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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Recipe
Easy Chicken Style Seitan (Vegan)
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.
Kerstin says
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
Kerstin says
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
Kerstin says
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
Zena | Zen and Zaatar says
I'm so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing! Cheers <3
Erin says
This looks amazing! Do you think it could be made in the Instant Pot instead of on the stove? Thanks!
Zena | Zen and Zaatar says
Absolutely, I think that would definitely work! Let me know how it goes!
Jared W. says
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!
Porco Rosso says
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! 👌