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!
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!
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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.
Craving more veg-friendly recipes? Shop our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks, including our new Vegan Thanksgiving and Vegan Christmas cookbooks!