It’s finally here, vegan chicken! I have always been a fan of tofurky but it’s quite expensive and not available everywhere, so I wanted to make my own. The result is a super tender “Chick’n” with a very meaty and fibrous texture, this chick’n will blow your mind!
Get ready for something meaty!
After taking a look at the ingredients of Tofurky, I found out they were using tofu as the second ingredient. Tofu actually does a lot, it makes the seitan less chewy, more tender, and gives it a better texture overall.
The thing with seitan is that the final texture can be completely different based on how you knead it and how you cook it. For this recipe, we absolutely want to knead it for a long time to develop a fibrous texture, and then cook it wrapped in foil so it doesn’t expand or develop a spongy texture.
There are many recipes that call for garbanzo or navy beans to add tenderness to seitan, the thing is I didn’t want to add beans because I find them a bit hard to digest sometimes. So I stick to wheat gluten + tofu + seasonings + a secret ingredient to replace the beans: jackfruit! We are not using jackfruit for its texture here since it will be puréed with the other ingredients. Jackfruit adds tenderness to the seitan and makes it less chewy, which is usually a problem with seitan.
Regarding the flavorings, I didn’t use much as I wanted the chick’n to be versatile. Also, adding spices and herbs to the dough makes it darker and a bit less smooth so I didn’t add any as I prefer to flavor the ckick’n with a marinade. Now onto the process!
The first step is to blend the tofu with the water, jackfruit, salt, and a couple of tablespoons of oil until very smooth.
Next, you transfer the wet mixture to a stand mixer and add the vital wheat gluten. You want to knead the seitan for at least 20 minutes for it to develop a fibrous texture. If you don’t knead enough the seitan won’t have that meaty texture. I highly recommend using a stand mixer, do not use a food processor, please! I broke the blade of mine when testing this recipe. The dough is very elastic so it won’t work well in a food processor.
Once your dough has developed a nice texture, it’s time to cook it. I’m sharing two ways to do so: in a pressure cooker or in the Instant Pot. You wrap the dough in two sheets of aluminum foil and pressure cook for about 30 minutes.
When your seitan is cooked, let it cool completely before cutting into the desired shape. I love to make shredded chick’n by simply pulling the seitan with my hands, but you can also cut it into pieces, or make chick’n breasts if you prefer!
Look at that fibrous and meaty texture!
I highly recommend letting the seitan cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before using as it will get a better texture.
At this point the chicken is not flavored, so you will need to add flavor with a marinade. I’m sharing 3 marinades in the notes, but feel free to experiment!
This chick’n is super tender, very meaty and has that fibrous texture that is very similar to chicken. It can be used baked, sautéed, or grilled.
You can use this chick’n in salads, stir-fries, curries, bake, pasta, and so much more! Thanks to the tofu and seitan, it is also very high in protein!
This chick’n would make a great substitute to jackfruit in this Buffalo Jackfruit & Rice Bake, Jackfruit Blanquette, or these 15-Minute Thai Peanut Jackfruit Noodles!
Let me know in the comments if you try this recipe!
The Best Vegan Chick’n
Amazing vegan chicken that has an incredible meaty texture! You will never believe it’s vegan! Plus it’s high in protein!
Yield: About 27 ounces 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 9 ounces (250g) firm tofu
- 1 20-ounce can young green jackfruit
- 2/3 cup (157ml) water
- 2 tbsp (30ml) oil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 tsp onion powder
- 1 and 1/4 cup (140g) vital wheat gluten
- 2 tbsp (16g) all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the tofu, and add it to a high-speed blender. Drain and rinse the young jackfruit, remove the hardcore parts and discard. Add the jackfruit to the blender.
- Add the water, oil, salt, and onion powder to the blender and blend on high speed for about 30 seconds, or until very smooth.
- Transfer the wet mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater/paddle. Add the vital wheat gluten and all-purpose flour. Knead on speed 2 for about 5 minutes.
- Once it’s starting to look like a dough, replace the flat beater with the dough hook and keep kneading on speed 2 for at least 20 minutes. This may seem like a long time but it’s essential to get a very fibrous texture. Make sure you stay near the stand mixer as it will probably move. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky, this is normal.
- Once the dough has a fibrous texture, divide it into two balls.
- Shape the balls into a roll and wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Wrap in a second layer of foil.
- Fill a pressure cooker (or Instant Pot) with cold water to the 2/3 (about 3 liters). Place the seitan rolls in the pressure cooker.
- If using a pressure cooker: heat over medium heat, once it is under pressure, cook for 30 minutes. If using an Instant Pot: set to Manual Pressure Cook and set the time to 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, release the pressure. Carefully remove the seitan rolls from the cooker and let them cool completely.
- Once cold, remove the rolls from the aluminum foil, transfer to a plate and cover with plastic film. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
- Next, using your hands, shred/pull the seitan chicken into bite-size pieces (or larger pieces!). You can now use it in any recipe! I recommend preparing a marinade before stir-frying or baking to add more flavor.
- Chick’n will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
Recipe adapted from K.O Rasoi and Cususu.
Marinades
Olive oil & Thyme: Combine 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp salt, and 1 clove of garlic minced in a bowl. Add about 1 and 1/2 cup of shredded chick’n and stir to coat.
Coconut Yogurt Curry: Combine 1/4 cup coconut yogurt, 1 tbsp lime juice, 2 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp chili, and 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Add about 1 and 1/2 cup of shredded chick’n and stir to coat.
Teriyaki: Combine 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp maple syrup, 1 tbsp white rice vinegar, 1 glove of garlic, and 1 tsp sesame oil in a bowl. Add about 1 and 1/2 cup of shredded chick’n and stir to coat.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 (about 100g)
- Calories: 156
- Sugar: 0.2g
- Fat: 5.7g
- Carbohydrates: 7.9g
- Fiber: 1.8g
- Protein: 18.7g
Hello Thomas! Thank you for another amazing recipe Did you try any other methods for cooking the chicken? I don’t have a pressure cooker or Instant pot…is one absolutely necessary for the chicken to come out properly? Thank you again! ♥️
I think it should also work by boiling in a large pot of water for 45-60 minutes.
Thank you! I can’t wait to try it;))
Never boil seitan! Only simmer… if you boil it the texture will be sponge/brain like!
Thanks for your input Maya, have you tried it? I can assure you the texture is not spongy at all 🙂
I have with other seitan recipes and it turns out very spongy! Seitan groups and gurus also advise against boiling. I guess your recipe is the exception that makes the rule!
Wraped seitan remain firm, boiled or steamed. I would be more confident with cloth and string.
Steaming works. I usually have to half the dough and do it in two batches as my steamer is too small. Steam each one for an hour , making sure to top up the water every 20 mins or so so it doesn’t boil dry.
★★★★★
I used this recipe! It worka so well! I prefer to bake my seitan and that worked for me with this. I baked it on 425 for about 45 min
MERCI POUR LA RECETTE Thomas,
J’aurais aimé savoir où trouver/commander d’un jackfruit bio en France ?
Merci beaucoup
Brice
Bonjour Brice,
J’achète mon jacquier dans une épicerie asiatique, mais il n’est pas bio. Je pense que sur boutique-vegan ils en ont.
Merci beaucoup !!
I would love to try this but I don’t have a standing mixer. Do you think I could use a food processor with a dough blade? I’ve used it for other seitan recipes. Might just have to give it a try. Also, could you give me an estimate of the volume of jackfruit used (the jackfruit I use doesn’t come in a can)? Maybe a cup or cup and 1/2? Thank you for sharing this recipe. I hope to try it soon.
I would definitely not recommend using a food processor, you will likely break something. The dough becomes very elastic, so it’s at your own risk.
I think a cup and a half of jackfruit is about right!
I don’t have an Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker. How would you recommend I cook this?
this?
★★★★
I’ve made similar recipes to this in a regular steaming apparatus, for about 2 hours. Just make sure you come back every half hour or so to check that there’s enough water to keep simmering and it should be okay. Since Thomas divides the dough into two here instead of one big piece, it might even be okay to steam them for a little less time. I’ve found these recipes to be pretty forgiving so go with what feels right!
You may want to try boiling in a large pot for 45-60 minutes, you should get a similar result.
Never boil seitan! Only simmer… if you boil it the texture will be sponge/brain like!
Does the flavor of the jack fruit come through in the final product. I don’t like the flavor of jack fruit so I wouldn’t want to make it, and then I end up with something I won’t eat. I love the idea of this so if it doesn’t have a real jack fruit taste, I would love to try this! Thank you for sharing!
Honestly, I can’t taste the jackfruit at all. Jackfruit is pretty bland.
This looks so great! Just wondering if you have any thoughts about health consequences of cooking in aluminum foil. I’ve heard it’s not a great idea and would love your opinion.
I don’t, sorry!
I wrap anything that goes into aluminum foil in parchment paper first. The parchment paper protects the content for the aluminum but it still looks normally.
It’s so sad when you read about someone being thoughtful by not eating animals, but doesn’t think about how bad aluminium foil is and how harmful that is for the body. Veganism should not only be about the animals, but also about your own health.
Thanks for your concern Malene!
Personally, I’m thinking more along zero waste lines when it comes to using foil or cling wrap, I think the silicone high heat food pouches would probably work for this. I’ve seen hot soup poured into them. Silicone bakeware stands up to high oven temperatures and is also used on the outside of the Roccbox pizza oven so I’m sure you can boil the pouches with no problem.
This recipe looks amazing! I’ve found a great vegan chicken stock powder, all natural ingredients, that would work great to flavour the chick’n. It’s by a company called Massel, they do a beef version too which I’ve not tried yet.
You may want to read up on silicone as well. It was found to leech into food. Maybe nothing is 100% safe.
Thanks! Let me know if you try it!
Any post about veganism is almost always followed up with comments about somebody not doing veganism right. Thanks for the terrific recipe, Thomas. Can’t wait to try.
It’s so sad when the “I’m a better vegan than you” committee feels the need to lecture others about how they’re doing everything wrong. You don’t want to use aluminum foil? Don’t use it – but your lecturing tone makes you seem incredibly unpleasant.
Malene, Veganism is about animals, NOT about health.
If you’re worried about foil, use cheesecloth and reuse it after washing. I have been doing this for years.
Hi Thomas, Very excited to try this recipe!
Are there any other ways to cook if you don’t have a pressure cooker or Instant Pot?
Thanks
Wow! That looks amazing!!! You’re the wizard of vegan cooking!!
★★★★★
Thanks Sam 🙂
Hi Thomas,
thank you for a seitan recipe, I am always looking for those!
Thank you for your creativity, jack fruit should be good, the tender but stringy texture is just what I was looking for
Also, those worried about foil (you can always wrap parchment paper or cheese cloth around the food and then wrap the foil).
Please don’t give Thomas a hard time who pours his heart and soul into providing us amazing recipes! Many other people wrap food in aluminium foil, it’s a personal choice.
thank you Thomas!
★★★★★
Hi Susana,
Thanks so much for your kind words! Hope you will like the seitan!
Thank you for this recipe! I have a bunch of jackfruit and was looking for a way to make a vegan meat but with a higher protein content than just jackfruit alone. Can’t wait to try it out!
😉
Hey can we hand knead these …? I’m fresh out of standing mixer
I’m afraid kneading by hand would be too long…It really needs to be kneaded for a long time in a mixer to develop this kind of texture.
thomas, you are genius! i experimented on a patty made of seitan, chickpea flour, kidney beans. beetroot and jackfruit – it worked well. i first baked it in the oven for 20 minutes and then (after cooling) fried it in the pan with oil. nice and tender.
i highly recommend to let seitanbased what-evers cool completely before doing the final step. this gives the best texture.
i read about not kneading seitan but pulling it apart and then just lay the parts on a pile, press it and pull it again. like tearing it into pieces. (it would be helpful to add a little bit of tapioca starch) this gives a fibrous texture. i do not have a blender, so i will try it by hand…
and to those who are afraid of aluminium: wrap the dough in cloth like this zombie does: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0QtiJNyZAE …or cook your seitan in glasses (those glasses which have an even/straight wall on the inside) like in this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcNsYB2FZH8 (sorry, it´s german). it works well and your seitan will be preserved for a long time.
now i jump to my kitchen and try your recipe, thomas! i celebrate you 🙂
vegan love from good old germany! caro
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing Caro! Hope you will like the vegan chick’n 🙂
Dear Thomas… Thanks for the recipe… I am not so keen on the idea of aluminium for cooking. In stead I vacuum pack my seitan and sou vide cook it for 2- 3 hours. The vacuum will eventually disappear of course, but it works all right.
★★★★★
Im just curious, if youre worried about cooking in aluminum foil, arent you worried about the toxins in plastic leaching into the food from cooking in vacuum seal bags?
I am beginning to think my laptop has ears. I was just talking about making this and here you pop up!!
I am about to start this recipe and try to knead it by hand. Wish me luck please. I will also update you on how it turns out.
No vegan lectures here. Love that you took the time to share. Peace.
Haha 🙂 Well good luck if you knead by hand, I think it’s going to take a looong time!
Hey there,
I don’t have a stand mixer either, so I’m wondering how long it takes to knead this by hand. Thanks in advance.
Thanks to Thomas for your awesome recipe.
I’m not sure it’s possible to get that texture by hand honestly, it would take a very long time.
Hi Thomas!
Not too long ago I talked my mom into going the plant way and she is thrilled how all of her health checks just keep getting better. The only thing she really misses is chick’n for dishes. She’s tried soy curls, TVP and tofu, but she was searching for something a little different in texture and presto, Full of Plants comes to the rescue! We will be making this soon to help fill that toothy spot she’d like to fill. Thanks for all of your hard work! We both love your blog and the enticing pictures.
★★★★★
Hi TofuAnnie,
Thanks for your message, I hope you and your mom will like it!
Wow this is absolutely incredible! I’m always so impressed by how you are able to deliciously veganize so many non-vegan foods 🙂
Thanks Sarah! 🙂
Wow, this looks absolutely incredible. I am excited to try it out! Look at that texture! You’re brilliant!!
Bonjour Thomas!
Thank you for your fabulous recipe. We made this “chicken” recently and used half of it in a butter chicken curry recipe, and the other half to make vegan chicken wings.
The chicken is delicious and comes out well, however it is incredibly tender- we perhaps would like it to be a tiny bit more firm. So I was wondering if you could recommend a way to add a slight amount more chew to the “chicken”? Perhaps by adding more vital wheat gluten during the mixing stage? Or perhaps by adding less of the wet ingredient (tofu)? Please let me know what you think, and if you could advise approximate measurements to either add or remove, that would be wonderful! 🙂
I should note that we had to steam the chicken in tinfoil for a while because we don’t have a pressure cooker, but it came out looking exactly like the pictures above. We also didn’t press the firm tofu. The recipe doesn’t say to do so, but that could maybe be another method of adding a little more firmness to the “chicken”?
Thank you in advance and thanks again for the great recipe! We will definitely be making this again. I highly recommend shredding the chicken and marinating in ~2 tbsp olive oil, ~1/2 tbs coriander, garam masala, kashmiri chili powder, cumin, and 1/4 tbs ginger and turmeric– and then fry in a pan and add to any curry. Delicious!!
★★★★★
Hi Julian,
You’re welcome! Thanks for your feedback! Did you let it sit one day in the refrigerator? I find it firms up slightly overnight. If you want to make it firmer I would recommend decreasing a bit the jackfruit and tofu. I can’t give you any measurements though as it requires testing. That is correct, no need to press the firm tofu 🙂
Thanks for sharing your marinade recipe 🙂
I used a high quality cheese cloth instead of tin foil and it worked great – just an FYI. Thanks Thomas!
Thanks for sharing!
I tried making this, but I think my Kitchen Aid stand mixer is too big to really give this amount of dough the proper kneading. The final product was more like bread dough than a chewy seitan (which I’ve made several times.) I will experiment again doubling the recipe, and perhaps reducing the amount of jack fruit.
For those concerned about foil, you can wrap the chickn in parchment first, then in foil, or use cheesecloth, as another person has commented.
Thank you for another great recipe, Thomas!
★★★★★
Something definitely went wrong as you shouldn’t get a bread texture, but a very meaty one.
Hope it will turn out better next time!
Absolutely amazing. This ‘chickn’ has the texture of the real deal and it definitely cooked to perfection in my Instapot. I found that the chickn was tasty by itself but even better with a sauce/marinade. Great recipe!
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear you liked this vegan chick’n! Thanks for your feedback Ida, it is true that a marinade makes it even better! 🙂
Hello Thomas, I can not find jackfruit in my country. How can I replace it?
I’m afraid there is no real substitute, you may want to try using cooked white beans.
Hello Thomas Thanks for this great recipe. I tried it yesterday. Unfortunately, it does not look like you photos at all. Also, it have the consistency of bread rather than meat. Pity! Do you have an idea what I did wrong?
Hi Petra,
I’m afraid I can’t say what went wrong…did you drained the jackfruit? And pressure cooked the seitan tightly wrapped?
Yes . The Saitan was in the steam pot. But I’ve got household foil, not aluminum foil, maybe that’s why. How do you dry the jackfruit? I pressed it.
I just drain the jackfruit, not dry.
Wow, this looks amazing! Thanks for the great idea – I’ll have to give it a try.
You’re welcome Kara! Let me know if you try it!
Can we use this chicken for frying?
★★★★★
I used this in stir-fries and it works great!
Hi Thomas,
Thank you for this recipe – it looks great. I am about to try it. One question: Do you know if it is possible to freeze the chicken (before or after boiling)?
Thank you,
Kerstin
I would recommend freezing after boiling.
Do you place the foil rolls directly in the water, or on the steamer insert?
Yes, directly in the water!
Is there another option to the aluminum foil? I’ve heard it’s not good to cook food in it for long. Recipe looks great though, can’t wait to try it!
Looks amazing! Was wondering if I could use this recipe to make fried “chicken” to put on burgers? Cutting breasts or thigh sized pieces off of it, then dredging in flour etc. Or is it more suited to recipes where the chicken would be shredded/stir fried/marinated etc. thanks! ☺️
This chick’n will definitely work to make fried chicken!
Amazing, thanks for this fantastic recipe!!
For those without a stand mixer: I made it using a hand mixer with dough hooks, and it worked perfectly fine! Read on my Kindle while I was holding mixer and those 20 min. passed quickly 🙂
You’re welcome Hanna!
Thanks for the tips!
This recipe is wonderful! I actually did knead this by hand (I come from a long line of bakers so I was confident I could make it work) and it did take about 20-25 minutes for the dough to develop the fibrous texture but it was worth it! I am very pleased with the end result. Thank you!
★★★★★
Congrats on kneading by hand, that is dedication! 🙂
Glad you liked the recipe!
i don’t have a pressure cooker or instant pot, so how else do i cook the seitan? thanks
Boiling in a large pot should work too.
Fabuloso muchísimas gracias intentaré hacer la receta
★★★★★
:))
I’ve not been able to locate canned jackfruit at any of my local markets. I might have to purchase it on Amazon. I see that there are a few options, green or ripe, & canned in water or brine. Which is the best to use for the recipe.
I can get ripe frozen jackfruit locally, would this be acceptable to use?
Thanks in advance. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe!
Carolyn
You want the green (unripe) one usually sold in brine, not the yellow one. Also, ripe frozen definitely won’t work here, the texture would be different and way too sweet.
Is it possible to do a video on this?
I have been using this recipe as a chicken substitute in chicknone salad at the cafe I am a chef at. It has been well received. I’ve been tossing the shredded chicknone with veganaisse, Jamaican Jerk Seasoning and black beans. Then we put it in a wrap with lettuce & tomatoes. It is delicious!!!!
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Great, thanks for your feedback!
Hi Thomas! how can I replace the gluten if I eat gluten free? Thank u for this awesome recipe! 🙂
Hi Mariana,
This is a seitan recipe so the main ingredient is gluten. There is no substitute here.
Could Burmese tofu be used in this recipe?
I’m afraid it won’t work.
I just put mine in the instant pot. I don’t think I got a really fibrous texture and I had to add close to 1/2 c flour to get it to come together as a dough at all. It was way too wet. Will be interested to see what it’s like in about 6 hours! With a recipe that talks so much about texture, photos of the gestures along the way would be helpful
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I tried to show as much as possible on photos, there is not much else I could show I’m afraid as it’s all done in the stand mixer.
Regarding the dough consistency, it may depend on the brand of gluten you use, but it should still be quite soft and tender, not like a pastry dough.
What can be used instead of aluminum foil?
You can wrap in parchment paper first if you want it to avoid touching the aluminum.
Hi Thomas, are you using the flat beater and dough hook that typically come with the KitchenAid, or are you using stainless steel ones. My concern is the mixing and 20 minute kneading and tuffening of the dough, and potential for bending or breaking the non-stainless attachments.
I just purchased a KitchenAid Stan Mixer, and it did not come with stainless steel attachments. I don’t want to break the ones that came with it, but I’m excited to try this recipe; it looks so good.
I’m using the ones that came with the KitchenAid (in steel material I think and white in color).
Thank you very much Thomas; I have all of the ingredients and will be making this, this weekend!
Best Regards,
Delores