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Meal prep is so much easier with this Vegan Chicken in the fridge! This high-protein, homemade seitan recipe is juicy, succulent, and surprisingly easy to make. If you've never had seitan before, it's a chewy, meaty vegan chicken substitute that tastes way better than anything store-bought. Make a batch ahead of time and keep it in the fridge or freezer for quick, satisfying meals all week.
FEATURED COMMENT:
This is the BEST seitan I've ever had and I make this recipe frequently. I freeze the tenders in packs of two and make a different marinade for each pack. - Saraswati ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
After the popularity of my Vegan Seitan Steak, which ended up starting a love of making seitan, I got a lot of requests for a seitan version of a vegan chicken recipe. Well, ask and you shall receive. I introduce to you my Vegan Chicken! ...And yes, it does taste like chicken. Ba dum dum tsk!
What is Seitan?
Seitan (pronounced say-tan) is a high-protein, meat-like food made from vital wheat gluten, the protein-rich part of wheat. When mixed with liquid and cooked, it becomes chewy, firm, and savory, making it one of the best vegan meat alternatives out there.
It's been used for centuries in Asian cuisines and is sometimes called wheat meat or mock duck. In this recipe, we turn it into juicy, tender vegan chicken you can use in everything from stir-fries to sandwiches to sheet pan dinners.
Bonus: It's budget-friendly, freezer-friendly, protein-packed and WAY more delicious than most store-bought options.
Why You'll Love This Vegan Chicken Recipe
Store-bought vegan chicken is often rubbery, bland, or packed with additives, and it's pricey. This homemade version is juicy, tender, packed with flavor, and budget-friendly.
- Juicy and succulent. No dry spongey seitan here! I've balanced the ingredients and flavors in this vegan chicken recipe so it turned out tender and delicious.
- Easy to make. Just 8 ingredients, and most of the work is hands off. I love batch cooking this and stocking my freezer full of plant-based chicken!
- Great for meal prep. This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and stored in the fridge for several days, or in the freezer so you can have vegan chicken on hand whenever you like.
- Perfect swap for any chicken recipe. Once steamed and cooled, you can swap this into any of your favorite chicken recipes. My favorite way to enjoy it? Marinate the tenders overnight, then pan-fry until golden. Chef's kiss.
- A wholesome alternative. 1 batch makes 6 cutlets and each one contains 156 calories, 8g carbohydrates, 26g protein, and 2g fat.
Ingredients:
- Vital wheat gluten: Vital wheat gluten is wheat flour with most of the starch removed (leaving behind almost pure wheat protein)! It is an ancient process, and this wheat protein is what makes seitan have that meaty texture. Unfortunately, there is no substitute. And that means this recipe cannot be made gluten-free. For a vegan gluten-free chicken-inspired recipe try my Baked Tofu Bites.
- Soft or silken tofu: This gives the seitan a juicy, tender texture. Be sure to measure carefully and use the right tofu type, firm or extra-firm will make the seitan too dense.
- Seasonings: Nutritional yeast, onion powder, vegetable broth powder or bouillon, garlic powder, and salt make it taste like chicken. (Do I need to change the name of my blog now?)
How To Make Vegan Chicken
- Combine: Add all of the ingredients to a food processor.
- Process: Turn on the food processor and mix the dough until it forms a ball.
- Shape: Turn the dough out onto a surface lightly floured with vital wheat gluten. Divide into 6 pieces and shape each into an oval.
- Steam: Add the vegan chicken to a greased steamer basket set over simmering water. Cover and steam for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through the cooking time.
- Cool. Allow the vegan chicken to cool to room temperature, then chill in the refrigerate for an hour before using; if you'd like, you can chill it in a marinade for extra flavor. (Check out my recipes for 12 Seitan or Tofu Marinades for endless flavor combos!)
- Cook. The world is your oyster! Use this vegan chicken any way you'd use chicken breast. In these photos, I fried them in a bit of vegan butter, and seasoned with salt, black pepper, parsley, and a squeeze of lemon. This makes the outside crispy and the inside stays tender and juicy.
Tips for Perfect Seitan Chicken
- No food processor? Use a bowl. It takes a little more work, but it's still easy! Just the ingredients to a bowl and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the dough forms a ball.
- Make any shape you like. You can shape the seitan into small bites or nuggets, make the seitan into a big slab to slice and pan-fry, whatever! Just keep in mind that shapes that are thicker will take more time to steam.
- Cook in batches if needed. Seitan expands while steaming, so leave space in the basket or cook in batches.
- Make them extra chicken-y. You can mix poultry seasoning into the seitan mixture and/or use a vegan chicken bouillon instead of vegetable. (Poultry seasoning doesn't actually contain any poultry, it just has herbs and spices often used with chicken!)
How to Use This Vegan Chicken
Think of this like your plant-based chicken breast, you can marinate it, grill it, fry it, roast it, or slice it into your favorite recipes. Try it in stir-fries, sandwiches, tacos, salads, pasta dishes, or even breaded as vegan nuggets. I personally love it pan-fried with one of these marinades (my favorite is the sweet & smoky), or chopped up in my Vegan Chicken Caesar Salad.
How to Store
- Refrigerator: Refrigerate this vegan chicken in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- Freezer: To freeze the seitan, let it cool completely and then transfer it an airtight freezer bag or container. If you'd like, you can freeze it in a marinade.
More Vegan Chicken Recipes You Might Like:
- Buttermilk Fried Oyster Mushrooms
- The Quickest and Easiest Seitan Recipe (Vegan Chicken)
- Vegan Chicken (Washed Flour Seitan)
- Vegan Chicken Wings
- Vegan Orange Chicken
If you try this vegan chicken recipe, let us know by leaving a comment, rating it, and don't forget to tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram.
Bon appetegan!
Sam Turnbull.
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Chicken (Seitan)
This homemade Vegan Chicken is juicy, flavorful and easy to make. It's a meal prep staple you can use in so many different ways!
Servings:
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Ingredients
For the vegan seitan tenders:
- 1 ½ cups vital wheat gluten, plus more for dusting
- 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
Instructions
- Add the vital wheat gluten, tofu, water, nutritional yeast, onion powder, vegetable broth powder, garlic powder, and salt 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 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. Lastly, mix in the vital wheat gluten to form a dough.
- 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. Do not knead the dough, kneading it will make it tough. 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 gentle 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 gentle simmer for 25 minutes, flipping halfway through or until the seitan's internal temperature reaches at least 160°F (71°C) when tested with an instant-read thermometer. If the temperature goes higher, that's perfectly fine-you can't really oversteam seitan.
- 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 fully cooked and edible, but you can now treat them as you would raw chicken -season and cook them as you desire. The cooking time can be short as they only need to be heated through but prepare them any way that you might prepare a chicken breast. Pan fry or grill them, bread or crust them, slice them for salad, pasta, or stirfry, cut them into nuggets, add them to burritos, tacos, or sandwiches. The options are endless!* Learn my secret tricks to making perfect seitan in my free masterclass. Click here to learn more and register.
Notes
Shape of tenders: 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.
Oil-free: 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 separate them, but the end result will still be equally delicious. 🙂
Freezing: to freeze the tenders, let them cool completely before freezing. Freeze in an airtight freezer bag or container. You can freeze them plain or in the marinade of your choice.
Vital wheat gluten is essential to this recipe, and there is no substitute. Therefore this recipe cannot be made gluten-free. For a vegan gluten-free chicken inspired recipe try my Baked Tofu Bites recipe.
Steaming tips: you need to steam the seitan tenders before using them. I recommend getting a steamer pot if you plan to make seitan often, or you can use a DIY method if you do not have a steamer.
Cleaning tips: vital wheat gluten is very sticky and can destroy dish brushes and cloths. So what I like to do is save old clothes, sheets, or towels that are too shabby to donate, and cut them into rags. I use these rags to clean up after preparing a seitan recipe and discard the rag once finished.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving (recipe makes 6 servings) | Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 486mg | Potassium: 187mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg
⭐ 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! 💕
Edith says
How much fiber in each tender, please? I'm trying to figure net carbs.
Sam Turnbull says
1 recipe makes 6 tenders and each one contains 156 calories, 8g carbohydrates, 26g protein, 2g fat, and 1 g fiber.
Edith says
thank you!
Michael Lurie says
Hi Sam
My family and I made the tenders yesterday. Wow! So impressed with the texture and flavour. Good job!
A question though please; what is the approximate weight per serve of the finished tender? We made a triple batch so I'd like to balance the nutritional content of each serve as best I can. Appreciate your help.
Thanks in anticipation
Michael
ellecee says
I'm not supposed to have soy... think I could sub white beans for the tofu? Either way these look great!
Sam Turnbull says
From my experiment the seitan got a bit grainy with the addition of beans but you are welcome to try it. Enjoy!
Mary McGrory says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
DJ says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Autumn says
So excited to try these! How many minutes did you cook the chicken in the pan with the lemon and seasonings?
Sam Turnbull says
Just a couple minutes per side until they were crispy on both sides 🙂 Enjoy!
Kathleen @ Produce On Parade says
OMG Sam! You are some kind of wizard, I am sure of it. Holy smokes, so excited to make these this weekend!!!
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! Awesome, I hope you enjoy 🙂
Lucia says
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 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
YAY!!! Thrilled you enjoyed the recipe so much, Lucia 🙂
Lia says
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!!
Sam Turnbull says
Oh I hope you love these and can save a bit! 🙂 I would recommend trying my recipe for Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower but sub this seitan for the cauliflower 🙂
Mike says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful, Mike!! Thrilled you are enjoying my seitan recipe so much. I hope you love this one too 🙂
Bev says
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!
Sam Turnbull says
Bahahaha! It's true... I hope you love them, Bev 🙂
Lynda Birch says
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!
Janet says
Do you have the recipe for the jerk or sweet chili marinade shown in the picture?
Sam Turnbull says
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? 🙂
Andy says
Would be great ;o)
Damiana says
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!
Julie Cerros says
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?
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Emil says
So you don’t knead them at all? And can this be done with an Instapot for steaming instead?
Damiana says
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!
Grace Mueller says
I successfully made these in the Instant Pot Duo which has a saute function. I added the water to the Stainless Steel liner, inserted a trivet, and one steamer plate. I then preheated the Instant Pot by selecting 'Saute' and adjusted the temperature to 'less' which does a wonderful job of simmering. Once the Instant Pot was preheated, then I loaded two additional steamer plates with legs, 3 seitan tenders per plate and then placed a glass lid on. I canceled the previous program and selected 'saute' once again, made sure the temperature was on 'less' and adjusted the time to 25 minutes. They cooked perfectly! Thank you Sam for sharing this wonderful recipe!!! God Bless.
Damiana Pyles says
Thanks so much for these detailed instructions!! So helpful!
Sam Turnbull says
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!
Denise says
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.
Krisgren says
I was so intimidated at the thought of vital wheat gluten, it sounded scary, it’s not scary or difficult at all, it does exactly what it says, it’s not fussy like dough or anything, give it a try, I think you will be surprised, I sure was.
Sam Turnbull says
Awww, melt my heart! Thank you, Denise! I hope you love working with vital wheat gluten. It's pretty amazing what it can do!
Jane says
I can’t see the Seitan in this recipe. Am I missing something obvious?
Mary says
Seitan is what is made from the wheat gluten.
Sam Turnbull says
This is a recipe to make homemade seitan. Seitan is a dish made using vital wheat gluten.
Dana says
Do you think these might freeze well?
Julia says
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?
Dana says
♀️I went back & see it written clearly... thanks for taking the time to reply
Thanks for your help
Sam Turnbull says
Absolutely! You can freeze them once they are cooled. Freeze them plain or in a marinade of choice. Enjoy! 🙂
christine Lyle says
We can't use the wheat gluten, is there something else that would work?
Sam Turnbull says
Unfortunately, no. Vital wheat gluten is key to this recipe. 🙁
in2insight says
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?
josh says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
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 🙂
in2insight says
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.
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed 🙂