After the popularity of my Vegan Seitan Steak, which ended up being one of the top 10 recipes of 2018, I wanted to start this year off with an exciting follow-up recipe. Many of you requested a seitan chicken style recipe… well, ask and you shall receive. I introduce to you my Vegan Seitan Tenders! …And yes, it does taste like chicken. Ba dum dum tsk!
It took many, many, many rounds of recipe testing to get these vegan seitan tenders just right, but I finally nailed it. It was important to me that this vegan chicken recipe was more tender in texture than my vegan steaks (which have a chewier texture similar to traditional steak). The tenders needed to be lighter in colour, tasty but still basic enough that you could season them any way you like, easy to make, and of course incredibly delicious.
I tried baking the seitan and boiling it, but in the end, I still preferred my method of steaming the seitan which allows for the best juicy texture without being weirdly squishy (which can happen with boiling). I tried adding chickpeas to the seitan but that made it too mealy and I discover instead, that the key was adding soft tofu which makes the cutlets delicate enough to cut with the side of your fork, but still strong and meaty enough to toss on a grill. I played around with ratios and seasonings until I got it juuuussst so.
The final result: vegan seitan tenders that are, you guessed it, tender. They are juicy and succulent. The tenders are easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for several days, or in the freezer so you can have them on hand whenever you like. Then, the best part is that when you are ready to serve, you can fry them, grill them, marinate them, bake them, or treat them any way you would have treated a chicken dish.
Serve a vegan seitan tender on a bun, bread or crust them, slice them for salad, pasta, or stir fry, cut them into nuggets and fry or bake, add them to burritos, tacos, sandwiches- the options are endlessly delicious!
Just 8 ingredients, 40 minutes to make plus an hour of cooling. 1 recipe makes 6 tenders and each one contains 156 calories, 8g carbohydrates, 26g protein, and 2g fat. Boom!
To make vegan seitan tenders: add all of the ingredients to a food processor and combine.
Continue to mix the dough until everything is well combined and the dough forms a ball.
Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor you can mix everything together in a large bowl working the dough until it forms a ball.
Lightly dust a clean work surfaces with a bit of the vital wheat gluten. Turn the dough ball onto the surface and lightly dust the top with a little more vital wheat gluten. The dough will be soft and very sticky so this will help it from sticking to your hands. Cut the dough ball into 6 pieces and use the tips of your fingers to press each piece of dough into an oval shape about 5″ x 6″.
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a simmer. Lightly grease the steamer basket and lay the tenders in the basket. If the tenders need to overlap each other, spray the tenders with a bit of oil to stop them from sticking together. Cover and steam at a simmer for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through so they steam evenly. They will double in size.
*If the end appearance of the tenders is important to you, make sure to allow lots of room around each tender to expand. You may want to steam the tenders in batches as when they overlap each other they can sometimes end up as weird shapes. This won’t matter if you plan on slicing them, but you can consider it if you plan to serve the tenders whole.
Once steamed, remove the tenders and let cool. Cover or put in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or for up to 3 – 4 days. You can either chill the tenders without any additional seasoning, or you could toss the tenders in your favourite marinade. The tenders shrink and firm up a bit when chilled and this results in the best texture.
Check out my recipes for 12 Seitan or Tofu Marinades for endless flavour combos!
Once chilled, the tenders are now ready to cook with and enjoy. You can treat them any way that you might prepare a chicken breast. Make a vegan seitan tender burger, bread or crust them, slice them for salad, pasta, or stirfry, cut them into nuggets and fry or bake, add them to burritos, tacos, or sandwiches.
In these photos, I fried them in a bit of vegan butter, and seasoned with salt, pepper, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon. This makes the outside crispy and the insides stays nice and tender and juicy. Perfection!
This homemade vegan seitan chicken recipe is easy to make, just 8 ingredients, can be made ahead of time, and once prepared can be used any way that you might have cooked chicken- marinate, bread, fry, crust, bake, grill, BBQ, the options are endless!!!
- 1 1/2 cups vital wheat gluten, plus more for dusting
- 300 g soft or silken tofu (1 1/4 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 boullion cube
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Add all of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse to combine until everything is well mixed and the dough forms a ball. Alternatively, if you do not have a food processor you can mix everything together in a large bowl working the dough until it forms a ball.
Lightly dust a clean work surfaces with a bit of the vital wheat gluten. Turn the dough ball onto the surface and lightly dust the top with a little more vital wheat gluten. The dough will be soft and very sticky so this will help it from sticking to your hands. Cut the dough ball into 6 pieces and use the tips of your fingers to press each piece of dough into an oval shape about 5" x 6".
Add several inches of water to a large pot with a steamer basket and bring to a simmer. Lightly grease the steamer basket and lay the tenders in the basket. If the tenders need to overlap each other, spray the tenders with a bit of oil to stop them from sticking together. Cover and steam at a simmer for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through so they steam evenly. They will double in size.
Once steamed, remove the tenders and let cool. Cover or put in an airtight container and chill in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour, or for up to 3 - 4 days. You can either chill the tenders without any additional seasoning, or you could toss the tenders in your favourite marinade. The tenders shrink and firm up a bit when chilled and this results in the best texture. Once chilled, the tenders are now ready to cook with and enjoy. You can treat them any way that you might prepare a chicken breast. Make a vegan seitan tender burger, bread or crust them, slice them for salad, pasta, or stirfry, cut them into nuggets and fry or bake, add them to burritos, tacos, or sandwiches.
*If the end appearance of the tenders is important to you, make sure to allow lots of room around each tender to expand. You may want to steam the tenders in batches as when they overlap each other they can sometimes end up as weird shapes. This won't matter if you plan on slicing them, but you can consider it if you plan to serve the tenders whole.
*For oil-free you can skip greasing the steamer basket and tenders. The tenders will expand and stick together when steaming and may tear when you try to separateΒ them, but the end result will still be equally delicious. π
*To freeze the tenders, let them cool completely before freezing.Β Freeze in an airtightΒ freezer bag or container. You can freeze them plain or in the marinade of your choice.Β
Β
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
I am an avid seitan-maker, with many “chicken”-like cutlet recipes in my back pocket. This is by far a favorite! It is tender and full of protein, with a satisfying chew, takes marinades well, and is super versatile. I modified the recipe slightly to make it more chicken-like, using “chicken salt” (vegan) instead of regular salt and Better Than Bouillon’s “Not Chicken”. I don’t know if that made it taste substantially better, but I enjoyed the outcome. I did notice that this recipe doesn’t include apple cider vinegar, which many people think reduces the “gluteny” taste that bothers some people in seitan (doesn’t bother me, though) Sam, do you think adding 1/2-1tsp of ACV would change the recipe significantly? Have you experimented with it?
This is now my all time favorite chicken seitan recipe!! I have tried a zillion recipes….simmering, baking, in foil, out of foil…all with mixed results. Most of the simmered recipes I tried turned out spongy which is really yucky! This is probably the closest I have ever come to a “chicken” taste and texture! Just awesome! I made the steak last night….absolutely fantastic! Any plans for a “pork” recipe? I have so many vegan cookbooks it’s ridiculous, but yours is my go to. Your mac and cheese is my favorite!! You are the best!!
Ok, Sam…tell me what I did wrong! π I cooked them on the griddle portion of my Lodge Cook-It-All for about 4 minutes on a side. Too long? The texture was a bit chewy. Did I over-process? I tried very hard to stop when it came together as a ball. It was, as you noted, very sticky, so I thought I had it right. I was worried about the measurements. I measured the 300g of silken tofu (which was just a little less than a whole package). But when it came to the VWG I was very confused after reading some of the comments. I used 1 1/2 cups, but I agree that a weight measure would be good. Also my “vegetable cubes” were listed as “large” (huh??), so I don’t know if that affected the flavor. I have the other ones in the freezer; 2 in Teriyaki and 2 in BBQ sauce. Husband ate without hesitation though! That means they were still good!!
These are so easy and delicious, even when you keep them really simple! I cut them into strips next, and used this recipe (http://vegweb.com/recipes/best-breaded-and-fried-seitan) for batter β AMAZING. Thanks Sam, you’re the best!
Awesome!! Delighted you love them so much, Maia π
Sam, this recipe is amazing! I followed your directions and when all was done I thought, huh? Then I took a bite OMG I was eating chicken! It does taste like chicken, only better! Thank you. You are amazing!
Hahaha! You’re most welcome, Mike! Delighted you are enjoying my recipes so much π
Hi! I planned on making these this weekend, but the store was all out of soft and silken tofu. Would this work with firm tofu? It’s what I have on hand. Thanks!
I haven’t tested it, but I don’t think you would get the exact same results and the texture will be different. I would recommend waiting until you are able to get your hands on some soft tofu. Enjoy!
I ended up making it with the firm tofu. It was a bit chewy, but still tasted amazing! I’ll definitely be making it again with silken tofu. I’m looking forward to trying the steak seitan recipe next.
It was a hit! Everyone loved it! Yay! I’m the only vegan in the house and it’s nice to have something that is easy to make and that everyone will enjoy.
I’m looking to invest in a good size steamer/pot. Any recommendations? (I made this batch on my two small ones)
Yay!! So happy you enjoyed it so much, Megan π As for steamer, I have one very similar to this one which I love!
Sam, you are the best! Thank you again for another amazing, simple, delicious recipe!
I made these yesterday with soft tofu and I was super disappointed at the result in my food processor. It didn’t form into a ball like your photos at all! It was more like crumbly cookie dough. I added a bit more water, but it didn’t seem to be helping. However, the dough did stick to itself OK, so I decided to go for it. I pressed it into patties and steamed them and… they came out great! Not the ideal texture, but good enough. My partner and I both agreed they were superior to store-bought versions we have tried.
I will try silken tofu next time, and look forward to the addition of weight for the VWG. I’m not sure which of these (or what else) made mine so different from yours, but I love that even though they weren’t picture perfect, they still taste awesome!
So happy you enjoyed, Marsha! I don’t know if this will help, but next time try maybe blending the mixture in the food processor a little longer. Mine looks weird at first but I just let it whizz around and then all of a sudden it starts magically coming together. So happy you enjoyed it anyways and prefer it to store-bought!
Oh my God so so so good. Literally life changing. Made them and my husband freaked out cuz he thought I was making chicken can’t wait to play with the recipe. I’m thinking of making them into sausage shapes and adding extra spices to the dough next time
Yay!!! Haha, I love freaking people out. So happy you loved them, Jo!
These look great can there be a substitute for the silken soy?
You could use soft tofu. Enjoy!
Hello! I made these yesterday and the flavour was great but they were very chewy and a bit tough. I followed the instructions to a tee on Thursday, then fried them in a little olive oil with lemon juice til golden brown. What did I do wrong? ?
Seitan can get tough if it is over kneaded. No kneading is required for this recipe, you just want to dough form a ball then you’re good to go. If you still find it tough try marinating it in the fridge for several days. They should be very tender. Enjoy!
Thank you so much for your reply. I didn’t knead, but tossed everything in the food processor. Maybe I blended it there for too long? Then I just rolled it into a ball as instructed…..
I just made these today using the Instant pot – I tried half of the batch steaming them for 20 minutes using the “steam” function, and the other half using high pressure on manual for 3 minutes then letting the pressure come down on its own before opening. They both look identical so I think the IP will work for all of us who have one – I greased the steamer tray before using it and put in a cup or so of water before each batch – about up to the bottom of the steamer – it was not an exact science at that point!. Hope this helps!
This is so good read! I was wondering how they would work in my IP. Thanks for sharing your trial runs!
Great tips!! Thanks for doing that experiment, Diana. I’m sure it will help many π
When you steam these, do you boil the water first, then put the seitan in the steamer? And then do you leave the stove setting on high or turn it down to a simmer (with the lid on I assume?)? Thanks for clarifying the steaming process.
Bring the water to a simmer, add the seitan to the steamer basket, and continue to simmer for 25 minutes, flipping the seitan halfway through. Enjoy!
How do you know the seitan is ready to be removed from the steamer?
It will be ready at 25 minutes and will look like it has doubled in size. Enjoy!
Made these last night . Marinated in a lemon pepper marinade overnight.I am super excited to try these for dinner tonight !!!
Yay! I hope you love them π
Just made this! Wow! I predict this will definitely be one of your top 10, if not No. 1, for 2019. I couldn’t wait for the pieces to be refrigerated (you said the texture would improve) so I sliced off a piece just cooked and it was delicious. I can’t wait to use in some of my recipes. I’ve been buying store-bought chicken seitan for years because I never found a recipe for chicken seitan, but now I will nix the store-bought for this. By the way, I tried your vegan steak recipe when you first published it, and it was great too! Keep those wonderful recipes coming….
Wonderful!!! So very happy you love it so much, Jane! Thanks for the great review π
Since I wrote the above review, I’ve made Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas with your vegan chicken recipe. It was excellent. Love it!
Ooooh that sounds SO good!!!!
How much fiber in each tender, please? I’m trying to figure net carbs.
1 recipe makes 6 tenders and each one contains 156 calories, 8g carbohydrates, 26g protein, 2g fat, and 1 g fiber.
thank you!
I’m not supposed to have soy… think I could sub white beans for the tofu? Either way these look great!
From my experiment the seitan got a bit grainy with the addition of beans but you are welcome to try it. Enjoy!
I have just made a batch of these for my son and we fried off half of one to try it out as it is, without any marinade – it is without question the easiest and quickest Seitan recipe I have followed so far and it tastes delicious – as a non-vegan I can say that it really does taste like chicken and it even has the same texture. It crisped up beautifully in the frying pan and I can see endless possibilities for using them in recipes. Nice one Sam! If you are posting recipes this good on the website I can’t wait to see what you are holding back for your (hopefully) second book!!
Aww that’s so wonderful!! Thank you, Mary!! So thrilled you love the recipe so much, and it’s cool to hear that even as a non-vegan you think it tastes like chicken!! It’s been so long for me, it’s difficult to remember sometimes. Haha!
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but when you put them in the fridge or freezer, are they already cooked? So the point of cooking again is to add more texture? And would you cook them the exact same way/time as chicken? But just to add additional flavor and texture? Not like cooking to avoid it being raw? Thanks!
Not a dumb question at all! Once steamed the seitan is cooked and totally edible, but at this point, think of it as steamed chicken, it won’t be particularly exciting. You can prepare it any way that you might prepare chicken which will add more flavour and texture. Personally, I love to marinate them and then fry them a couple minutes per side, so they get slightly crispy on the outside. You probably don’t need to cook it as long as you cook chicken because they are already cooked through. Just as long as they are hot all the way through they will be delicious. Enjoy!
So excited to try these! How many minutes did you cook the chicken in the pan with the lemon and seasonings?
Just a couple minutes per side until they were crispy on both sides π Enjoy!
OMG Sam! You are some kind of wizard, I am sure of it. Holy smokes, so excited to make these this weekend!!!
Haha! Awesome, I hope you enjoy π
I have struggled to make a tasty seitan for over a year now and this is it!!!! The consistency is perfect. Not rubbery and not dry. I’m enjoying a batch right now for my lunch that I marinated in a garlic/ginger marinade. Thank you so much Sam. From now on this would be my go to recipe π
YAY!!! Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe so much, Lucia π
This looks so great, thank you! I spend $50-$80 a month on gardein tenders for my children, so I’m excited to try it!!! If I wanted to do them breaded and baked, could I use your crispy breaded tofu steak recipe for the breading, then do 400 degrees for 18-23 minutes like your crispy vegan lemon tofu recipe? I’m going for something similar to chicken nuggets, lol. You’re awesome, thank you so much for your time!!
Oh I hope you love these and can save a bit! π I would recommend trying my recipe for Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower but sub this seitan for the cauliflower π
I make your recipe for seitan steaks all the time. I mean when I finish one batch I make another. They are great. I used to make my seitan steaks without the lentils they are so much better with your recipe. I can hardly wait to make the chicken flavored steaks. Thank you.
That’s wonderful, Mike!! Thrilled you are enjoying my seitan recipe so much. I hope you love this one too π
The “It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken” genius made an “It Tastes Like Chicken” hack! Ha, ha, ha!
I’m trying these tonight! They look fantastic and I so appreciate the ideas to marinade for more options. Well done!
Bahahaha! It’s true… I hope you love them, Bev π
So I couldn’t wait. I made these this afternoon and they are fantastic! I marinated half of them in Greek salad dressing with my homemade souvlaki spice to make souvlaki for tonight and refrigerated the other half for more experiments. The texture and taste is amazing – probably the best seitan I’ve made so far. Next time I will make them in two batches or two pans as you weren’t kidding when you say they double! Thankfully I followed your tip and sprayed them with oil narrowly avoiding a sticky disaster. Thanks Sam – you are so amazing and smart!
Do you have the recipe for the jerk or sweet chili marinade shown in the picture?
I pretty just much used a bit of sweet chili sauce and a splash of soy sauce for the sweet chili, and jerk marinade and a splash of water for the jerk. Maybe I should make a post with several different simple marinades? π
Would be great ;o)
I’m wondering the same thing about the Instant Pot. Would the time need to change to do them there? Thanks for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it out!
Hey all! I’m new to cooking and don’t have a steamer. Do I need to get one or is there something else that I can use?
You can make a DIY steamer using one of these methods, or you could buy a steamer pot fairly inexpensively on Amazon if it’s something you think you will use enough. Enjoy!
So you donβt knead them at all? And can this be done with an Instapot for steaming instead?
I’m wondering the same thing about the Instant Pot. Would the time need to change to do them there? Thanks for this recipe! I can’t wait to try it out!
That’s right, no kneading is needed. I don’t have an instapot so I’m not sure, but if there is a steaming option, that should work just fine. Enjoy!
These look fabulous. I can’t wait to try them. I’ve never worked with vital wheat gluten before. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen it at the store and wondered what it was for. Now I know. Thanks for all the work that went into this recipe. I love your work! You have made this vegan journey a joy for me.
I was so intimidated at the thought of vital wheat gluten, it sounded scary, itβs not scary or difficult at all, it does exactly what it says, itβs not fussy like dough or anything, give it a try, I think you will be surprised, I sure was.
Awww, melt my heart! Thank you, Denise! I hope you love working with vital wheat gluten. It’s pretty amazing what it can do!
I canβt see the Seitan in this recipe. Am I missing something obvious?
Seitan is what is made from the wheat gluten.
This is a recipe to make homemade seitan. Seitan is a dish made using vital wheat gluten.
Do you think these might freeze well?
Sam mentioned that you can freeze them …. see the info. at the top of the blog. “The tenders are easy to make and can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for several days, or in the freezer so you can have them on hand whenever you like. Then, the best part is that when you are ready to serve, you can fry them, grill them, marinate them, bake them, or treat them any way you would have treated a chicken dish.”
This is different to the recommendation for the steak seitan recipe … there you can place them in the marinade and freeze them. I’m wondering which way will lead to the tastiest seitan?
ββοΈI went back & see it written clearly… thanks for taking the time to reply
Thanks for your help
Absolutely! You can freeze them once they are cooled. Freeze them plain or in a marinade of choice. Enjoy! π
We can’t use the wheat gluten, is there something else that would work?
Unfortunately, no. Vital wheat gluten is key to this recipe. π
These look amazing. Well done.
When working with VWG, I have found that giving the weight vs. volume insures best results for all. Would you happen to know what the VWG weight was that you used?
Nice point. I have to admit that I always measure by volume. But this yields inconsistent (but still always delicious) results in texture. Good suggestion to give both weight and volume measurements in recipes…at least, for things where humidity etc can have a large influence.
Thank you so much!! I do not know what the weight is off hand, but the good news is that I will be working to add this info to all of my recipes soon. Stay tuned π
Awesome. Thank you. Ended up using 225 grams of VWG. BTW, made these last night. I think they were in the food processor for too long as they came out tasting awesome but the texture was chewy. Next time will use the pulse to just get everything together.
So happy you enjoyed π