Vegan Fried Chicken

5 from 7 votes

This vegan fried chicken is the very best! The meaty and flavor packed vegan 'chicken' is made from seitan, battered in an irresistibly crispy batter and fried to crispy perfection.

Prep Time40

Cook Time1 15

Cooling Time30

Total Time2 25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 184kcal

Author: Alison Andrews

Ingredients

Vegan Chicken:

15 ounce Can Chickpeas Drained and Rinsed
1 cup Vegan Chicken Stock (240ml) or Vegetable Stock
2 Tablespoons Refined Coconut Oil Melted
1 teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast Flakes
2 teaspoons Vegan Chicken Spice or Poultry Seasoning
1 teaspoon Dried Sage
1 teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 teaspoon Dried Rosemary
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 ½ cups Vital Wheat Gluten (225g)

Flour Coating:

1 cup All Purpose Flour (125g)
½ cup Cornstarch (64g)
1 Tablespoon Vegan Chicken Spice or Poultry Seasoning
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Paprika
1 teaspoon Onion Powder
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
½ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Buttermilk Batter:

1 cup Vegan Buttermilk (240ml) 1 tablespoon lemon juice + soy milk up to the 1 cup line
¼ cup All Purpose Flour (31g)
¼ cup Nutritional Yeast Flakes
¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
¼ teaspoon Paprika
⅛ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Frying:

Canola Oil or other high heat oil

Instructions

Vegan Chicken:

Add chickpeas, vegan chicken stock, melted refined coconut oil, salt, nutritional yeast, vegan chicken spice, dried sage, thyme, rosemary, onion powder and garlic powder to the food processor and process until smooth.
Transfer to a mixing bowl and add vital wheat gluten. Mix together until it forms into a dough.
Get in there with your hands and knead the dough for a minute to a minute and a half, until the dough feels soft but firm. Shape it into a loaf shape with your hands.
Wrap the dough up in foil. Place it into a steamer basket over a pot of boiling water and steam it for 1 hour.
After steaming for 1 hour, let it cool at room temperature for 20 minutes before you unwrap it from the foil. Then unwrap it from the foil and leave it to cool for another 10 minutes.
Slice the loaf into ½ inch slices. We got 8 slices.
Then cut each slice in half, so that you have 16 strips. Place the strips onto a wire rack.

Batter and Fry:

Add all purpose flour, cornstarch, vegan chicken spice, salt, ground black pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper to a mixing bowl and mix together.
Prepare your vegan buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding soy milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. It will curdle into buttermilk.
In a second mixing bowl, add the vegan buttermilk, all purpose flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika and cayenne pepper and whisk together.
Place a strip of vegan chicken into the dry flour mix to coat it on all sides, then return to the wire rack. Repeat for all the strips.
Then place a strip of vegan chicken into the wet batter to coat it on all sides. Then place the strip back into the dry flour mix to coat it on all sides. Gently place the strip back onto the wire rack. Repeat until all your strips are coated.
Pour oil into a high sided pan until the oil is ½ inch deep. Heat the oil until it reaches 350°F (180°C). Use a deep frying thermometer to check the temperature so that you know when it has reached the right temp to start frying.
Using tongs place a few coated vegan chicken strips into the hot oil. They should sizzle when they hit the oil. Fry for 3-5 minutes until golden brown.
Using your tongs again, remove the vegan fried chicken from the pan and place them onto a baking tray lined with paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Add more strips to the hot oil and repeat until all your strips are fried and crispy.

Notes

Chickpeas - we used one 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed. If you want to use cooked chickpeas (not canned) then you can use 1 and ½ cups.
Vegan chicken stock - or broth. Better than Bouillon has a ‘no-chicken’ broth that is perfect, or use any chicken stock or broth that is vegan by ingredient. You can also use vegetable stock.
Vital wheat gluten - is the 'seitan' of the recipe and creates the 'meaty' chewy texture. It cannot be substituted in this recipe. See below for a seitan alternative.
Canola oil - works great as it's a high smoke point oil. You can use a different oil if you like but make sure it has a high smoke point, so that it's suitable for high heat frying.
Seitan alternative: If you're not feeling inspired to make the 'chicken' from scratch then simply use extra firm tofu instead. You will need at least 24 ounces (680g) of extra firm tofu. Press the tofu for 30 minutes before you start and then cut the tofu into 16 pieces. Follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Gluten-free: For a gluten free vegan fried chicken I recommend using tofu (as above) and then replacing the all purpose flour with a gluten free all purpose flour blend.
Storing: Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for 4-5 days. They lose a little of their crispiness but not that much! We enjoyed leftovers cold over a few days and also sliced them up for sandwiches.
Reheating: They can be reheated in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F for 10-15 minutes until heated through. If you have an air fryer then reheat them in the air fryer at 350°F for 5-10 minutes as that will also help to crisp them up again.

Nutrition