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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! 💕
S. E. says
Have you ever used Better than Bullion? It’s like a gel consistency and comes in a jar. Should I try 2 tsp or use a different amount?
Either way so excited for this recipe! I tried the small seitan pieces from your website first and now branching out to this recipe.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi S. E.! I'm so glad you're excited to try this recipe! Yes, you can absolutely use Better Than Bouillon! Since it’s more concentrated than powdered broth, I recommend starting with about 1 teaspoon, then adjusting to taste if you’d like a stronger flavor. Enjoy making the tenders, and let me know how they turn out!
Porcelina says
I don't understand how 2 tbsp of water is enough? Do you not drain the tofu? It says soft or silken and I have soft but it's still in water and I drained it and when I was blending in the food processor it was clearly not enough water. Can you clarify in your recipe if it should be drained or not?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Porcelina! Yes, the soft or silken tofu should be drained before using it in the recipe. The 2 tablespoons of water is correct, but it’s possible that your tofu is firmer or drier than the one I used. Make sure to measure the ingredients accurately, and if you find the dough is still too dry, you can add 1 or 2 tablespoons of water as needed. I also recommend watching the video so you can see each step clearly and get a sense of the texture. I hope this helps!
Janne says
I came across your blog last week and decided to try this recipe first. After being vegan for four or so years, this is exactly the texture and taste I miss from chicken sandwhiches or salads! It’s also very easy to prepare, and tastes far better than any of the (expensive) commercial products available here in Finland. I’ll definately keep some in my freezer for busy days in the future!
Even my meat-eating husband’s comments were favourable, and that doesn’t happen often!
I’m soooo happy to have found your blog and look forward to recommending it to my friends!
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Aww thank you so much Janne!! So thrilled you loved the recipe so much 🙂
Gwen says
I’m a little confused. At the end of step 3 it says “The vegan baloney will have expanded in the foil making a tight log.” Which I figure baloney is a typo, but it doesn’t say anything about wrapping in foil anywhere, so maybe it is all a typo? Then in Step 4 it says to remove foil.
Can you tell me when we’re wrapping with foil? Thanks!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Sorry for the confusion! No foil necessary for the tenders, I've updated the changes.
Hazel says
I've made these so many times, and every time they come out great. They can be added to so many dishes. I mix all ingredients in my food processor then add that to a bowl with the VWG, as my processor couldn't handle mixing all together. 10/10 would recommend making these!
Cheryl Gee says
This is simple to make and delicious!
I made the mustard marinade for them. I am looking forward to trying the other marinades too.
We had them pan fried, in a salad and a stir fry!
They will definitely be on our menu in the future. I can’t wait to make them again.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Fantastic! We're glad you enjoyed them!
Tammy Gardner says
I took the seitan class and there was a thing about salami and there were no recipes for that on your site.
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Tammy, the salami recipe is for members of Seitan School only. If you are in Seitan School simply login to your account and you can access the recipe. I hope that helps!
Elisa says
hi from Italy! these vegan tenders are amazing and I made them a lot: they are in my favourite recipes book. thank you for this super delicoius recipe.
Nancy Stein says
These tenders are so easy to make and delicious. Love to marinade them and brown them.
Jerry says
my sons girlfriend wants me to make this a couple times a week my wife loves it
my son says with bbq sauce on the grill, it's best plant based meat he has ever had
Nigel says
So tasty and versatile.
Saraswati says
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: https://itdoesnttastelikechicken.com/12-seitan-or-tofu-marinades/
Thank you, Sam!
Max says
I LOVED this recipe!! I used some substitutes instead of the real recipe and it still turned out good! My tofu came extra firm instead of soft so I blended it. I also used my Vitamix blender (on setting 1 of course!) instead of a food processer and the dough came out wonderfully! I read the comments and saw a lot of people who commented didn't find the dough was sticky and I think its actually supposed to be fluffy. I watched the video and saw that Sam's dough was fluffy too! The chicken smelled like real chicken and tasted a bit like tofu but I still enjoyed it! I would suggest making one of the sauces on this website instead of eating it plain because it does feel kind of bland when you first taste it. Its kind of like an acquired taste but when you have a lot its really good! If you eat it with the vegan mozzarella or something like that like I did I would suggest adding smoked paprika (or normal paprika if you don't have any) garlic powder and onion powder (I use these things for a lot of recipes and its delicious). I would also suggest adding those spices to the chicken too to give it more flavor (2 tablespoons each). Overall this is a 5/5 stars because it was such a good recipe regardless.
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Fantastic! Thanks for your sharing your experience with us!
Jane says
Love this recipe. I have made this a few times. The first time, I used a blender, but didn't add the vital wheat gluten to it, like many recommended. It was good, but I think I crowded my steaks while steaming. They cooked, but they didn't have that slightly more done look to them. You'll know what I'm talking about when you flip your steaks. The other couple of times, I have just mixed by hand. I haven't had any sticking issues either. I typically put down parchment paper and keep flour nearby to sprinkle so that it doesn't stick. I also used soft tofu the last time, and since I didn't blend with the blender, the pieces were noticeable in the steak, but it just gave it a different look. I double batched them and stuck most in the freezer. Such an easy addition to dinner for the added protein. I also would say, it's a fine line between not cooked enough and overcooking when you finally cook them. For larger steaks, I probably fry for about 4 minutes per side and then I either leave as is or toss in a little low sugar BBQ sauce. I don't even add additional seasonings, but I'm sure that would take them to the next level. Thanks for all the great recipes!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Thanks for your review! We're thrilled you like this recipe!
Abby says
Can you use an instant pot to do the steaming job?A
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Other readers have told us that they've successfully steamed them in the Instant Pot with 1 inch water for 25 min.
Pamela says
I took the seitan course & made the steaks first. Total success! Even loved by non-vegans. Then, the chicken tenders. Also delicious! I do plan to steam in smaller batches next time because my steamer is rather small.
Danny says
i just made these by hand, and there was no sticking at all!! i whisked the silken tofu till it was completely broken apart, added the other ingredients and whisked those through, and then mixed in the vital wheat gluten with a rounded plastic dough scraper by folding the mixture in on itself while turning the bowl. came together super quick and didnt stick to anything really! maybe it doesnt like to stick to hard plastic, my mixing bowl is plastic too. steamed them on a steaming rack in a pot aswell as my bamboo dimsum baskets, the first is slightly puffier but both seem great! very excited to cook with these, thank you so much
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your experience!
Lorraine says
Love the recipe. I made a second batch and froze them. I was just wondering, when I want to use the frozen seitan, can I cook from frozen or do I need to defrost before cooking?
Sam Turnbull @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
Hi Lorraine, I would recommend defrosting before cooking for the best results. I usually transfer my seitan from the freezer to the fridge the day before I want to use it so if thaws overnight. I hope that helps!
Lorraine says
Thanks Sam! They are in the fridge defrosting now for tomorrow's dinner!
Kassie says
Perfect and tender - love it.
Meagan says
Made with tofu and loved! This time, I ran out of tofu so I blended up cooked lentils and used in place it came in our really good too. Definitely an easy high protein meal prep. Thanks!
Jess @ It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken says
That's wonderful! Thanks for sharing!