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!
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⭐️ 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 ¼ cup coconut yogurt, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoon maple syrup, 1 teaspoon curry powder, ¼ teaspoon chili, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Cilantro Lime – Combine 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 minced clove of garlic, and ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Sesame & Peanut – Combine ¼ 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 tablespoon white rice vinegar, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1 teaspoon 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 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.
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!
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.
I hope you will love this vegan chicken! It’s SO meaty, versatile, and would even surprise meat-eaters! It’s definitely the best vegan chicken recipe!
🍔 More Plant-Based Meat Substitutes
Let me know in the comments, and leave a rating if you try this recipe!
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.
📖 Recipe
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
Prevent your screen from going dark
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 ⅔ (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.
Nutrition
Serving: 5 ounces (about 140) | 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
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