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!
⭐️ Why You Should Try This Recipe
- 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! ♥”
📘 Introduction
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?
🫛 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 Vegan Chicken
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.
- 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 Vegan Chicken
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 20 minutes. Be patient and knead the dough for the whole 20 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.
The Best Vegan Chicken
Ingredients
- 9 ounces firm tofu
- 7 ounces cooked white navy beans or young green jackfruit (see notes)
- 2/3 cup 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 20 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 20 minutes. Be patient and knead the dough for the whole 20 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.
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!!!!
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.
Bonjour Thomas, j’ai essayé cette recette et ce fût un succès. As tu déjà essayé de l’utiliser pour en faire un rôti de dinde farcie genre Gardein ou Tofurky. Je cherche une recette pour Noël et je me suis dis que cette recette serait parfaite pour cela à cause de la texture fibreuse que je recherche. Peut être y ajouter des épices à volaille et bouillon de faux poulet pour donner un goût de volaille. Aussi le cuire à la vapeur dans l’instant pot. Qu’en penses tu?
Bonjour Pierre,
Content d’entendre que tu as aimé cette recette ! Je n’ai pas encore essayé de faire un roti mais c’est une bonne idée !
Je cuit toujours ce seitan dans l’Instant Pot.
Bonjour Thomas,
Tel que prévu, j’ai fais la recette en doublant les quantités et en ajoutant des épices à volaille pour donner un goût de dinde. J’ai préparé une farce. J’ai étalé le seitan en rectangle sur du papier parchemin (très facile à étaler) et j’ai déposé la farce. J’ai roulé le tout et bien scellé le roti. J’ai aussi enveloppé de papier aluminium bien serré. J’ai décidé de le cuire au four sur une plaque car il était trop long pour l’instant pot. Par la suite j’ai déballé le tout et j’ai ajouté une peau de tofu (yuba) que j’ai fais dorer au four. Le résultat a été incroyable, un vrai succès. Le roti n’était pas sec du tout et la texture fibreuse de la recette toujours présente. Le tout se découpait en belles tranches, très aisément. Un vrai délice. C’était la première fois que je cuisais du seitan au four. Cette recette est vraiment versatile et peut donc être utilisée en roti. Merci encore pour tes recettes toujours fabuleuses. Je te souhaite une année 2020 pleine de succès. (un livre? ) 🙂
Bonjour Pierre,
Super ! Content d’entendre que ton roti fût un succès !
C’est vrai que la peau de tofu marche très bien pour imiter la peau de poulet., mais assez difficile à trouver.
Bonne année à toi aussi 🙂
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
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
This looks really interesting. I would like to try but jackfruit is super expensive here. What could I use as a substitute?
I was thinking perhaps palm hearts or cauliflower … What do you think?
Palm hearts may work, make sure to rinse them very well and drain. I also guess white beans would work but I haven’t tried it yet.
I just came across this site and you probably have answered the question but can you fry it?
If you mean coat with breadcrumbs and then fry, sure!
Hello! Awesome web site!!
Have you (or know of anyone that has) ever tried making this flute-free? I’d be curious what works since I cannot use all purpose wheat flour. Thank you for your help.
Hi, thanks Keysha!
Well, this recipe is basically just gluten so I’m afraid you will have trouble making it gluten-free.
This recipe was truly awful. I was so excited to try it but sadly it is nothing at all like the consistency of chicken. It’s kind of gooey. I kneaded it for 20 minutes in the food processor and my dough looked exactly like yours. Wasted my whole morning.
I definitely not recommend a food processor. Even with a high-quality and powerful one won’t do it, I learned it the hard way. You need a stand mixer.
Something definetely went wrong for you, sorry. I make this recipe regularly and always get a great texture, not gooey at all.
Ok i am giving this another go this morning I realized I didn’t cut the cores out of the jackfruit and that this could have been responsible for the awful texture I got. I used a stand mixer this time and kneaded it for 40 minutes. My first Impression is that it was not anywhere near as fibrous as when I did it in the food processor. It is cooking now, I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Would it work if it were kneaded with the help of a bread maker machine? On the dough cycle.
I have never used a bread maker, and honestly, I’m not sure how it works so I’m afraid I can help you with this.
Not quite vegan yet but vegan-curious. I have lowered my meat intake to a few nights a meat but want to have a 100% meatless diet eventually. I am so grateful resources like this are available; thank you!. I am hopping to use this recipe to make curried chicken or jerk chicken. I am so excited to try it. Will update on the outcome soon.
That’s a good initiative! Hope you will like this vegan chick’n!
hello thomas, excellent recipe.
i use several very good seitan recipes (mixing beans with gluten) but yours is one of my favourites, mainly for its tenderness but being very meaty. i have prepared your recipe several times.
i do use a food processor but, i mixed wheat gluten and tofu-jackfruit mixture in a large bowl, i let it rest about 15 minutes to allow gluten to absorb the moisture and then i separate the dough into 2 parts. then i process each portion separately in the food processor until the dough is warm, stretchy, smooth, and ‘shreds’ of gluten are visible (up to 6-8 minutes for each part).
thank you very much and congratulations
Hello Rebato,
Happy to hear this recipe worked great for you! I also love that texture and guests are often surprised it’s vegan!
Regarding the use of a food processor, I stopped using it after I broke the blade twice (the blade itself didn’t break but the inside of the tool did). I’m glad to hear you made it work in a food processor though!
You are amazing! Thank you for providing this recipe. I made last weekend and it turned out to be used in a pad Thai and chicken strips coated in panko. I will be making again and will post pictures. So delicious and yes I followed to a t and used the thyme marinade. Looking forward to trying your vegan pork roast also.
Thanks so much for your feedback Renee! 🙂
Using it in Pad Thai is a great idea!
Wow! Thank you for this recipe, Thomas! I turned out perfectly. I love the way it can be pulled apart into shreds. I’ve used it in a stir fry, fajitas and a sandwich. And it tastes good on its own. A family member thought it was turkey! (I followed this recipe, no substitutions, and steamed it for 40 minutes.)
With many thanks from Canada!
Thanks so much for your great feedback! I’m glad to hear you liked the result and had success with the recipe 🙂
I tried this and unfortunately it came out with the texture of boiled bread dough. And the flavor of…..boiled bread dough. Not sure what I did wrong. The dough was pretty soft, maybe not enough gluten? Maybe didn’t knead it long enough? Didn’t cook it long enough? Sadly looked nothing like your picture.
Hi Conor,
Sorry to hear that! My first guess would be that it wasn’t kneaded enough. The lack of vital wheat gluten might be another reason.
I have made this recipe 2 times. First time the gluten never formed dough-like consistency, very frustrating, was very soft and never went to where ur pictures showed. Followed thru anyway and wrapped and put in my insta pot. It cooked but flavor was lacking and no shreds to pull. We pulled apart and did a chicken fried steak dip and made some nuggets. Second time it was the same and as I have made plenty of gluten I added a full cup more and then the magic happened. Your recipe calls for 2/3 C + 1 T I believe. Not enough VWG! Watched the video and it was way more than 2/3 cup that was dumped into the mix.
Thank you for the recipe, I have yet to unwrap this second one kinda excited to see if it shreds. Maria
Hi Maria,
It depends on the brand of VWG, it seems there are a lot of disparity.
I can assure you that in the video I used the amount written in the recipe (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp, not 2/3 cup).
Hi Thomas,
What marinade do you have on the chick’n and scallions in the bowl photo? Also, did you fry this chick’n?
Thanks,
John
Hi John,
It was a simple marinade with soy sauce, maple syrup, garlic, lime juice, and scallions.
Thank you so much. I will let u know when I make it. Hope ti make soon. Thanks for sharing.
I LOVE this recipe!! I’ve made it a few times now and it is awesome. I was wondering if you have tried freezing it at all? I would love to make it for a party this weekend, but save the rest for thanksgiving. Please let me know what you think.
Thanks for your feedback Vicki!
I haven’t yet but I think it should freeze well!
Hi Thomas, thank you for sharing this recipe. I made it perfect on my second attempt (i used fried firm tofu on my first attempt and it turned out grainy and a bit soggy) i made teriyaki and satay “chicken” and it’s absolutely yum! 🙂
Awesome! Sounds delicious!
I’m wanting to make this for Thanksgiving and would like it to taste kinda like turkey. What seasoning would you use and how? Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe.
Humm…you may want to use a chicken seasoning spice blend.
Hi Thomas! Thank you for such an INCREDIBLE seitan recipe…it’s just absolutely amazing. My husband and I are both vegan and we’ll be eating this as our Thanksgiving main entree…I’m so excited! I pulled strips and dredged them in a vegan buttermilk batter and then coated them in seasoned breadcrumbs…baked them at 375 degress for about a half an hour. We had it as chik’n parmesan…gonna do the same for Thanksgiving, but I’m going to marinade first in a herby marinade! Absolutely the BEST seitan recipe, EVER! ♥
Thanks again Melissa! 🙂
Is it necessary to put that much water in the IP if it is wrapped in foil? What is the purpose of all that water? Usually only one cup in the IP is necessary to steam. Thanks really want to try this.
This is a good question, I would say less water should work. I will definitely try next time.
Can I use somthing else than jackfruit? We don’t have this fruit in the north.
Hi Vimala,
I don’t use fresh jackfruit, but the young one is cans.
After I pressure cook, it still doesn’t bind and is like paste or minced meat
Did you knead enough? Also, I’m not sure what you mean by “doesn’t bind” as it definitely should because it’s gluten.
I’m definitely going to try this. Does it freeze well?
I have never tried freezing them yet.