein flour made entirely of gluten (the protein in wheat). It’s separated from the starchy part of the flour, so it’s actually pretty low in carbs. Gluten is what gives bread its chewy texture.
- Chickpea flour – You can also use all purpose flour if you don’t have this on hand. This adds a little more texture and protein to the vegan chicken.
- Vegan chicken broth – I usually use Edward & Sons vegan un-chicken bouillon. dissolve a ½ of a bouillon cube in the water then pour it in. You can also use any vegetable broth that you have.
- Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder and poultry seasoning.
- Soy sauce – This adds an umami taste and depth to the seitan. It also adds a nice saltiness.
- Nutritional yeast – This also adds an umami flavor to the vegan chicken, as well as a good dose of vitamin B12.
- Tahini – The tahini adds a nice bit of moisture to the seitan, as well as a depth of flavor.
- Sea salt
🔪 Step by step directions
- First, mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then mix in the wet ingredients into the dry mixture.
- Stir it up until it comes together as a ball of dough. It will be a bit mushy at first. Knead it until the gluten strands start to develop a fibrous texture and stretchy.
- Wrap tightly in aluminum foil and steam in a steamer basket for an hour.
Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card for the full ingredients list and instructions!
👨🍳 Expert tips
- The dough will be a bit mushy at first. You have to knead it to get the gluten to develop.
- Make sure to knead the dough for at least 2-5 minutes. The longer you knead it, the tougher and chewier it will get.
- Wrap up the seitan cutlets tightly in the aluminum foil before steaming it. If it’s too loose, it could puff up too much and become spongy, instead of more firm and chewy.
- If you don’t want to use aluminum foil, you can also use cheese cloth, or parchment paper.
♨️ History of seitan
This vegan chicken is made from seitan. Sometimes called wheat meat. Seitan is what is made when you mix vital wheat gluten (the protein in wheat, that makes bread chewy) with a liquid and then cook it.
It has a lovely meaty texture and is a great vegan meat substitute. It’s been around for centuries and is said that Buddhist monks were the first to have eaten it as part of their meat-free diet.
Seitan is high in protein and has 75 grams of protein per 100 grams.
❄️ Storing tips
This will last in the fridge in an airtight container for about a week, or the freezer for 3 months. Make sure to thaw it before.
This tastes amazing if you marinate it before frying it up in a large pan. It really soaks up flavors well. I use just store bought marinades from grocery stores to make it easier.
🥣Serving suggestions
You can serve this vegan chicken just like you would chicken. Tear it into small pieces and bread it up and air fry it and turn it into vegan chicken nuggets.
Throw it in stir fries, fry it up in a pan and serve with some vegan gravy and mashed potatoes or white rice.
Put it in a soup or a curry. It also tastes great grilled with some barbecue sauce. It’s extremely versatile.
🥕Pressure cooker directions
If you have a pressure cooker, you can also pressure cook this for 45 minutes. Make sure to put in a steaming basket and 2 cups of water. Don’t let the seitan sit in the water.
❓FAQ’s
Definitely not. Vital wheat gluten flour is pure gluten. Don’t eat this if you’re allergic to gluten.
I’ve used cheesecloth instead of aluminum foil and it came out fine. Just make sure to wrap it up tightly and maybe double wrap it.
Make sure no water is touching it and that it’s in a steaming basket. You can also use parchment paper.
Some seitan recipes call for you to boil the seitan. Since we’re aiming to make this a similar texture to seitan, we’re steaming it wrapped tightly in foil.
When you boil the seitan, it makes for a more spongy, lighter seitan. When you steam it, wrapped up, it makes it more dense and chewy, like chicken or meat.
🍛 Recipes to use with vegan chicken
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📖 Recipe
Easy vegan chicken
Ingredients
- 1½ cups vital wheat gluten flour
- ⅓ cup chickpea flour (or all purpose)
- ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 1½ cups chicken flavored vegan broth or bouillon
- ½ teaspoon liquid smoke (or smoked paprika)
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Then add all of the liquid ingredients. It will seem a bit mushy at first. With your hands, knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, to get the gluten to activate and for the dough to start forming and becoming more stretchy. The longer the knead for, the more chewy and dense it will become.1½ cups vital wheat gluten flour, ⅓ cup chickpea flour, ⅓ cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1½ cups chicken flavored vegan broth or bouillon, ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Cut the dough into 4-6 parts. Form into chicken patty shapes. Wrap each piece up TIGHTLY in aluminum foil. Set them all in a steamer basket with a tight fitting lid and water. Steam for 40 minutes, check that there is enough water, add more if needed. Steam for another 20 minutes.
- Let cool for 30 minutes. Then you can cook it any way you would chicken. Marinate it, bread it, cut it into pieces, or fry it in a pan.
Instant pot directions
- In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and mix well. Then add all of the liquid ingredients. It will seem a bit mushy at first. With your hands, knead the dough for at least 5 minutes, to get the gluten to activate and for the dough to start forming and becoming more stretchy. The longer the knead for, the more chewy and dense it will become.1½ cups vital wheat gluten flour, ⅓ cup chickpea flour, ⅓ cup nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning, 1½ cups chicken flavored vegan broth or bouillon, ½ teaspoon liquid smoke, 2 tablespoons tahini, 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- Cut the dough into 4-6 parts. Form into chicken patty shapes. Wrap each piece up TIGHTLY in aluminum foil. Add one cup of water to the instant pot and set a steamer basket or trivet inside the instant pot. Set the cutlets on the steamer basket. Add and seal the lid and pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. Then let it natural release all of the pressure out.
- Let cool for 30 minutes. Then you can cook it any way you would chicken. Marinate it, bread it, cut it into pieces, or fry it in a pan.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Keith
Will my instapot steam function for 40
minutes be the same thing as 40 minutes steamed on the stovetop?
Maria
Yes, if it’s the steam function. But make sure it’s for 60 minutes total. Steam for 40 minutes, then check on the water, add more if needed, then steam for another 20 minutes.
You can also use the pressure cook function. Just put a cup and a half of water in the instant pot, then put the steamer basket in the instant pot. Set your seitan cutlets in the steamer basket, either wrapped in foil or not. And cook on high pressure for about 40 minutes. Let it naturally release, then let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting into it.