The Best Vegan Chicken
Amazing vegan chicken that has an incredible meaty texture! You will never believe it's vegan! Plus, it's high in protein!
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 (565g) 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.Use a stand mixer to knead the dough.
Please do not use a food processor to knead the dough. Since the dough is very elastic, it could break your food processor. A stand mixer is the best option for this recipe.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. It's the long kneading time that develops the fibrous texture.Chill before shredding.
Do not try to shred the chicken while it is still warm. The seitan must chill to firm up and develop its meaty texture. Recipe adapted from Cususu.Nutrition
Serving: 5 ounces (about 140g) | Calories: 237 kcal | Carbohydrates: 16.8 g | Protein: 27.8 g | Fat: 6.9 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Sodium: 248 mg | Potassium: 163 mg | Fiber: 2.6 g | Sugar: 0.7 g | Calcium: 111 mg | Iron: 1 mg