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!
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Seitan Tenders
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 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 but the vital wheat gluten together in a large bowl until well combined. Add the vital wheat gluten and mix it into a dough 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. 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 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. Make sure to keep it at a gentle simmer for the best texture.
- 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 how to master the art of making seitan in my new cooking course Seitan School! Click here to learn more and enroll.
Notes
Nutrition
Bon appetegan!
Sam.
Paula says
THE BEST SEITAN RECIPE EVER!! I have tried a couple of other recipes and they have all turned out differently, some better than others but this one is hands down the best! So easy and the most tender, also your marinade list is fantastic too. I was wondering if you cook it for even shorter time will it be even more tender?
Thanks for the great recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you so much, Paula!! The steaks will get firmer the more you mix the dough, so to make the extra tender mix the dough as little as possible. I also find splashing extra marinade on the steaks while they cook makes them juicier 🙂
Denise says
Tried it today. It was awesome! I am a newish vegan and I have tried other seitan recipes with tofu or chickpeas, but this one is by far a winner and a keeper! .Thank you so much!!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed!
Lou says
Hi made them and they turned out well,we froze half of them but needn’t marinate before freezing,do I need to defrost them before cooking them?
Sam Turnbull says
Yes, defrost before cooking. Enjoy!
Lou says
Hi I made them and they turned out good ,we ate half of them and froze the rest.Do I need to defrost them first before cooking,as I needn’t marinate before freezing?
vickie deangelis says
I love this recipe....so easy and so tasty....I've noticed the last 2 times I have made them and froze them they seemed to be a little tough after thawing. I'm not sure if tough is the correct word....maybe really firm would better describe. Any suggestions on how to soften them a little? Do you think if I soaked them in some hot broth or water it would change the texture? Or could it possibly be something I am doing when preparing the recipe?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Vickie, I haven't found them tough after freezing. DO you defrost them before cooking? Allowing them to defrost at room temperature or in your fridge is best. Hope that helps!
Joy says
This is basically the Breast of Unchicken from Miyoko's The Vegan Homemade Pantry - is that where you discovered the tofu element? No mention of that anywhere?
Sam Turnbull says
Adding tofu to seitan isn't a new idea, you can see it in this post here for example, which was published before Miyoko's book or my recipe. I'm always careful to give credit where it is due, but this recipe was based on my own experiments and my steak recipe. 🙂
Amanda says
The only seitan recipe that has ever actually turned out successful for me! Love that the food processor does all the work. I love how versatile the tenders are, I’ve even used them to make fried chick’n! My non vegan partner loves them as well. The only downside is cleaning the food processor (gluten is so sticky!) but an old sponge, soap and elbow grease do the job- plus it’s totally worth it! Amazing recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
So thrilled you loved it so much, Amanda!!
Elise says
Hey Sam,
I made these last night and you’ll have to change the name of your website to “it does actually taste just like chicken”. So easy, great texture, great taste. This recipe is set to become a staple in my house.
Subs: I substituted the dried onion and garlic for fresh, and didn’t add the water. Blend the onions and garlic with the salt first, to make a purée then add the rest of the ingredients.
Thanks very much for the great recipe.
Sam Turnbull says
Haha! So happy you enjoyed, Elise 🙂
Dora says
I've made this a few times and I can't get it right for some reason 🙁 I feel I may be letting it go in my food processor too long. I stop it once it forms a ball but sometimes that takes longer than 30 seconds, does that matter? Should i worry about the amount of time needed or how the dough looks?
Maria says
Hi Sam, thank you for the wonderful-looking recipe! I tried making this yesterday and mixed the ingredients by hand because I don't have a food processor. I ended up with a stringy, piece-y mess that did not form one solid ball, and after mixing it for too long it turned chewy, so I ended up throwing the "dough" away before steaming 🙁 Any tips on how to mix everything when doing it by hand?
Sam Turnbull says
I would start by mixing together everything but the vital wheat gluten, then mix that in It should make a soft tender dough. Hope that helps!
Elaine Clifford says
This was my first time making seitan and I have to say your recipe and instructions nailed it perfectly.We just made breading batter, coated and fried the strips and they were so delicious! Our area grocery stores stopped stocking the Beyond Meat "chicken" strips and we have been craving a substitute, your recipe worked perfectly. We'll miss the pea based option, but to find a recipe that has a similar consistency has made my family so happy. Thank you for sharing!
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome, Elaine! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
Jaq says
Just made this recipe for the fourth time now and they are really fantastic, the tenderest seitan I’ve ever made for sure! The first time I made them they overlapped in the steamer and all stuck together, so from then on I’ve cooked them in batches - both ways they tasted fine, but only the batch cooked versions looked nice.
Not sure if it’s a chicken-like texture but works fab in the same sort of recipes, I’ve had then fried up in salads, breaded whole with a katsu curry, and even into smaller portions and battered and deep fried as nuggets, all turned out fab. I usually use Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base where the recipe calls for vegetable broth powder, and find three heaped teaspoons of that (along with a healthy dash of MSG) gives a result that’s extra flavoursome and chicken-y. One of my favourite seitan recipes for sure, and definitely the easiest.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you love it so much, Jaq 🙂
Sal says
So sad, I was excited for these =/ but the texture was like tofu, maybe I did something wrong? But the texture was nothing like chicken -_-
Roberto says
I have a similar recipe with chickpeas, but adding tofu makes it less calorie intense, plus it has fewer carbs.
I really like the texture and flavor!
Horacio says
Hi everyone! I just made these yesterday and cooked them as chicken fajita tacos. Flavor and texture were fine, but both me and my girlfriend ended up quite bloated. I have to mention that I substituted the tofu for chickpeas because I could not find tofu. I would also like to mention that none of us have any kind of gluten intolerance; we have previously had the sausages recipe from this website and eat whole brain bread almost every day. I am pretty sure that the substitution -not the chickpeas themselves, but the fact that they were steamed being already cooked - are the reason for the bloating. Any insights? Sorry for the long post, and thanks a lot for the amazing recipes Sam!
Allie says
I really want to make shredded chicken seitan to put in soups as I find this is when I crave chicken the most. Would this texture work for shredding or do you think it would be too soft? I am wondering if kneading it some would create a texture that could be shredded?
Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
I think it should shred just fine. The texture is very similar to chicken. ENjoy!
Allie says
I think I will give it a go then. Thanks!
Monica Cordeiro says
Could you possibly use firm tofu? i have ran our of silk / often tofu.
Jamie says
I'm sorry if this has already been asked but I didn't read every comment. Would this be ok to use in a soup that would otherwise call for chicken, or would this become mushy or gummy? Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Yes it should be great, but I would add them at the end just before serving so the texture doesn't get weird. Enjoy!
Maraika says
Great recipe. Easy to make and nice flavour. Love that it is no knead. And I am not too fussy about the exact weight with this recipe. It always turns out perfect. And they freeze really well. One of my favourites now.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Sue says
Great recipe Sam! Thanks for your hard work. I threw two into the freezer before Dh could eat them all.
Sam Turnbull says
Glad you enjoyed!
Miriam says
Can I substitute the tofu with something else (soy free)?
Sam Turnbull says
I would recommend trying my seitan steaks which are already soy free. 🙂
Steve says
My first time making seitan so I was a little nervous, but it was easy and very tasty. Excellent as a sandwich on sourdough with vegan cheese and mayo.
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful!
Mandy says
I used firm tofu because silken tofu is harder to find and more expensive around here, so I added a little extra water, and they turned out perfectly! I made some tenders and some wings following your other recipe. I also blended everything in the food processor except the vital wheat gluten because it gets too thick. It works to have another bowl to mix that in. Thank you!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love it, Mandy!
Ashley says
How long do these last in the freezer?
Theresa says
Hello! Thank you so much for your wonderful blog! Quick question, would this recipe work without the oil?
Rick says
I've made this twice. The first time was good, but the Seitans were a bit flat, but the second time I steamed them in two batches so they were not stacked, and they came out great!
I do have a question though: is it possible to use a KitchenAid Stand Mixer instead of the food processor? If you have tried it, how would you compare the two methods, and the results?
Thanks!
Rick
Sam Turnbull says
That's great Rick! I've never used a stand mixer (I don't have one), but as long as it's able to combine all the ingredients without overmixing, I think it should work fine. ENjoy!
Sue says
Thanks Sam. Mine just finished steaming. They look so cool! I’ll be adding them to your Caesar salad for lunch. Your recipes are always reliable. Keep up the great work;
Sam Turnbull says
Thank you!