Zen and Zaatar

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • About
  • Meal Plan
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • About
    • Meal Plan
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Zen and Zaatar » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Easy Chicken Style Seitan (Vegan)

    Published: Jun 22, 2020 · Modified: Apr 17, 2025 by Zena | Zen and Zaatar · This post may contain affiliate links · 8 Comments

    Love it? Share it!

    566 shares
    Jump to Recipe
    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, this plant based chicken style seitan is simmered and done in under an hour. recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.
    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, this plant based chicken alternative is simmered and done in under an hour. recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.
    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, this plant based chicken alternative is simmered and done in under an hour. recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.
    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, this plant based chicken alternative is simmered and done in under an hour. recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.

    This seitan chicken recipe is a protein-packed plant-based meat alternative! Made from vital wheat gluten, these chicken breast style seitan cutlets are done in an hour, are flavored with savory herbs, and can be used in a variety of recipes.

    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, these seitan chicken breasts are simmered and done in under an hour. This plant based chicken alternative recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.

    Jump to:
    • What is Seitan?
    • Ingredient Breakdown
    • How to Make Vegan Chicken Style Seitan
    • How to Use Seitan
    • How Long Does Seitan Last?
    • Recipe

    What is Seitan?

    Seitan is an excellent source of plant-based protein. The main ingredient in seitan is vital wheat gluten, which is the protein found in wheat. When combined with liquid, it forms a stretchy dough that when seasoned and cooked, can mimic the texture and flavor of meat. It is great to incorporate into your meals as an alternative to the usual tofu or tempeh.

    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, these seitan chicken breasts are simmered and done in under an hour. This plant based chicken alternative recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.

    Ingredient Breakdown

    • Vital wheat gluten: The main ingredient in this vegan chicken style seitan is wheat gluten, the protein in wheat which can create a stretchy, meat-like texture in plant-based meat alternatives.
    • Chickpea flour: This adds lightness to the texture of the vegan meat.
    • Fresh herbs & seasoning: We want to infuse this chicken style seitan with savory herbs and flavors to replicate the flavors we would experience with meat.
    • Nutritional yeast: Adds an umami depth of flavor.
    • Water: The liquid that forms this mixture into dough.
    • Tahini: The fat that holds this dough together well.
    • Vegetable bouillon or broth: Infuses the seitan with flavor.
    • Lemon juice: Adds a slight tartness and balances the tahini.
    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, these seitan chicken breasts are simmered and done in under an hour. This plant based chicken alternative recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.

    How to Make Vegan Chicken Style Seitan

    You will start by creating a dough out of vital wheat gluten and knead it. This provides elasticity which helps create a more realistic vegan meat texture.

    The seitan dough is then shaped into pieces resembling chicken cutlets, and simmered until cooked through. This recipe is unique in that you don't need a steamer since we instead will just simmer the seitan in broth.

    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, these seitan chicken breasts are simmered and done in under an hour. This plant based chicken alternative recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.

    How to Use Seitan

    Once cooked, you can use this seitan chicken in a variety of recipes. It is delicious when sautéed, seasoned, and browned and can be eaten on its own with a side of rice or vegetables.

    You can use it in sandwiches or pasta dishes, such as my seitan piccata. Try adding it to salads to boost the protein content or dress it with a creamy sauce like tahini caesar.

    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, these seitan chicken breasts are simmered and done in under an hour. This plant based chicken alternative recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.

    How Long Does Seitan Last?

    This seitan chicken can be stored in the refrigerator to use for meals throughout the week. Seitan can also be frozen.

    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, these seitan chicken breasts are simmered and done in under an hour. This plant based chicken alternative recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.
    I hope you guys love this recipe! Don't forget to tag your recreations on Instagram @zenandzaatar or #zenandzaatar, or pin it for later!

    Recipe

    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, these seitan chicken breasts are simmered and done in under an hour. This plant based chicken alternative recipe is made from vital wheat gluten, packed with protein, and flavored with savory herbs.

    Easy Chicken Style Seitan (Vegan)

    Zena Hassoun
    These seitan chicken cutlets are easy and versatile. A vegan meat replacement, this plant based chicken alternative is simmered and done in under an hour.
    4.50 from 44 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 5 minutes mins
    Cook Time 45 minutes mins
    Inactive Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins
    Course Main Dishes
    Cuisine Vegan
    Servings 4 -6
    Calories 547 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups vital wheat gluten
    • ¼ cup chickpea flour
    • 1 tablespoon chopped sage
    • 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
    • 2 teaspoon onion powder
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 ½ teaspoon salt
    • 1 ¼ cup water
    • ½ cup tahini
    • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 6-8 cups vegetable broth or 50/50 mixture broth and water

    Instructions
     

    • Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl.
    • Whisk together water, tahini, and lemon in a separate bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and then add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.
    • Mix together well with a wooden spoon, and then begin to knead with hands. Knead for a few minutes until a stretchy dough is formed. If it is too sticky, add a little more wheat gluten until it is easy to work with.
    • Shape the dough into 4 -6 "chicken breast"-shaped pieces. Let rest while you prepare the broth.
    • Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot, there should be enough to cover the seitan.
    • Place the seitan pieces in, lower heat slightly to a simmer, and cover pot. Simmer for 45 minutes, flipping the seitan pieces halfway through. Turn off the heat and let rest for 15 mins. Remove seitan and set aside.
    • To serve, I recommend to pan-fry the seitan pieces in some oil, or brush them with oil and marinade and bake them until slightly browned, for a tasty meat substitute. These are also excellent in my seitan piccata recipe.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 547kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 68gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gFiber: 4gSugar: 11g
    Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @zenandzaatar on social!

    More Vegan Main Dish Recipes

    • A bowl of Arabic lentil soup topped with pita chips, crispy onions, and parsley, and served with lemon.
      Authentic Arabic Lentil Soup (Shorbat Adas)
    • Finished image of the kale salad topped with tahini dressing, chickpeas, and slices of avocado.
      Hearty Kale Salad with Tahini Dressing and Chickpeas (Savory)
    • The freekeh recipe shown with the cooked freekeh, topped with roasted cauliflower and chickpeas and drizzled with tahini.
      Simple Middle Eastern Freekeh with Cauliflower and Chickpeas
    • Vegan tomato tart with basil cashew ricotta and a gluten free tart crust
      Vegan tomato tart with basil cashew ricotta (gluten-free)

    Love it? Share it!

    566 shares

    Comments

      4.50 from 44 votes (41 ratings without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Kerstin says

      June 24, 2020 at 6:51 am

      5 stars
      This Seiten chicken is so good , I made the second time, used in the piccata recipe and then now for a chicken Parmesan. Thank you

      Reply
    2. Kerstin says

      June 24, 2020 at 6:51 am

      5 stars
      This Seiten chicken is so good , I made the second time, used in the piccata recipe and then now for a chicken Parmesan. Thank you

      Reply
    3. Kerstin says

      June 24, 2020 at 6:51 am

      5 stars
      This Seiten chicken is so good , I made the second time, used in the piccata recipe and then now for a chicken Parmesan. Thank you

      Reply
      • Zena | Zen and Zaatar says

        July 02, 2020 at 9:24 am

        I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing! Cheers <3

        Reply
    4. Erin says

      August 06, 2020 at 9:32 am

      This looks amazing! Do you think it could be made in the Instant Pot instead of on the stove? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Zena | Zen and Zaatar says

        August 12, 2020 at 2:13 pm

        Absolutely, I think that would definitely work! Let me know how it goes!

        Reply
    5. Jared W. says

      October 31, 2020 at 2:31 pm

      Made this last night. It was fantastic! The chickpea flour helped get rid of the sponge-y texture that other seitan recipes suffer from. These were like pork chops.

      I misread the cutlet size as "4 cutlets" not "4 inch cutlets". They came out to 7 ounces each before even boiling them. They were simply too big, so I cut them in half before frying them. So if you're looking to divide by weight, aim for 8-10 cutlets.

      Fantastic recipe! Going in the family recipe stash!

      Reply
    6. Porco Rosso says

      March 13, 2021 at 2:30 am

      I just wanted to check in and tell you that this recipe is so good, I've been making it for weeks (maybe even months now?). I'd make 1 or 2 batches at a time and that's a week's worth of lunches for me and the missus. Absolutely top-notch! 👌

      Reply
    Headshot image of the author of Zen and Zaatar, Zena Hassoun, MS.

    Welcome!

    Hi, I’m Zena, a passionate home cook with a Master’s in Medical Health Sciences. I’ve been vegan for nearly a decade and love creating approachable, Mediterranean-inspired recipes that nourish your body and soul.

    More about me

    55+ Vegan Recipes for Real Life

    The cover image of my e-cookbook, with text overlay "Vegan is Delicious: 55+ nourishing, innovative, plant-based recipes to satisfy vegans and omnivores alike! by Zena Hassoun, M.S., creator of Zen and Zaatar."

    Tired of the same meals or relying on takeout? Vegan is Delicious is full of flavorful, plant-based recipes (with photos!) plus a 7-day meal plan to make home cooking feel effortless.

    Get it now!

    Trending Recipes 🔥

    • How to make a super flavorful tofu scramble with spinach and cherry tomatoes. Forget about “bland” tofu, this tofu scramble is bursting with umami flavor, seasoned with nutritional yeast and tahini. A great plant-based alternative to scrambled eggs, this flavorful tofu scramble recipe is sure to be a vegan breakfast favorite!
      Super Flavorful Tofu Scramble with Spinach and Tomatoes

    • This healthy vegan nutella is date sweetened
      Healthy Vegan Nutella (Date-Sweetened)

    • vegan kunafa or knafeh, a shredded phyllo and sweet cheese dessert
      Vegan Kunafa (Knafeh) | Shredded Phyllo and Sweet Cheese Dessert

    • ful medames, a syrian fava bean and chickpea breakfast salad
      Ful Medames, Syrian Style (Arabic Bean Salad) [Vegan, GF]

    • This horaa osbao (horak esbao) is a syrian pasta dish with lentils and tangy pomegranate sauce.
      Syrian Pasta with Lentils & Caramelized Onion (Horaa Osbao) | حراق اصبعه - Vegan

    • The sweet potato and chickpea quinoa bowl with brussels sprouts, pepitas, and topped with maple tahini drizzle.
      High-Protein Sweet Potato and Chickpea Quinoa Bowls

    Spring

    • Lemon tahini sauce being drizzled with a spoon to show consistency.
      Creamy Lemon Tahini Sauce (Vegan, Mediterranean Dressing)

    • Image featuring a straight on shot of the overnight matcha oats topped with raspberry chia jam cropped square
      Overnight matcha oats with no-cook raspberry chia jam

    • Foamy Iced Oat Milk Latte with Orange Blossom Water, Vegan, topped with cinnamon.
      Iced Oat Milk Latte with Orange Blossom Foam

    • This chickpea omelet recipe is a delicious vegan alternative to a traditional egg omelet. Also gluten-free, this chickpea omelet does not crack or break when flipped, can be stuffed with your favorite veggies, and is topped with a dairy-free avocado pesto.
      The Perfect Chickpea Omelet with Avocado Pesto (Vegan)

    • This vegan palak paneer replaces the paneer with a recipe for Burmese chickpea tofu, replicating the texture and flavor of a soft cheese. This vegan saag paneer, a spinach curry, is made creamy with coconut milk, making a rich and flavor Indian-inspired comfort dish.
      Vegan Palak Paneer with Chickpea Tofu (Soy-Free, GF)

    • This vegan chicken piccata recipe is so close to the real thing! Homemade seitan is a protein packed, plant based meat alternative that works great in this dish. In this seitan piccata, the vegan chicken is breaded and served over pasta in a light, creamy, lemon caper sauce.
      Unbelievable Vegan Chicken Piccata (Seitan)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
    • Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Connect

    On this site, we share products we genuinely love through affiliate links. This means we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Your support helps keep this blog running, and we appreciate it!

    Copyright © 2025 Zen and Zaatar LLC

    566 shares

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.