How to Make Seitan Chicken (Vegan Chicken)

Step 1

Combine all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt).

Step 2

Gradually add the water (up to one cup), incorporating it into the mixture until you form a dough that’s wet but not sticky. If it feels dry, add an extra spoonful of water at a time.

Step 3

Knead the dough on a clean kitchen surface for between 3-8 minutes to help develop the gluten.The longer you knead within that time frame, the more developed the dough will be for a nice, firm "chicken-y" texture. If you’d prefer a less chewy, more tender texture, then knead for less time. With a bit of experimentation, you’ll find your perfect level.

Step 4

Place the seitan dough back in the bowl and cover to rest for 5 minutes (and allow the gluten to relax). This will make the dough easier to roll/shape.

Step 5

There are two main ways to do the initial cooking of the seitan meat: boiling or steaming. The method you choose should depend on what you intend to use the homemade seitan chicken for (check the FAQs on the blog post).First, shape and chop the prepared seitan dough. Some like to make a single large knot to turn into vegan shredded chicken. Alternatively, you can roll it into a log, chop it down into a few smaller pieces (like nuggets or simply smaller "rolls"), make flat cutlets, or even cube it.I divided mine into smaller pieces and then twisted them to make seitan chicken "strips."

Step 6

Bring the broth to a boil in a large pan, reduce the heat to a simmer, and add the seitan dough.

Step 7

Cook, uncovered, for 50-60 minutes, until firm, making sure the heat is at a very low, barely simmering level.

Step 8

Once ready, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to sit for a further 10-15 minutes before removing from the liquid.

Step 9

After shaping/slicing the seitan pieces, place each one in a foil package (or parchment paper parcel). Leave some space for expansion, but not wrapped too loosely.

Step 10

Transfer the packages to a steamer basket and steam the seitan for between 30-50 minutes until firm.Note that the exact cooking time for the boiling or steaming methods will vary based on how large your pieces of dough are. Nugget-sized pieces will take 30-40 minutes, even smaller bite-sized pieces may take 15-20 minutes. Whereas large logs can take up to 80 minutes. If you end up steaming it using a stacked steamer, you’ll need to swap around the layers halfway, and the process can take up to two hours OR cook in batches.To make sure it is fully cooked, you can use a thermometer to ensure the internal temperature has reached 190ºF/88ºC!

Step 11

At this point, you are technically already able to eat the seitan chicken as is (i.e., to make vegan chicken shawarma). HOWEVER, in most cases, you’ll now further season/marinate and cook the vegan chicken seitan to serve in your meal of choice.The first cook is for shaping and texture. The second cook is when you’re actually adding it to your dish of choice in most cases. At that point, it can be baked, pan-fried, grilled, deep-fried, etc.