Get the Recipe: Vegan Chicken
How to make vegan chicken from scratch, using vital wheat gluten (seitan). Using just a few ingredients, you can make a plant based chicken alternative that's realistic, versatile, and easy to make, too. Serve with a sauce or marinade of your choice for a great lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
- 4 oz chickpeas
- 4 oz cannellini beans
- 1 tbsp dried coriander
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp water
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 7 oz aquafaba
- 7 oz vital wheat gluten
Equipment
- Blender or food processor
- Steamer basket
- Saucepan
Instructions
- Add the chickpeas, cannellini beans, dried coriander, apple cider vinegar, water, garlic powder and aquafaba to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. It will look runny, but do not worry as the texture will be very firm once we add the vital wheat gluten.
- Add the vital wheat gluten and blend on a low speed for around a minute, until a lump of dough forms. Allow it to sit for around 2 minutes, in order for the flour to hydrate. Then, blend once again, for around 30 seconds more.
- Transfer the seitan to a flat surface and knead for 20-30 seconds. Don't knead too much, because this will cause it to develop a dry and overly chewy texture, which we want to avoid. Shape into a dough ball.
- Cut the dough ball in half, then gently shape each half into an oval shape. Transfer the dough to the base of a sheet of parchment paper and roll it up tightly, tucking the paper in around the edges.
- Place a steamer basket over a saucepan of lightly simmering water and put the two pieces of seitan inside. Cover and leave to steam for 55 minutes - 1 hour.
- The vegan chicken is now ready to use! If you want pulled chicken that's extra stringy and with a super realistic texture, I would recommend leaving it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using. Otherwise, it's ready to be used as you wish!
Video
Notes
- After steaming, you can pull apart the seitan to create a shredded chicken alternative and cook it as you would ordinary chicken. I would recommend marinading it for at least 30 minutes before cooking to ensure the best flavor,
- Make sure not to knead the dough for too long, as this will cause it to develop a tough, chewy texture.
- You can keep vegan chicken in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. It's also freezer-friendly: store it in the freezer for up to 3 months in a freezer-friendly container, or shred it and store in freezer bags. Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight, before cooking as desired.
Calories: 102kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 32mg, Potassium: 68mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 15IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 2mg