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It’s finally here, vegan chicken! If you love Tofurky, you are going to love this recipe! The result is a super tender “Chicken” with an incredible meaty and fibrous texture. This plant-based chicken recipe will blow your mind! Get ready for something meaty!
I have always been a fan of Chick’n by Tofurky. The thing is, it quickly gets expensive at almost $5 a packet, so I decided to make my own. After looking at the ingredients of Tofurky, I found out they were using a base of vital wheat gluten combined with tofu. Tofu makes the seitan less chewy, and more tender and gives it a better texture overall.
After countless tests, I finally succeeded in creating a vegan chicken that has the same fibrous texture and chewiness. Ready to make your own plant-based chicken?
⭐️ Why You Should Try It
- Mindblowing texture. The texture of this vegan chicken is so fibrous and meaty that you will never believe it’s actually vegan! It is tender and slightly chewy with a subtle stretchiness.
- Cheaper than Tofurky. If you are familiar with Tofurky’s Chick’n, this homemade version has almost the same texture for much cheaper. You will never buy plant-based chicken at the supermarket again!
- High in protein. Thanks to the use of tofu, white beans, and wheat gluten, this vegan chicken is very high in protein, with 28g per serving!
- Two ways to make it. I am sharing two ways to make this vegan chicken. One that makes use of beans and another one that uses green jackfruit for those who don’t tolerate beans.
- Versatile. You can infuse the chicken with your favorite marinade and then grill, bake, or sauté it. It’s the perfect vehicle for flavor!
- The reviews speak for themselves. With 80 reviews and an average note of ★★★★★, readers love this vegan chicken recipe! Melissa said: “Thank you for such an INCREDIBLE seitan recipe…it’s just absolutely amazing. The BEST seitan recipe, EVER! ♥”
🫛 Ingredient Notes
This plant-based chicken recipe requires just 6 ingredients and a few spices! Here is what you will need:
- Tofu – It dramatically helps with the texture, making the seitan slightly less elastic and more tender. Use firm tofu, also sold under the name “regular” tofu.
- White beans – Cooked white navy beans add tenderness to the seitan, making it less chewy. Don’t worry, you cannot taste them!
- Vital wheat gluten – Wheat gluten is essential to getting a fibrous and meaty texture! For information, the vital wheat gluten I use contains 79g of protein per 100g. I haven’t tried with other brands, but you should be good as long as your gluten has 70-80g of protein per 100g.
- Oil – For richness and to prevent the dough from being too sticky.
- Miso – The addition of miso brings saltiness and umami.
- Onion and garlic powder – For a sharp aroma and to create more complex flavors.
- Pepper – Use ground white pepper. Combined with the onion and garlic powder, it will give the chicken extra flavor.
- Salt
- Baking soda – A pinch of baking soda helps mellow down the vital wheat gluten flavor.
Bean-free alternative
For those who cannot tolerate beans or want to make this chicken bean-free, you can replace the white beans with drained young green jackfruit. To do so, drain a 20-ounce can of green jackfruit. Cut the hardcore parts and discard them. Next, measure 7 ounces (200g) of jackfruit and use it as a replacement for the white beans.
Be aware that jackfruit is not used for its texture here since it will be puréed.
🍗 How to Make It
1. Prepare the dough
- Add the ingredients to a blender. The first step is to prepare the wet mixture. Add the firm tofu, drained white navy beans, oil, water, miso, salt, and spices to a blender.
- Blend until smooth. Blend on high speed for 20-30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
2. Knead
- Transfer to a stand mixer. Next, transfer the wet mixture to a stand mixer and add the vital wheat gluten and flour.
- Knead. Fit your stand mixer with the kneading attachment and knead the seitan for at least 20 minutes on speed 2. The seitan won’t have that meaty and fibrous texture if you don’t knead enough.
Note: Use a stand mixer to knead the dough, do not use a food processor. I broke the blade of my food processor when testing this recipe the first time. The dough is very elastic, so it works best in a stand mixer.
3. Wrap the loaves
Once your dough has developed a nice texture, it’s time to wrap it and cook it. Wrapping the dough tightly in foil prevents it from expanding and developing a spongy texture.
- Divide into 2. Start by dividing the dough into 2 balls.
- Shape each into a loaf. Shape each ball into a loaf of 5-inch long (13cm).
- Wrap. Wrap each loaf in a sheet of parchment paper. Next, wrap each loaf very tightly in a layer of aluminum foil. Wrap in a second layer of aluminum.
4. Cook the vegan chicken
There are two ways to do so: in a steamer or in the Instant Pot.
- Steamer option: Steam the loaves for 1 hour and 15 minutes. You can use a regular steamer or a bamboo steamer basket placed over a pot of boiling water.
- Instant Pot option: Fill your Instant Pot with 3 liters of water. Place the loaves into the water and close the lid. Pressure cook for 30 minutes.
5. Shred it
Once your seitan chicken is cooked, let it cool completely before shredding it. I highly recommend letting the seitan cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
You can shred the chicken by simply pulling the seitan with your hands, cutting it into pieces, or making larger “chicken breasts” if you prefer!
❄️ Freezing
You can freeze this vegan chicken for up to 3 months. To do so, shred it or slice it into pieces and transfer it to a freezer bag. You can also freeze the loaves whole and shred them after thawing. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.
🧄 Marinades
This vegan chicken is mildly flavored so that you can season it to your liking. Letting it marinade is a great way to infuse it with a ton of flavor. Here are delicious 6 marinade ideas:
- Coconut Curry – Combine 1/4 cup coconut yogurt, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1/4 tsp chili, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Cilantro Lime – Combine 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1/4 tsp salt.
- Sesame & Peanut – Combine 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter, 3 tablespoons coconut milk, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 1 teaspoon maple syrup.
- Char Siu – Use my char siu sauce as a marinade to impart a sweet and savory flavor (as well as notes of five-spice) to your chicken.
- Teriyaki – Combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tbsp white rice vinegar, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1 tsp toasted sesame oil.
- Five-Spice – Combine 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon water, 1 tablespoon sugar, ½ teaspoon five-spice powder, ½ teaspoon Korean chili flakes, and 1 teaspoon oil.
- Smoky BBQ: Combine 3 tablespoons ketchup, 1 tablespoon coconut sugar, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon white vinegar, ½ teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce, and one minced clove of garlic.
To marinate: Place all of the marinade ingredients in a freezer bag. Add the shredded vegan chicken and massage to coat the chicken with the marinade. Let marinade for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight, before cooking. To cook, you can either air-fry it, bake it or stir-fry it!
🥪 Where to Use It
This vegan chicken is highly versatile. It can be baked, sautéed, or grilled. You can use it:
- In salads: Shred it and add it to your favorite salads.
- In curries: Add shredded chicken at the beginning of cooking if you want it to soak up the flavors of the sauce and become very tender. Add at the end if you want a slightly firmer texture. It would be perfect in this Vietnamese Curry or Thai Green Curry, or to make vegan butter chicken!
- In pasta dishes: Finely shredded, sautéed, and added to spicy noodles, yum!
- In stir-fries: Marinade your chicken before adding it to stir-fried vegetables.
- In sandwich: Thinly sliced and combined with lettuce, vegan mayo, or paté.
- To make vegan chicken nuggets: You can use this recipe as a base to make vegan fried chicken! Feel free to check out our Vegan Chicken Nuggets recipe.
- In soups, bakes, pizza, and so much more!
📔 Tips
- Follow each step carefully. Please read the recipe carefully before starting and follow each step precisely. While it’s not a complicated recipe, it must be followed to the letter if you want to get a fibrous texture.
- Do not make substitutes. Except for the white beans that can be replaced with green jackfruit, I do not recommend making any other substitutions.
- Make it smoky. If you want to make smoked chicken, add 1/4 tsp of liquid smoke to the dough.
- Knead for a minimum of 10 minutes. Be patient and knead the dough for the whole 10 minutes. At first, the dough will look more like a cream, but as you knead it, the gluten will absorb the moisture and develop its final texture.
- Chill entirely before shredding. Do not try to shred the chicken while it is still warm. The seitan must chill to develop its fibers.
💬 FAQ
For the best results, you want to use firm tofu. This type of tofu is also sold under the name “regular tofu.”
Yes! This recipe gives you a base that has a very mild flavor, allowing you to marinade and season it afterward. However, if you want to add chicken or poultry seasoning directly to the dough, feel free to do so!
Of course! Check out our Vegan Chick’N Nuggets recipe here.
Yes, wrapping each loaf tight prevents them from expanding and getting a spongy texture.
Vegan chicken will keep for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Note: This recipe was first released in 2019 and was updated in August 2023 with new photos, process shots, and improved texture. The original version used young jackfruit, which I realized can be hard to find. This new version replaces the jackfruit with cooked white beans and has been reworked to prevent getting a too-soft dough, which a few readers had an issue with. It’s also a bit firmer. Both versions, the jackfruit one and the white bean one, have been tested multiple times.
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The Best Vegan Chicken
Ingredients
- 5.3 ounces firm tofu
- 7 ounces cooked white navy beans or young green jackfruit (see notes)
- 9 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp white miso
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 6 ounces vital wheat gluten
- 1 ounce all-purpose flour
Instructions
Prepare the dough
- Add the ingredients to a blender. Drain and rinse the tofu. Pat it dry very well with kitchen paper towels. Add it to a high-speed blender. Add the drained white navy beans, water, oil, onion powder, white miso, salt, garlic powder, ground white pepper, and baking soda as well.
- Blend until smooth. Blend on high speed for 20-30 seconds or until the mixture is smooth and creamy.
Knead the dough
- Transfer the wet mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the vital wheat gluten and all-purpose flour.
- Knead. Knead on Speed 2 for about 10 minutes. At first, it will look very wet, which is normal. Keep kneading, it will develop a stretchy and fibrous texture.
Wrap
- Divide the dough. Divide the dough into two balls and shape each ball into a 5-inch (13cm) long log.
- Wrap. Wrap each loaf in a sheet of parchment paper. Next, wrap each loaf very tightly in a layer of aluminum foil. Wrap in a second layer of aluminum.
Cook
- There are two ways to cook the seitan. You can steam it or pressure cook in an Instant Pot.
- Steaming Method: Place the loaves in a bamboo steamer basket and place the basket on top of a pot of boiling water over medium heat. Steam for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Check after 30 minutes to ensure there is still enough water in the pot.Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Instant Pot Method: Fill the Instant Pot with cold water to the 2/3 (about 3 liters). Place the seitan logs in the pressure cooker. The logs will be submerged in water. Pressure cook for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes, release the pressure. Carefully remove the seitan rolls from the cooker and let them cool completely.
- Refrigerate the loaves for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight before shredding them into pieces.
- You can now use this vegan chicken in any recipe! I recommend preparing a marinade before stir-frying or baking to add more flavor.
- The chicken will keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Bean-free alternative
For those who cannot tolerate beans or want to make this chicken bean-free, you can replace the white beans with drained young green jackfruit. To do so, drain a 20-ounce can of green jackfruit. Cut the hardcore parts and discard them. Next, measure 7 ounces (200g) of jackfruit and use it as a replacement for the white beans.Tips
- Follow each step carefully. Please read the recipe carefully before starting and follow each step precisely. While it’s not a complicated recipe, it must be followed to the letter if you want to get a fibrous texture.
- Do not make substitutes. Except for the white beans that can be replaced with green jackfruit, I do not recommend making any other substitutions.
- Make it smoky. If you want to make smoked chicken, add ¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke to the dough.
- Knead for a minimum of 10 minutes. Be patient and knead the dough for the whole 10 minutes. At first, the dough will look more like a cream, but as you knead it, the gluten will absorb the moisture and develop its final texture.
- Chill entirely before shredding. Do not try to shred the chicken while it is still warm. The seitan must chill to develop its fibers.
Nutrition
About the Author
Thomas Pagot is the founder, photographer, and recipe developer behind Full of Plants. He created the blog in 2016 as a personal cookbook for vegan recipes. Through years of recipe development, Thomas has successfully grown Full of Plants into a trusted resource for plant-based recipes.
Leave a Comment
Thank you for this Thomas! This may be a blessing to many of your subscribers–I buy my gluten flour from Country Life Natural Foods for over 7 years. I have tried others and stick with this one as it always works the best in recipes, whether it is yours or Sam Turnball’s, etc. It is 75% protein, non-gmo, does not have a bitter taste as some I have tried, and is made by a small family operation. It is a little more in cost but worth it. I have never had a fail in recipes, never. And I’m thankful I do not have a problem with gluten nor the many people I make things for. Thank you and your sweet wife for all your hard work trying to make recipes that are vegan. The best a person can do if they do not like ingredients is to find recipes they do like and not attack the creator who is trying to do a good work. Happy cooking.
You are welcome Marie, we are happy to see you are enjoying both the burgers and the chicken recipes! We really appreciate your feedback.
Well, that’s how is the internet lately, instead of spending time looking for a recipe that will fit their dietary needs better, they would rather spend it writing a comment 🙂
Can you freeze it? How long does it last in the fridge once steamed? Thanks!
Yes, you can freeze this vegan chicken for up to 3 months.
It will last in the fridge for 5-6 days.
Can this be cooked in a slow cooker?
I do not own any slow cooker so I cannot say for sure but I doubt it will work. Your best option is either boiling it on the stovetop or steaming it.
Hello and thank you for this great recipe. I can’t eat gluten, what can I replace it with? Does buckwheat, which is gluten-free, work?
Hi Niloufar,
Unfortunately gluten is the main ingredient of this recipe and cannot be substituted I’m afraid.
Question: I don’t own a stand mixer, is there another method for mixing this for 10 minutes? Own a handheld mixer, a Vitamix blender, and a Cuisinart food processor
I do not recommend using any of these as they would most probably break. The mixture is very elastic. You could try mixing it by hands though, if I remember correctly a reader or two still had success doing so.
This turned out great! I shredded it up and made buffalo chicken wraps! My only issue was the side that was down in the instant pot got much more cooked (and had a nice crisp outer layer) than the other side. I put the recommended about of water but the loafs were floating. Not sure how to fix that as once it’s in the IP it’s just gonna what it’s gonna do.
Thanks for your review Taylor! We also love to use this vegan chicken in wraps 🙂
Yes, the loaves are supposed to float. Otherwise, I would recommend trying the steaming method, you won’t have any problem with a part being more cooked.
This is, indeed, the “best vegan chicken”, and I have made many! Because it drives me crazy to not use full cans of beans for recipes, I dialed the “servings” count toggle up to 64, and at that number, was able to use a full package of tofu (something like 395g), and a full can of drained beans, which created the same perfect recipe as the as written recipe (at 30 servings). Highly advise if you do that, to change the measurement gauge to metric, so that you’re working with grams. I also added two cubes of no-chicken that I dissolved before blending in a bit of hot water (substituting the water amount from the total water). I am blown away by your recipes, Thomas! I lose countless hours just scrolling through and dreaming. Making the Vietnamese bologna this weekend, and the mushroom pate!
Thanks for sharing your tweaks Gail! I’m happy to hear you like this vegan chicken recipe 😉
Thanks for your feedback and I hope you will enjoy the bologna and paté as well!
Like everything I’ve made from your site, this was delicious! I was wondering if it would be difficult to change the flavour to a more ham-style? (something like the tofurkey hickory smoked deli slices) Seems like all the basics would be pretty much the same, I’m just not sure what extra flavours to add/remove. Either way thank you, I’ve made the pate (subbed sherry for soy milk which was delicious), the vegan butter, & cashew cheese as well as this chickn & they’ve all been so delicious, I really trust (& appreciate) your recipes 🙂
Thanks for your feedback Lou!
I think it would be possible yes, with some liquid smoke and some spices like maybe coriander, white pepper, nutmeg, etc. It would need testing though 🙂
I’m glad you liked all of the recipes you have tried to date!
Wow. Your recipe has Nailed It!!! perfect texture. A bit more “turkey leg meat” in texture and color (more grey than white) but I can work on the colour.
I did note you advised not to substitute but I changed the wheat flour for chickpea flour (same weight). I did go with jackfruit, not beans option. I had previously tried this recipe with a canned jackfruit which did not work out so good but I found a new source of Jackfruit here in Ontario Canada. PC brand jackfruit is pre-shreded and very low cost. one package is just right weight after draining. Better still, there are BBQ and TexMex marinated version which I think might work in my next batch and would mitigate the turkey leg meat colour.
Thanks again for the recipe and clear prep instructions
Alan
I’m so happy to hear you liked this vegan chicken, Alan!
I totally agree regarding the texture and color 🙂
Yes, jackfruit works pretty well to make this recipe bean-free. Thanks for your feedback!
I’ve just made my second batch, this time with beans and didn’t have enough gluten so made up the difference with flour, but it didn’t seem to make any difference, thankfully. I also added some home made ‘chicken’ seasoning which added depth to the flavour. Now all I need is my meat eating son to visit to show him how good plant based food is!
Awesome! I’m glad you liked this recipe, Donna 🙂
Hallo Thomas,
thank yor for this amazing recipe!
Best vegan food blog ever!
Thank you very much for your so creative Ideas.
Maria
Thanks for your kind words Maria ^^
I was worried about the multiple steps, but not any more! It was so easy, once I got into it. Very little hands on.
This IS the best vegan chick’n. Amazing texture, tender, juicy, hits all the high points. I made your recipe this weekend and had to sneak a piece at hour 3 to test. So good. I want to make another batch to slice for chick’n sandwiches at work.
Do you have a similar base as the chick’n for a beef take on seitan?
Thanks so much for your feedback Annie!
I do not have a “beef” recipe yet, but definitely plan to in the future 😉
Hands down the best vegan chicken recipe I’ve tried in over 10 years experimenting with seitan. Thanks for your dedication to creating absolutely amazing recipes! 🩵
Thank you so much for your feedback and rating Anna! I’m really glad you liked this vegan chicken recipe ^^
Hi Thomas. I’ve been wanting to try this recipe for a while, it looks so good, but I don’t have a stand mixer. Would it work with hand kneading?
I think it can work as long as you knead it long enough and it develops the fibrous texture.
I followed all the instructions exactly up to the point of putting the mixture in the Kitchen Aid bowl, but after beating it for the required time, the dough looked nothing like it does in the video. I began adding more gluten and more flour. It got close to what seemed like the proper texture, but I had added 28 tablespoons of gluten and about a quarter cup more of flour! I stopped mixing, made two loaves and put them in the InstaPot. As one might guess, it almost came out right, but was still a little mushy.
Two things: you recommend medium tofu in the recipe (which is what I used — actually medium firm), but in the comments you tell people to use firm. Would that make a difference?
Second, you used gluten with 83% protein, but I couldn’t find gluten with that amount. I used gluten with 75% protein. (Bob’s Red Mill vital gluten has 70% to 80% protein.) Where do you get vital gluten with 83% protein.
Finally, just for general knowledge, I used no-chicken broth instead of water. No-chicken broth is a yellowish liquid. I also put in a heaping tablespoon of poultry seasoning. Consequently the seitan came out an unappetizing gray color.
I’m rating this recipe with 3 stars because of the lack of clarity re tofu and the difficulty in finding vital wheat gluten at 83% protein.
Don’t get me wrong — I’m a big fan of your site. I’ve found many excellent recipes here.
Hi Ron,
Sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe. May I ask if you used exactly 200g of drained jackfruit?
Having to add almost 2 cups of gluten/flour seems very excessive, I re-tested the recipe with those exact measurement last week and didn’t have to add any flour. As stated in the recipe, at first the mixture appears very soft like a brownie batter, but will transform into a soft dough after about 5 minutes of kneading.
Regarding the tofu, as I live in Europe, we do not use all those terms to classify tofu. After research, it appears the one I am using is what you would call medium-firm/firm (sold as “regular” tofu in Trader’s joe for example). So not all brands use the same denomination.
For your information, over the last 2 weeks I have been working on revamping completely this recipe as it seems you are not the only one having issues with it. I have been testing with different options and ingredients, to make sure all readers will have success with it. It will be updated very soon, stay tuned!
Thanks for your feedback and support!
Hi, Thomas. Thanks for your response. Yes, I measured the jackfruit carefully. When you say use the soft parts, you mean the outer part, not the hard inner core, right?
I discovered that King Arthur Flour offers vital wheat gluten with 81% protein, but they don’t have it in stock right now. They’ll let me know when it’s available.
I look forward to your revamped recipe. I’d really like to make a “chick’n” piccata for guests at a dinner party.
All the best
Ron
Hi Ron,
Yes, I mean cut off the hardcode parts (like on a pineapple for example). Just keep the soft and tender parts that can be shredded easily.
Hey, Thomas. Two more questions:
In the initial recipe you called for medium tofu, but in the comments you advise firm tofu. Medium tofu is not easy to find, but I did find it and purchase it, but I’m not willing to use it if I really should be using firm.
You recommend not using salt if one uses vegetable broth. What if one uses low sodium vegetable broth? (I was actually planning on using Imagine low sodium non-chicken broth.)
Thanks
Ron
Hi Ron,
The issue is that I am living in Europe and they do not label tofu the same way as in the US. Although even in the US, the firmess will depend on the brand.
I still recommend using medium tofu if you have that on hand.
Regarding the salt, you can omit it as this vegan chicken is meant to be marinated and/or seasoned after it’s cooked.
Hi Thomas!
I had a problem with this chicken. Came out mushy. I cooked it in the Instantpot as you directed. Love that appliance! Was really soft. So, I put it back in and made it above water and steamed pressure cooked on high for another 30 minutes. Way better, but not what it should have been. Felt a bit waterlogged and I wrapped it in parchment and then twice in aluminum foil. When I fried it per your recipe it was a husband pleaser. That was good. Texture off. Any suggestions?
Hi Deb,
Sorry to hear you had trouble with this recipe! It seems a few readers are having problems getting the right texture while others are having success with it. I am guessing it might be due to either the type of tofu used, or the amount of jackfruit (that may differ depending on the brand). We have tested it multiple times using the exact amount of ingredients written in the recipe without any trouble, but will test it again soon with different brands of ingredients to make sure. Also planning to test with white beans as these are easier to find and cheaper than green jackfruit.
Hello, that Vegan chicken looks amazing. However my son n i are Gluten intolerant. In order to try the recipe I need a substitute for the wheat protein. Do you have any suggestions? I also stay away from cooking in aluminum since data shows that Alzheimer’s disease can be a result from cooking with aluminum. Thank you for reading my comment. Debra
Hi Debra,
Unfortunately, as you can see, vital wheat gluten is the main ingredient of this recipe. I’m afraid I don’t have any substitution to recommend.
This is exactly what I’m looking for, however,I don’t have a mixer to create the dough, is it possible to knead by hand?
I do not recommend kneading by hand. It really needs to be kneaded for a long time in a mixer to develop this kind of texture.
Any tips for keeping water out of the tinfoil? I wrapped the dough twice in foil, but water found its way in while pressure cooking. It may be contributing to a soggier than desirable texture in my case. You really don’t recommend putting them in a steamer basket in the instant pot?
Do you double-wrap the loaves? It should definitely not be soggy.
I have never tried steaming it, only boiling it, so I can’t say for sure, sorry.
Hey,hey. I have been following you for a while and really enjoy making yr recipes. Thank you for making these available.
The vegan chicken. Recipe seems great,however I don’t own a pressure cooker or instant pop. Is it possible to steam this Chicun and if yes for how long? If you don’t have the answer I will try it out and let you know.
Thanks
Gabrielle
Hey Gabrielle,
You are welcome! I’m afraid I have never tried so I can’t tell. I only tried pressure-cooking it.
So disappointed. Followed to the T. Boiling is a terrible idea, but did it anyway for the 30 min. THEN tried to save this mess by steaming for another 30 min. Let it cool and set in the frig overnight. I still have a DOUGHY mess with an edge to it. I have tried taking pieces and sauteing them, heck the inside NEVER gets to a decent texture. I realize the flavor will come from whatever you finally marinade (your list of marinades looks awesome) it in…but I have made shredded seitan that I enjoyed straight out of the pan. Not this one. No idea how anyone has made this work. Moving onto a different recipe and method.
Following the recipe to a T would mean pressure cooking the loaves, which you didn’t do. As you can see from the 70+ reviews, tens of readers succeeded with it, so calling them into question is a bit exaggerated. One more thing, if you checked the video, you can see this recipe works. I used the exact amount of ingredients and cooking methods in the video. You can even see what kind of texture you should get before pressure cooking it.
Really , really good. And such a blank slate for adding flavors to go with any dish.
Thanks for your rating!
Hi. The Chick-un is kneading as I type. The recipes specifies gluten with 83% protein. I am using Bobs Red Mill which claims 70-80%. My dough wasn’t coming together after 10 minutes of mixing so I added more. I felt that I had to nearly double the gluten but that may have been too much. What would you recommend for future batches if one is using a gluten with a lower protein content?
Thanks!
Hi,
Yes, it seems not all vital wheat gluten brands are equal, so you may have to add a bit more than what the recipe calls for (although doubling seems excessive).
I would recommend trying with another brand of gluten and/or reducing a bit the amount of liquid.
Thank You. Even though I think my version wasn’t quite right, I cut mine up and sautéed with red peppers, onions then added black beans, cumin, ancho Chile paste. And served with rice in tortillas. My carnivore husband was surprised at how good it was. I’ll make it again this weekend and not use as much gluten. I’m sure it’ll be even better. Thank You.
You’re welcome Diane, hope you will have success next time!
Thank you for the recipe Thomas !
You’re welcome, Richard!
First recipe I’ve tried that really produces something very much like the texture of chicken. Thank you!!!
Glad you liked the texture of this vegan chicken! Thanks for your feedback Anna!
Hello ,
I am gluten intolerant with nasty side effects if I get into any gluten. So Seitan is right the Heck out. Can rice gluten be substituted for VWG?
I am Lactose free, and gluten free. – Thanks Holly
I eat gf vegan for my health. Thus I too am concerned about aluminum foil toxins and how it affects the flavor of the food. I believe, according to Anthony Williams, Aluminum is a neurotoxin. The cheese clothe idea is most brilliant.! – Thanks HAF
Hi Holly,
I’m afraid it’s going to be complicated as this is a seitan recipe, and relies mainly on gluten.
I am so impressed by your talent/skill in cooking and understanding how to use ingredients to create these meat alternative mimics. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
Thanks for your kind words 🙂
Drain the heck out of the tofu and jack fruit!!
For those concerned about aluminum foil, try corn husks! The flavor might change, but it is worth a try. If you are trying corn husks, perhaps a steam method is better than boiled.
Can’t wait tk try this recipe.