fbpx
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Romy London
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Work with me
  • Contact
  • Breakfast
  • Mains
  • Cakes & Bakes
  • Easter
  • Desserts
  • Seitan
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Work with me
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Work with me
    • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Seitan

    Vegan Chicken (Seitan)

    by romylondonuk | Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Here's how to make this vegan chicken alternative from scratch using Seitan! For this recipe, I've used the flour washing method to create delicious, juicy homemade Seitan that reminds you of chicken shreds.

    The Seitan making guide below is suitable for beginners and includes easy step-by-step instructions to help you make delicious vegan chicken shreds at home.

    Check out the introduction to Seitan, full instructions and FAQ below for any questions you might have!

    close up of vegan chicken shreads with a buffalo sauce 3

    Why this recipe works

    Here are a few things I really love about this Seitan recipe:

    • it has a fantastic texture
    • it only uses a few, simple ingredients
    • it is great for batch cooking, so you can always have some vegan chicken pieces to hand
    • it's freezer friendly
    • this base recipe works great with a variety of sauces and dishes
    • it's a great all-rounder
    • it's great if you're new to making Seitan from scratch
    • it comes with simple step-by-step instructions
    Jump to:
    • Why this recipe works
    • What is this vegan chicken made of?
    • Introduction to Cooking with Seitan
    • Ingredients & Ingredient Notes
    • Equipment
    • Instructions (Step-by-Step)
    • Using the FSF method (Fry-Simmer-Fry)
    • Serving
    • Storage
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Related Recipes
    • Vegan Chicken
    • Latest Recipes

    What is this vegan chicken made of?

    These vegan chicken shreds are made out of seitan, using the flour washing technique for the best taste and texture.

    Introduction to Cooking with Seitan

    What is Seitan?

    Seitan is made from wheat gluten, which is a protein found in wheat flour. It's often used in vegetarian dishes because it has a chewy texture similar to meat. Seitan has been around for thousands of years. First detected in Asian cuisines, it was used by Buddhist monks as a protein source.

    It's also often called 'wheat meat' and is considered part of the so-called mock meats alongside tofu, tempeh and jackfruit.

    How to make Seitan

    There are 2 main techniques for making Seitan: Flour-washing and using store-bought Vital Wheat Gluten. Both techniques result in different Seitan flavors and textures, you can read a little more in depth about the differences in my Vegan Steak Recipe.

    For this vegan chicken recipe, we're using the flour washing technique. It is based on creating a flour & water dough ball and then washing out the starches. Please read the instructions below in detail.

    If you love cooking with Seitan, definitely try some of my other recipes, such as Vegan Kebab Meat, Vegan Kabobs or Vegan Steak!

    Ingredients & Ingredient Notes

    Here's everything you need for this recipe:

    Base Ingredients

    base ingredients for flour washed seitan
    • Strong White Flour - Flour is the main ingredient for this recipe. Ideally the flour should have at least 12 grams of protein per 100 gram (12%). I like to use the strong white bread flour from Allinsons. You should be able to get a simple bread flour in most grocery stores that serves the purpose. Make sure to use a plain flour / all purpose flour - nothing with seeds or grains.
    • Water - to create a dough ball, which we will be washing later on. You also need quite a bit of water to wash the flour.

    Seasonings

    spices and seasonings for vegan chicken
    • Spices & Seasonings - Sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, nutritional yeast, white miso paste
    • Oil - for the flavor paste & for grilling, use a flavor-neutral oil suitable for high heat, such as canola oil

    See the recipe card below for the full quantities.

    Equipment

    There are a couple of simple items you will need to make this recipe:

    • large mixing bowl
    • small mixing bowl
    • spatula
    • aluminum foil & parchment paper
    • steamer - this could be a large steamer basket, a steamer pot or a steamer device such as a Cuisinart Cook In (which is what I like to use!). If you don't have a steamer at all, you can also steam Seitan in your oven by placing the wrapped Seitan loaf in the middle of the oven and an oven dish filled with water underneath.
    • food processor - it's optional when creating the dough ball (but makes it much easier!). It is however needed to thoroughly blend the flavor paste into the dough. I personally use a Magimix.

    Instructions (Step-by-Step)

    If you are making homemade vegan chicken from Seitan for the first time, make sure to read all of the steps in detail beforehand.

    Here's how to make chicken-like Seitan from flour in just a few simple steps:

    Flour washing

    flour and water in a bowl with a wooden spoon before mixing into a dough ball

    Create a dough ball with flour and water, briefly knead until smooth.

    dough ball under water in a bowl

    Place it into a bowl and cover with water.

    a hand washing a flour ball in a bowl full of water. The flour ball looks like it's softening and the water has turned white

    After 30 minutes of soaking, start washing the dough ball under water. Do this firmly so the flour releases its starches into the water. Once the water gets white and creamy, drain it and add fresh water. Repeat 4-5 times or until the water remains mostly clear and most starches have been washed out.

    flour washed seitan without seasoning

    After washing, rinse the dough and place it into a sieve to drain excess liquid. This is what the texture should look like.

    Flavoring and Texturing

    seasoning paste for vegan chicken

    In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for the flavor paste.

    flour washed seitan and chicken seasoning paste in a food processor

    Place the dough and flavor paste into a food processor.

    blended seitan dough in a food processor 2

    Pulse 10-15 times or until well combined. Set aside in a colander for at least 4 hours after, or ideally place in the fridge overnight.

    hand pulling seitan dough in a bowl

    Using your hands pull and twirl the gluten strands to create a pulled texture, then roll the loose strands back into a ball shape.

    Steaming & Shredding

    chicken seitan dough about to be wrapped in parchment paper and foil

    Place the ball onto parchment paper and firmly wrap it, then cover firmly with aluminum foil.

    steaming seitan

    Steam the wrapped seitan for roughly 1 hour.

    chicken style seitan after steaming

    Allow for the seitan to cool down, then carefully unwrap.

    vegan chicken shreds made from seitan

    Once cool, use two forks to shred the dough into bite-size chunks. Alternatively, you can also slice or cube it.

    Using the FSF method (Fry-Simmer-Fry)

    Whilst steaming is a classic technique to cook and firm Seitan, I personally prefer the so-called 'Fry-simmer-fry' method. I first stumbled across this naming in the 'Seitan Appreciation Group" on Facebook, but not sure who originally came up with it.

    Here's how it works:

    1. The dough is not steamed, but placed into a hot skillet with a little oil. It is seared until a light skin forms.
    2. A flavorful liquid such as vegetable stock, vegan-friendly ale or wine (or a mix of different liquids and seasonings!) is added to the hot skillet.
    3. The skillet is covered with a lid and the heat reduced. The Seitan is simmered in the liquid for 30-40 minutes or until cooked, and flipped 3-4 times in the process.
    4. Let the vegan Seitan cool down to create a firmer texture. You can store it in an airtight container in the fridge over night.
    5. To serve the FSF Seitan, you can or shred it into your desired shapes, then pan-fry it and add your favorite sauces and marinades.

    Serving

    To easily prepare this vegan seitan chicken for a meal, pan-fry the strips in a little oil until crispy, then add a sauce to the skillet before removing from the heat.

    Some of my favorite, simple additions are:

    • soy sauce - this caramelizes wonderfully and creates flavorful, crispy edges on the seitan
    • bbq sauce - by adding barbecue sauce to the seitan pieces, you get a super quick & simple bbq seitan!
    • garlic butter - simply delicious and a firm favorite of mine!
    • teriyaki sauce - simple and delicious! Use store-bought vegan-friendly teriyaki sauce or simple make your own at home
    • sriracha - great, if you love it spicy!

    For an extra crunch, add some sesame seeds!

    vegan buffalo chicken made from seitan in a skillet with sesame seeds and herbs on top 3
    On this occasion I've pan-fried my vegan chicken pieces in a little oil, then added a spicy buffalo sauce and sesame seeds before serving.

    How to serve Vegan Chicken

    Just like real chicken, you can also add these plant-based chicken pieces to other dishes and recipes. It does not need to be pan-fried beforehand, but for the best results, briefly fry the pieces until crispy, it definitely adds a wonderful texture.

    A few delicious dishes to add these to include peanut noodles, pad thai (instead of tempeh), sesame noodles, katsu curry, butter bean curry, stir fry and many more.

    Storage

    Store the homemade vegan chicken pieces in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days.

    For storage up to 3 months, place the small pieces into freezer bags and keep them in the freezer until ready to use.

    How to reheat Seitan Chicken

    To reheat the seitan pieces, simply place straight from the fridge into a hot skillet and pan-fry them in a little oil until crispy. Add sauces as you please. Alternatively, add the pieces straight to your recipes.

    If reheating from frozen, allow for the pieces to thaw for 30 minutes before cooking.

    Substitutions

    For this recipe to work out, I recommend sticking to as much of the original ingredients list as you can, but if you need to make a few little adjustments, here are a few tips:

    • white pepper - I use white pepper in this recipe as it adds a lovely peppery flavor without the heat of black pepper. If you don't have any to hand, just leave it out - or if you don't mind the heat, replace it with black pepper.
    • olive oil - you can replace the olive oil with either canola oil or ground nut oil.
    • onion & garlic powder - there are only small quantities used in this recipe, but if you're intolerant to either, just leave them out and make sure to flavor your vegan chicken with sauces and marinades.
    • nutritional yeast - instead of nutritional yeast, you can add 1 teaspoon of white miso paste.

    Overall, the flavoring of this recipe is simple, which makes these vegan chicken pieces perfect for use in other recipes and for coating in sauces, marinades & Co.

    Variations

    Using this basic seitan chicken recipe, you can create a variety of vegan chicken inspired styles to use in your recipes:

    • Vegan chicken shreds
    • Seitan cutlets
    • Vegan chicken breasts
    • Vegan chicken fillets
    • and many more

    The main difference between these types is the shape of your seitan chicken and how you cut the pieces but this base recipe works for all of these styles.

    For this recipe, I've created Seitan chicken shreds by simply tearing the cooked Seitan into bite-size pieces using 2 forks.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    My vegan chicken dough is falling apart after washing, what to do?

    This is normal! It will become super soft and shaggy and easily fall apart. It will come back together in the resting phase after blending in the flavor paste, so trust the process!

    It is possible to make gluten-free Seitan?

    Unfortunately no, as Seitan is made from pure gluten - it's what gives it its typical texture and bite.

    How do I serve this Vegan Chicken?

    There are so many different ways to serve this vegan chicken replacement. You can shred it, slice it, dice it, chop it - whatever the recipe you're looking to make calls for! One of my personal favorite ways to enjoy this vegan chicken, is pan frying the pieces and then adding a delicious, sticky sauce to the pieces, such as homemade teriyaki sauce!

    Related Recipes

    If you enjoy making homemade plant-based meat alternatives or similar recipes, then give these favorites from the blog a go:

    • thumbnail for vegan kabob meat
      Vegan Kabob Skewers
    • close up of a 3 vegan chicken fillets on the grill
      Vegan Grilled Chicken
    • vegan steak in a skillet
      Vegan Steak
    • Vegan Seitan Doner Kebab Shreds on a large tray
      Vegan Kebab

    If - like me - you love Pinterest, you can find me here & if you like, you can pin any of the images on this page to your boards 😊 

    close up of vegan chicken shreads with a buffalo sauce 2

    Vegan Chicken

    This homemade vegan chicken is made from Seitan and perfect for replacing chicken in all kinds of recipes. It has a great bite and is easy to make using the flour washing technique.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 45 mins
    Cook Time 1 hr 30 mins
    Resting time 3 hrs
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine American, British
    Servings 2 servings

    Equipment

    • 1 large mixing bowl
    • 1 small mixing bowl
    • 1 spatula
    • parchment paper
    • aluminum foil
    • 1 steamer
    • 1 food processor

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 cups strong white flour (500 g)
    • 1 cup water (250 ml) plus extra if needed
    • 1 tsp onion powder
    • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp white pepper
    • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
    • 1 tbsp olive oil

    Instructions
     

    Creating the flour washed Seitan base

    • Create a dough ball using the flour and water. Knead it on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes until smooth. Place the dough ball into a large mixing bowl and cover it with water. Set aside for 30 minutes.
    • Place the bowl into a sink and begin to knead the dough under water. This process is called 'washing the flour' (WTF = wash the flour). The wheat starches from the flour will dissolve into the surrounding water, making it white and creamy. What you are left with is wheat gluten, aka Seitan.
    • When the water gets super creamy, you will want to drain the water and refill with fresh water. Thoroughly 'wash' the flour under water and repeat the process until the water is only a clear white color and not creamy anymore. Then your dough ball will be washed. During the flour washing, the dough ball can get really loose and soft and fall apart. Don't worry, this is normal, just continue washing the pieces, it will all come back together in the next steps.
    • Rinse the dough and place it into a colander to drain any excess liquid. If you use a fine mesh colander you might want to add a small sheet of parchment paper or something similar to prevent it from sticking to the mesh.

    Creating the flavor past

    • To create the flavor paste, combine the onion & garlic powder with the salt, pepper, nutritional yeast and oil in a small bowl. Stir until you get a paste and add a little extra oil if needed.
    • Transfer the Seitan into a food processor. Add the flavor paste and pulse 5-10 times or until the flavor paste is evenly mixed into the Seitan dough.
    • Place the Seitan back into the colander and let it rest for 2 hours or ideally overnight. During this resting time the gluten strands will come back together and create a firmer texture.

    Texturing the Seitan

    • To create the typical chicken-style texture, pull the Seitan dough with your hands, twirl the strands and wrap the dough around itself. If you can pull the dough into a long sausage shape, you can also create little knots which will form stronger shreds later on. Continue to pull, twirl and knot until the dough is a ball full of twirls.
    • Wrap the Seitan ball in parchment paper, then firmly cover it in aluminum foil.
    • Steam the Seitan for 1 hour using a steamer basket or a steaming device, then allow for it to cool down before unwrapping it carefully.

    Portioning & Serving

    • From here on, you can divide, cut, and shred the Seitan into your desired pieces. I find it has the best texture, when the steamed dough is briefly pan-fried in a little oil first - it gives it a little 'skin' and makes it easier to divide the vegan chicken Seitan.
    • Before serving, you need to pan-fry your individual vegan chicken pieces in a little oil and then add your favorite sauces. You can also add the pan-fried pieces to your favorite recipes, such as curries & pasta dishes.

    Notes

    • This recipe is for 2 portions, but you can easily multiply the ingredients if you want to batch cook them. I would recommend cooking & steaming them in the portion-sizes though, to ensure the Seitan is cooked all the way through.
    • When just steaming the Seitan, it will have a very soft texture. Use a sharp knife or fork to cut it into your desired portion sizes and fry your Seitan chicken pieces before adding them to your dishes.
    • When texturing the Seitan dough, I like to stretch one end of the Seitan and pull it over the entire Seitan ball. it gives it a skin-like texture and makes it easier to handle.
    • Store the homemade chicken pieces in an airtight container and keep them in the fridge for up to 3 days. For storage up to 3 months, place the small pieces into freezer bags and keep them in the freezer until ready to use.
    • To reheat the Seitan pieces, simply place straight from the fridge into a hot skillet and pan-fry them in a little oil until crispy. Add sauces as you please. Alternatively, add the pieces straight to your recipes.
    • Using this basic recipe, you can create vegan chicken shreds, cutlets, vegan chicken breast, vegan chicken fillet and many more shapes to replace chicken in alternative recipes.
    Keyword seitan, seitan chicken, vegan chicken, vegan meat, vegan protein

    Latest Recipes

    • thumbnail for tiktok cinnamon rolls
      TikTok Cinnamon Rolls
    • frothy vanilla matcha latte with a matcha heart in the middle on a white table with cookies next to it
      Vanilla Matcha Latte
    • air fryer fingerling potatoes on a white parchment with a dip on the side and fresh thyme
      Air Fryer Fingerling Potatoes
    • A photo collage of delicious vegan dishes, featuring a slice of vegan spinach quiche, a bowl of agedashi tofu, miso soup with tofu, a plate of creamy vegan garlic pasta, a small cheesecake topped with shaved chocolate, smooth chocolate mousse and banana tofu pudding. The dishes are all made with silken tofu, providing a protein-rich and healthy alternative to traditional ingredients. Each dish is beautifully presented and garnished with fresh herbs and spices, adding a pop of color and flavor.
      35 Best Silken Tofu Recipes

    *Disclosure: This page may contain affiliate links and sponsored links that earn me a small commission, at no additional cost to you. You can find more information in my Privacy Policy.

     © Romy London / Romina Callwitz | All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images and content without prior permission. If you wish to re-publish this recipe, please get in touch via email. Thank you so much for supporting romylondonuk.com!

    More Seitan Recipes

    • vegan schnitzel on a white place with vegetables and lemon slices
      Vegan Schnitzel
    • whole vegan turkey road on a serving platter
      Vegan Roast Turkey
    • vegan-gyros-meat-shreds-made-from-seitan-on-the-grill
      Vegan Gyros
    • sliced homemade vegan seitan wellington on a serving board
      Vegan Seitan Wellington

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hey there & welcome!

    I'm Romy (pronounced 'Row-mee')!

    On this blog, you'll find my favorite recipes for next level vegan comfort food, and all with easy step-by-step instructions!

    More about Romy →

    As Seen In

    Romy London Uk as seen on Netflix, Channel 4, Metro, Cosmopolitan, TalkRadio, Channel 4, Evening Standard, Vegan Life, Vegan Food & Living

    Latest Recipes

    • thumbnail for tiktok cinnamon rolls
      TikTok Cinnamon Rolls
    • A photo collage of delicious vegan dishes, featuring a slice of vegan spinach quiche, a bowl of agedashi tofu, miso soup with tofu, a plate of creamy vegan garlic pasta, a small cheesecake topped with shaved chocolate, smooth chocolate mousse and banana tofu pudding. The dishes are all made with silken tofu, providing a protein-rich and healthy alternative to traditional ingredients. Each dish is beautifully presented and garnished with fresh herbs and spices, adding a pop of color and flavor.
      35 Best Silken Tofu Recipes
    • vegan condensed milk waffles on a white plate
      Condensed Milk Waffles
    • gnocchi carbonara in a bowl
      Gnocchi Carbonara (Vegan)

    Cookbook

    cookbook vegan roasts out now

    FOLLOW ME

    • link to instagram account
    • link to facebook account
    • link to pinterest account
    • link to youtube account
    • link to tiktok account
    • Link to email

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • NEVER miss a recipe and sign up for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Work with me
    banner showing Romy's cookbook and saying 'OUT NOW' next to it with logos for Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Depository, BAM, Bookshop and Indiebound. The image links to Romy's page with more information about the book and where to order it from.

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Romy London

    Manage Cookie Consent
    We use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. We do this to improve browsing experience and to show personalized ads. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}