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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! 💕
Britton says
I have never had much luck making seitan, so I didn’t have much hope for this recipe. I even had a backup dinner planned for when I inevitably failed at these tenders. I was so surprised at how easy the recipe was and how delicious these were! The texture and flavor was perfect. I pan fried them as suggested, with vegan butter and parsley/salt/pepper, and then served with roasted asparagus and potato wedges. I will definitely be making these again and again!
*I didn’t have broth powder so I used Better Than Bouillon paste
Sam Turnbull says
Oh that's so wonderful, Britton! So thrilled you loved them and that they turned out for you 🙂
Deanna says
These are amazing!!!
FYI every time I've made these I've needed 250g of vital wheat gluten, 215g just didn't cut it!
Sam Turnbull says
That would make it a bit chewier, but if that's the texture you prefer, then perfect! 🙂
Manya says
Hi there,
we aren't vegans, not even vegetarians but we make both your seitan steak and seitan tenders on regular basis. We try to eat no meat at least two days a week and beside chickpea burgers - your seitan is our favorite. We serve it to our guests too and everybody's really impressed. Thank you so much for these delicuous recipes!
Sam Turnbull says
That's wonderful Manya!! So thrilled you are enjoying eating less meat 🙂
Lisa Thomas says
I've made these three times, and each time they've been perfection. I've sautéed them in a wild mushroom, shallot wine reduction sauce for a pasta dish. We had them as fajitas, and I made country fried nuggets style with a buffalo ranch dipping sauce for a party. Which btw the meat eater crowd could not get enough of them and swore I was lying they were vegan. TOTAL WINNING RECIPE. Thank you!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wow!!! Sounds amazing Lisa!! So thrilled you are loving them so much!!! 🙂
Sophie says
This looks so real. Loved the texture of your tenders.
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Sophie! Thrilled you enjoyed 🙂
Natasha says
Hi, can I use firm tofu instead?
Sam Turnbull says
Not for this recipe, no.
Jon says
Hi Sam,
I made this recipe last week and it didn't turn out the way a lot of people have said. It was extremely chewy. I followed the recipe exactly as far as ingredients go. I used soft tofu and did not knead the dough. The only thing that I can think of is maybe I steamed the seitan at more of a boiling temp and not simmering temp. Any thoughts?
Sam Turnbull says
Boiling vs steaming will definitely affect the tenders texture so that could be the reason. You also want to make sure you let them cool completely before eating them. Marinating them for a few days will help tenderize them as well. Hope that helps!
Sarah says
Hi Sam,
Super excited to try this out! I use a vegetable base for my broth. It's like a paste (Better Than Bullion), do you think I could use that instead of the vegetable powder or does it need to be dry? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
I would recommend sticking to a dry powder since I haven't experimented with the paste and I can't be sure of the results. If you give it a try, however, let us know how it goes. Enjoy!
Lucia says
I use Better Than Bullion (vegan chicken base) for this recipe and it always turns out delicious 😉
Patrica Gorely says
Hi Sam,
What kind of steamer do you have?
Sam Turnbull says
I use a steamer very similar to this one.
Aubrie Hall says
Hey! This may sound like an odd question... but could I substitute the 2 tbsp of water for 2 tbsp of my favourite hot sauce instead of add in the hot sauce as well as the water but increasing the wheat gluten by 2 tbsp also...? And also maybe a tap of cayenne? For spicy “chicken” tenders? I realise this may change the colour a bit but I have to add heat to things!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Aubrie, you can definitely add cayenne in there or any small amounts of dry spice. I wouldn't recommend adjusting the liquid or vital wheat gluten ratios. Traditional spicy chicken tenders would be seasoned on the outside with spice rubs, marinades or sauces, so I actually recommend spicing it up after the seitan is steamed and cooled. Enjoy!
Aubrie says
Thanks! Hopefully will get to try this soon
Jillian says
These were soooooo good! I cut the seitan into tenders and used the breading recipe from your zesty tofu and fried them up in a pan. We made crispy seitan sandwiches!Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
OOoooh sounds delicious! So happy you enjoyed 🙂
Jane Toomajanian says
Just finished eating the first batch I made about a month ago. Ready to make more. I will definitely be making this recipe often and NOT be buying the store-bought seitan chicken any longer (it's too expensive anyway).
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! Thrilled you enjoyed it so much. 🙂
Jessica says
When I make these 5"x6" the finished product is super thin...how thick should the 5"x6" pieces be before steaming?
Sam Turnbull says
Yep, they will be pretty thin, you can see in the photos how thin mine were, I would say about 1/2 an inch thick. They will double in size. Hope that helps!
Jessica says
Thanks Sam!
Hedwig says
Steaming my second batch right now!! I’ve made them the other day, and ate everything so quickly as I loved them so much!! I now made them in nuggets shape/size, and will enjoy them with your BBQ sauce from your cookbook.... thank you Sam for your passion and hard work ❤️
Sam Turnbull says
Aww you're most welcome, Hedwig! So happy you are enjoying my recipes so much 🙂
Margie says
I was so impressed with the ease of the recipe and the results. No kneading!! I made them yesterday and pan fried 2 this morning in a little oil, marg, lemon, salt and pepper, parsely. Them came out looking just like your picture and with great texture, tenderness and flavor. I think the tofu is what does it. Like some other commenters I was a bit confused about whether they were actually cooked when coming out of the steamer or not. Just thinking you might want to explain that in your notes at the end of the recipe. I will definitely be using them in a variety of ways. Thank you so much! I have used other recipes of yours in the past with good results.
Sam Turnbull says
So thrilled you enjoyed them, Margie! I will make notes for that 🙂
Dana says
I'm so pleased with how easy this recipe is! I made one batch and split it into half no-chicken breasts (3), and half into bites/wings (17) with a honey "sticky garlic sauce" (using Bumble vegan honey). BUT I have a few things I would change next time. 1) Next time I will double the water (to 1/4 cup). When I followed the directions, the dough didn't really form a ball, just a bunch of crumbly bits, because it was too dry, so I had to knead it to get it into one body. I think this over-kneaded my batch of wings and made it super chewy, like hard-to-eat-and-tear-a-bite-off-chewy. I haven't tried the tenders yet, but I imagine they'll be the same, however, easier to eat cut up into bite sized pieces.. 2) Due to the issue above, I would also make this recipe with weighted measurements when they are provided to make sure I'm getting the correct wet/dry balance. I can't wait to make this again! I'm used to making seitan with mashed beans, and the tofu sub is amazing for the texture and moisture. Thanks IDTLC!
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed it mostly! Hopefully next time it works out a little better for you. It should be quite soft and not dry at all so it sounds like a measurement might have been off.
Stephenie Moore says
In our Pre-Vegan days Parmesan Chicken was a regular family Sunday meal, my kids always made if for me for Mother's day, & we made it for dinner parties and took it to church families who needed a meal. We have a lot of memories associated with that particular food. After changing our diet I thought we would never have it again. I saw this recipe for Seitan Tenders and thought is was worth a try to replicate a 30 year family tradition. I made a Vegan version of Parmesan Chicken with the Seitan tenders for my husband & I. It was so close to the real deal My husband said "the taste & texture is so close" and if he were blindfolded he might not know the difference. Thanks for another great recipe. We loved it! In this case it does taste like chicken. 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
That's so amazing!! I'm thrilled you were able to veganize one of your favourite traditions 🙂
Wendy says
Stephanie, how did you prepare your Vegan parmesan chicken?
Valerie says
I would like to know Also!
Sherri Lewis says
These were so easy to make and they came out great! I used the tenders in a cashew stir fry over cauliflower rice and it was delish!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay! Thrilled you loved them so much, Sherri 🙂
Katy says
This was really easy to make and the flavors and textures were just right!
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! Thrilled you loved it, Katy 🙂
Lena Pfeffer says
Question about soft tofu. Is it the soft tidy in the refrigerated section or the aseptic box that's shelf stable? Or does it matter?
Sam Turnbull says
I used the one from the refrigerated section, but either would work great here!