Author: Hot dang these Vegan Chicken Wings are looking so good!! Fear not, no chickens were harmed in the making of these vegan chicken wings. But they sure are sauce drippingly, sticky finger, scrumptious nibbles with vegan blue cheese dip or vegan ranch for dunking those seitan bites in. Ooooh yeah, this is one of my most favorite seitan recipes and is some quality bar food right here. 
My Vegan Chicken Wings can be made ahead of time, and so can the sauces. When you are ready to feast you can just fry up the seitan and toss in the pre-made sauces. Or they actually reheat very well too! Meaning you could even make Vegan Chicken Wings fully prepared with sauces and all, then just reheat, covered in a pot along with the sauce, over medium-low heat. How easy is that!? 
How To Make Vegan Chicken Wings:
First, start by making the recipe for Vegan Seitan Tenders. Instead of forming the seitan into oval shapes, use scissors to cut the dough into small wing sized pieces (they will almost double in size, so keep them on the smaller size). One batch of seitan tenders should make about 25 to 30 wing sized pieces. 
Spread the pieces out on a well-greased steamer basket. Use spray oil to generously coat the seitan wings to stop them from sticking to each other as you layer them. Steam at a simmer for 25 minutes. The seitan will merge together into one lump, but don't worry, let the seitan cool and shrink up a bit. Once cool you will be able to pull apart the seitan wings from each other. If any stick, simply use a knife or scissors to cut pieces. *Alternatively, if you have already prepared Vegan Seitan Tenders, you can use a knife or scissors to chop the tenders into wing-sized pieces. Let cool, covered in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 3 - 4 days before frying. 
To fry the Vegan Chicken Wings, heat two tablespoons of light oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the bites and fry a couple minutes per side, turning as needed until they are golden brown all over. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan, adding more oil if needed. 
How To Make Sticky Garlic Sauce:
In a small pot, whisk together the garlic, syrup of choice, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and corn starch while everything is still cold. Turn on the heat to medium, and cook for about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn, whisking often until the sauce thickens a bit. Toss half of the fried seitan bites in the sticky garlic sauce. 
How To Make Buffalo Sauce:
Whisk together the hot sauce with the melted vegan butter. Toss the remaining half of the seitan wings in the buffalo sauce. Serve hot with celery and carrots sticks, my vegan blue cheese dip, and a lot of napkins! 
These Vegan Chicken Wings Are...
- Saucy, scrumptious, and addictive
- Can be dunked in a vegan blue cheese or vegan ranch dressing
- Perfect for parties
- The best vegan bar food
More Vegan Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
- Chicken-style Tofu Bites
- Vegan Chicken Nuggets
- Vegan Orange Chicken
- Buttermilk Fried Oyster Mushrooms
- 2-Ingredient Vegan Seitan "Chicken"
- Vegan BBQ Shredded Tofu (Vegan Shredded Chicken)
- Vegan Seitan Tenders (Vegan Chicken Breasts)
If you try this recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram. Bon appetegan! Sam Turnbull.
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Vegan Chicken Wings - Sticky Garlic and Buffalo
Servings: (makes 25 - 30 seitan bites)
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Ingredients
For the Vegan Chicken Wings:
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten
- 1 block (10.6oz/ 300g) soft or silken tofu, (1 ¼ cups)
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons vegetable broth powder, vegetable instant stock mix powder, or 1 vegetable bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons light oil, (such as canola or vegetable), for frying
Sticky garlic sauce (optional):
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup agave, maple syrup or corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
Spicy buffalo sauce (optional):
- ⅓ cup Franks red hot, (or similar hot sauce)
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
Instructions
To make the Vegan Chicken Wings
- Make the dough: Add the vital wheat gluten, tofu, water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, vegetable broth powder, garlic powder, and salt to a food processor. Pulse until everything is well mixed and the dough forms a ball.*Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor, in a large bowl, mash the tofu using a potato masher until smooth. Add the water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, vegetable broth powder, garlic powder, and salt, and mix. Then, mix in the vital wheat gluten to form a dough.
- Use scissors to cut the dough into small wing-sized pieces (they will almost double in size, so keep them on the smaller side). One batch should make 25-30 wings.
- Steam the wings: Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a simmer. Lightly grease the steamer basket and layer in the vegan chicken wings, generously spraying each layer with spray oil to prevent sticking.Steam at a simmer for 25 minutes. The seitan bites will merge together into one lump.
- Cool and separate: Let the seitan cool and shrink up a bit. Once cool, you will be able to pull apart the seitan bites from each other. If any stick, use a knife or scissors to cut them apart. Let the wings cool, covered in the fridge for a minimum of 30 minutes or up to 3-4 days before frying. Seitan gets more tender and juicy as it rests in the fridge.
For the Sauces (optional, or use your preferred sauce):
- Make the sticky garlic sauce: In a small pot, whisk together the garlic, syrup of choice, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce, and cornstarch while everything is still cold. Turn on the heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes, whisking often until the sauce thickens a bit.
- Make the buffalo sauce: In a microwave-safe dish, add the hot sauce and vegan butter. Microwave on high in 20-second increments until the butter is melted and the sauce is hot. Whisk to combine. Alternatively, warm the sauce in a small pot on the stove.
To Cook and Serve the Vegan Chicken Wings:
- Fry the wings: Heat two tablespoons of light oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add steamed and cooled vegan chicken wings and fry for a couple of minutes per side, turning as needed until they are golden brown all over. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your pan, adding more oil if needed.
- Toss in sauce: Toss half of the vegan chicken wings in the sticky garlic sauce and the remaining half in the buffalo sauce.Serve hot with vegan blue cheese dip, celery, and carrot sticks.
- * Learn my secret tricks to making perfect seitan in my free masterclass. Click here to learn more and register.
Notes
Nutrition
⭐ Did You Make This Recipe?
I’d love if you left a rating and comment, it helps others find the recipe and makes my day! 💕 
Amanda says
Wowza this was amazing!!!!!!! I ended up only using half the batch as the portion was a great size before even steaming. The garlic sauce is out of this world and I’ll be using again for other dishes too. Thanks so much!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks Amanda! So glad you enjoyed them. That garlic sauce is one of my favorites too 😊
Amanda says
Thanks for your reply!! I’ve made again today and seriously this is a game changer! Hope you enter in a competition if you haven’t already.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thank you so much, Amanda! Ahh that makes me so happy to hear.
Lila says
My non vegan husband loves these wings and I have to hand it to this recipe, the seitan absorbs some of the buffalo sauce and that makes these just so flavourful and delicious!! Been making these for years.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
This makes me so happy to hear!! 😄 Thank you for making them for years!!
Caryn says
I am new to this. Tell me the difference in soft, silken tofu, and firm tofu.
Corn Man says
Fantastic! I had a similar dish at a restaurant this week and wanted to replicate it but this was even better!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
We love to hear that!
Christopher G. says
I decided I could be vegan when I discovered cauliflower wings. These wings blow the cauliflower version out of the water. I absolutely love these, but I made one alteration that may or may not change them a bit… I used vegan chicken bouillon instead of veggie. Love them no matter what.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Christopher, oh that's so awesome! Yes, vegan chicken bouillon is a great idea! I am so happy you loved these wings so much. Thank you for the review 🙂
Jackie says
OMGG! These are the BEST vegan wings I have made as a vegan of 10 years. Also- my new favorite seitan recipe in general. Thanks so much, Sam! Love all your recipes & utilizing all THREE of your cookbooks within our home.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Yay!! That is so awesome Jackie!! I am so thrilled you love my seitan recipes (and my cookbooks!) so much!! 🙂
Jenn says
If I don't have a good way to steam these, can you make them in an air fryer?
Thanks in advance!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Jenn, this recipe needs to be steamed or it will not turn out correctly. If you do not have a steamer pot, you can use a DIY method. I hope that helps!
Jenn says
It definitely helps, thank you so much!! 🙂
Steve A says
Made these on Saturday and let sit in the fridge overnight, then fried them up for dinner Sunday. My daughter and I both give it a thumbs-up. Pretty tasty. My first time using vital wheat gluten (had to order it from Amazon). I see some comments about it not ever "balling up" in the processer. I was beginning to wonder myself but I just kept at it and finally it worked. Takes several minutes in the food processer. If you've ever made nut butter then you know how long that takes as well. Only thing I'd do different next time is use more corn starch as my sticky garlic sauce wasn't real sticky. More liquid. We tossed them in it and then dipped our bites before eating so it worked.
Jess @ IDTLC Support says
Thanks for sharing your experience!