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    Home » Entrees

    Vegan Chicken

    Published: Jun 6, 2019 Updated: Apr 29, 2022 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Vegan Chicken

    This vegan chicken is made with vital wheat gluten aka seitan. It’s super flavorful, high in protein and has the perfect ‘meaty’ texture. 

    Vegan chicken fillets with fresh parsley and lemon slices in a frying pan.

    So how’s this? You can make your own vegan chicken. 

    And it tastes…. like chicken. What is this sorcery?

    Well, you’re not going to be confusing it with actual chicken, don’t worry about that.

    But it has that perfect chewy seitan texture and it’s spiced and flavored to be similar to chicken, but not exactly. 

    And it’s actually really easy too. There are a couple of things to get the hang of, but on the whole, easy peasy.

    I was inspired to make this vegan chicken recipe after making our vegan steak. The steak was so easy and so good, and I thought, well, vegan chicken can’t be too hard to make in that case. I was totally right. 

    In fact, it’s even easier to make this vegan chicken recipe because it has fewer ingredients and fewer steps than the steak does. 

    If you like vegan ‘meats’ then check out our vegan bacon, vegan sausages and vegan salami too. And for more vegan ‘chicken’ recipes, try our vegan butter chicken, vegan chicken nuggets, vegan buffalo chicken dip, vegan chicken noodle soup and vegan fried chicken.

    Vegan chicken fillets topped with chopped parsley and fresh lemon slices.

    How To Make Vegan Chicken

    You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

    • You start off by adding chickpeas, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme, coriander powder, dried sage, vegan chicken spice (or vegan poultry seasoning) and dijon mustard to your food processor. Add vegan chicken stock. 
    • Then you just blitz that in the food processor until smooth.

    Top Tip: I found it really easy to get vegan chicken stock and vegan chicken spice. The one I used is a local brand called Ina Paarman’s but if you read the ingredients of whatever you have locally you might be surprised to find that more than a few are vegan already.  

    Collage of two photos showing ingredients added to food processor and processed.
    • Pour it out into a mixing bowl and add Vital Wheat Gluten. This is what creates that amazing texture. It can also be called gluten powder or gluten flour in some countries. 
    • Mix it in quickly with a spoon and then right away get in there with your hands and knead it into a big ball. Don’t knead for too long. We’re talking kneading it just a few times in your hands until it goes from soft and sticky to just starting to get firm. 
    Collage of two photos showing wet and dry ingredients added to bowl and mixed into a dough.
    • Flatten it out on a cutting board and cut it into 4 pieces. Wrap each piece loosely in foil (they expand while they cook) and steam for 20 minutes. 
    Two photo collage showing vegan chicken cut into four pieces, wrapped in foil and steamed.
    • When they have finished steaming, let them cool for a few minutes and then unwrap them from the foil. You’ll notice they are nice and fat and puffed out.
    Vegan chicken on a wooden board.
    • Slice them lengthways along the middle so that you have 8 vegan chicken fillets. 
    • Rub vegan chicken spice into the fillets. Just eyeball the amount. I just sprinkled on a little and used my hands to rub it in on both sides of the fillets. 
    Two photo collage showing vegan chicken pieces cut in half and rubbed with spices.
    • Add vegan butter to a frying pan – you can also use oil but I liked the taste of vegan butter for this – and fry them a few minutes each side until golden brown and crispy on both sides.
    • I did it in two batches and my pan is quite large, so I reckon you will likely need to do two batches as well. Add more vegan butter to the pan before doing the next four fillets the same way. And then you’re ready to serve. 
    Vegan chicken fillets frying in a frying pan.

    Vegan Chicken Recipe Q&A

    How do you serve this seitan chicken?

    Serve it with fresh lemon and chopped parsley. A little sprinkle of salt and ground black pepper is great too. Perhaps some vegan mayo as well.

    If you want to cut them up so you have vegan chicken strips to put into a wrap or something like that, that works great too. 

    Can I make this plant based chicken gluten-free?

    Unfortunately not this particular recipe. The vital wheat gluten is a crucial ingredient here and creates the texture. If you are gluten sensitive then try this recipe from One Green Planet for gluten-free vegan chicken. 

    The taste was good but they were quite tough and chewy. What did I do wrong? 

    You kneaded the dough for too long. You want to literally just knead it a few times, like a few flips over and presses with your hand until it forms a ball of dough that has just begun to firm up.

    Pressing the dough down onto your board so you can cut it into four pieces also counts as ‘kneading’ in a sense, so you just want to tread lightly in the kneading department so that you get a good texture here that is not too chewy.

    The opposite is also true, if your fillets end up too soft and you’d like the texture to be a little more firm, then knead the dough a little bit more the next time. 

    Vegan chicken fillets with chopped parsley and slices of lemon.

    Storing and Freezing

    Keep leftover vegan chicken in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.

    It’s also freezer friendly, however, it might be best to freeze them after steaming (let them cool first). Thaw them in the fridge, and then rub in the spice and fry them up as usual. 

    Vegan chicken fillet on a white plate.

    More Vegan ‘Meat’ and Seitan Recipes

    1. Vegan Steak
    2. Vegan Burger
    3. Vegan Sausages
    4. Vegan Bolognese Sauce
    5. Vegan Pepperoni
    6. Vegan Taco Meat 

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan chicken with fresh lemon and parsley in a grill pan.

    Vegan Chicken

    This vegan chicken is made with vital wheat gluten aka seitan. It's super flavorful, high in protein and has the perfect 'meaty' texture. 
    5 from 22 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 35 minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes
    Servings: 8
    Calories: 170kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup Canned Chickpeas (123g) Drained
    • ¼ cup Nutritional Yeast (15g)
    • 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
    • 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Dried Thyme
    • ¼ teaspoon Coriander Powder
    • ½ teaspoon Dried Sage
    • 2 teaspoons Vegan Chicken Spice or Vegan Poultry Seasoning
    • 1 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
    • ¾ cup Vegan Chicken Stock (180ml) or Vegetable Stock
    • 1 ½ cups Vital Wheat Gluten (225g)

    For Frying:

    • Vegan Butter or Oil
    • Vegan Chicken Spice to rub into fillets

    For Serving:

    • Fresh Lemon
    • Fresh Parsley
    • Sea Salt and Black Pepper
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add the chickpeas, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, coriander powder, sage, vegan chicken spice and dijon mustard to the food processor along with the vegan chicken stock and process until well mixed.
    • Pour this out into a mixing bowl and add the vital wheat gluten. Stir it in with a spoon and then almost immediately get in there with your hands to mix it properly and knead just a few times. You just want it to go from soft and sticky to just starting to become firm.*
    • Transfer to a cutting board and flatten it out before cutting into 4 pieces. Wrap these 4 pieces in foil (loosely, they expand while steaming) and place into a steamer and steam for 20 minutes.
    • When they have finished steaming, let them cool for a few minutes and then unwrap them from the foil.
    • Cut each piece lengthways down the middle so that you have 8 pieces.
    • Sprinkle them with vegan chicken spice and rub in with your fingers.
    • Heat some vegan butter in a pan and then fry the fillets in the butter, turning over regularly until browned and crispy on both sides. Depending on the size of your pan you will likely have to do this in two batches.
    • Serve with fresh parsley and fresh lemon, and a sprinkle of sea salt and black pepper.

    Video

    Notes

    1. It’s okay if there is a little vital wheat gluten left at the bottom of the bowl that doesn’t mix in. Definitely don’t knead too long just because you’re trying to get everything mixed in.
    2. I used 1 Tablespoon vegan butter per batch and I fried them up in 2 batches, you might want to use more or less, you can also substitute for oil but I really like the flavor blend with vegan butter.
    3. Leftover vegan chicken can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week. It’s also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. After steaming, unwrap them and let them cool completely and then freeze. Thaw in the fridge and then rub with spices and fry as usual. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve | Calories: 170kcal | Carbohydrates: 8.4g | Protein: 23.7g | Fat: 7.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Sodium: 209mg | Fiber: 1.9g | Sugar: 0.7g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
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    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Astrid says

      December 18, 2022 at 10:29 am

      Hi! I usually let seitan simmer in broth instead of steaming it. Do you know what happens with this “chicken” if I don’t steam it in foil? Will it turn into soft brain-like lumps or will it just come apart? I was hoping maybe I could just press out excess liquid before frying it 🙂 Love all of your recipes btw! Your cake recipes are definitely my go to’s.

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        December 20, 2022 at 11:00 am

        Hi Astrid, you can steam it without foil, it may introduce more moisture but it’s not a deal breaker! And thank you so much, so happy you love all the cakes! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Sara says

      March 13, 2022 at 10:02 pm

      Hi! This is a favorite recipe staple for our household now! Just wondering for leftover portions. Do you recommend leaving the dough or steaming it or frying it before refrigerating or even freezing (?). Thank you so much!

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        March 14, 2022 at 10:59 am

        Hi Sara, it’s best to steam them first then you can freeze them, let them thaw in the fridge and then rub in the spice and fry up as usual. If you’re not going to freeze them, you can fry them up as usual and just refrigerate leftovers for up to a week.

        Reply
    3. leah says

      November 16, 2021 at 3:55 pm

      how do i steam this without a steamer?5 stars

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 16, 2021 at 4:14 pm

        Hi Leah, we actually just use a steamer basket that’s set above a pot of boiling water. So you don’t necessarily need a steamer, but just a steamer basket that fits above one of your pots. It is essential that this recipe is steamed though.

        Reply
    4. Barbara Binstock says

      November 10, 2021 at 8:08 pm

      What can replace the vital wheat gluten to make these gluten free?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        November 11, 2021 at 11:20 am

        Hi Barbara, unfortunately it’s not possible to make this gluten-free as the vital wheat gluten is the crucial ingredient.

        Reply
    5. Pamela says

      September 11, 2021 at 5:57 pm

      Mine was too dry following the exact measurement. I had to add more stock, anybody else? Also trying it in the instapot

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        September 13, 2021 at 11:53 am

        Hi Pamela, you did great adding in more stock, I think the differences can come in with different moisture levels in the chickpeas.

        Reply
    6. Dee says

      August 03, 2021 at 4:19 am

      I love your recipes, thanks so much!

      Reply
    7. Camilla says

      May 19, 2021 at 12:45 pm

      Hi, can I bake this in an oven dish? If so do I have to fry it in a pan first?

      Reply
      • Alison Andrews says

        May 19, 2021 at 2:38 pm

        You can try that! After steaming them they are mostly cooked, further cooking after that is to add flavorings etc.

        Reply
        • Camilla says

          May 19, 2021 at 2:45 pm

          Okey thank you:) I will try it.

          Reply
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