The Edgy Veg

bonafide fried chicken

bonafidechicken3

Junk food reverse engineering has become my “thing” hasn’t it? I spend a lot of time checking in with my carnivore pals and harassing them about the food they are into, trying, and craving. During one of these chats, the mention of good ol’ Southern fried chicken came up. It had dawned on me, I have not yet created any home-grown, deep-southern, finger-lickin’ good, tried and true vegan/vegetarian fried chicken recipes!

I guess it’s time to add Popeyes Chicken to the list of vegan fast food menus I am going to tackle on this journey to vegan-deliciousness. I started with a modified version of my chicken seitan recipe, and the rest just blossomed from there. The finished product was actually super easy to re-create and ended up being unbelievably moist, seitan covered in a thick, crunchy, spicy batter. I ate them next to a pile of buttery biscuits, hot sauce and gravy, making my afternoon experiment a delicious delight.

There is no reason to head out for fried chicken when you can make this amazing recipe at home without harming any animals!! You’ll love this vegan copycat Popeye’s chicken recipe, I am sure of it.

Vegan Popeyes Bonafide ChickenTips to Make the Best Seitan Possible:

  1. When cooking the seitan pieces in broth, keep the pot at a simmer DO NOT BOIL or they will fall apart in the liquid.
  2. After the simmering stage, allow the seitan pieces to sit on a wire cooling rack before coating and frying, allowing them to dry off a little bit will result in the coating sticking to them more evenly.
  3. Once the dough is ready, rip it into small pieces, about the size of your palm. Twist each piece then tie it in a knot, tucking in the ends. This will create the best fibrous texture.

4.8 from 24 reviews
Vegan Popeyes Fried Chicken (Vegetarian)
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
There is no reason to head out for fried chicken when you can make this amazing vegan recipe at home without harming any animals!! You'll love this vegan Popeye's fried chicken recipe, I am sure of it.
Author:
Recipe type: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Serves: 4-6 people
Ingredients
"Chicken"
Coating liquid
Dredging
Instructions
"Chicken":
  1. In a mixing bowl, mix together wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder, salt, and poultry seasoning.
  2. In a stand mixer or larger bowl, combine 1½ cup Franks and tahini and whisk until smooth.
  3. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet, on a low setting with the paddle attachment, or with your hands, until well combined.
  4. Knead the dough at a low speed, with a dough hook until it is elastic but not dry. no more than 5 mins. Sprinkle additional gluten flour if your dough is too sticky.
  5. Divide the dough into pieces half the size of a chicken breast. The dough will grow to about twice its size when cooked.
  6. Twist and tie the dough in knots, this will create fibres in the dough, making the chicken very realistic in texture.
  7. Bring 6 cups of broth to a boil. Place the knotted seitan, ensuring they are covered completely.
  8. Reduce heat to a rolling simmer, and simmer seitan pieces in broth for 1 hour, stirring every 15 mins. It is very important that you do not boil the seitan or it will fall apart.
  9. Remove seitan from broth and place on a wire baking rack until cool to the touch. Give them a little squeeze to remove any excess liquid.
To Coat:
  1. Combine the hot sauce, egg replacer and mustard in a small bowl. This is your coating liquid.
  2. for your dredging, combine flour and all spices in another shallow bowl, and whisk until well combined.
  3. Working with one piece of seitan at a time, coat each piece with the flour, then dredge it in the hot sauce mixture, and coat again in the flour mixture.
  4. Set aside until the rest of the seitan is breaded.
  5. Heat up plenty of oil in a deep pot, or heat up your deep fryer.
  6. When hot (350F) fry the coated seitan for 3-5 mins or until they are light brown and crispy.
  7. Remove the seitan and place it on a wire cooling rack, or paper towels.
  8. Serve with biscuits and pickles, or your favourite dipping sauce. I like Buffalo Sauce, Habenero Ranch, or Vegan Honey Mustard Sauce.

 

 vegetarian popeyes fried chicken

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  • Hey! was the braiding of the dough added to this recipe? its not in the video and i used to make this recipe ages ago and swear i didnt see that…i tried this time but couldnt really figure it out with small pieces. was a i meant to do that step before ripping it into smaller pieces? thanks! This recipe is so good i am glad i found it again!

    • Hi Robin, You’re meant to tie it into a know, which adds the fibrous texture to the dough.

  • Celeste says:

    Hi there! I want to try this recipe out but I do t have any special equipment to kneed the dough so I’ll be doing it by hand. Do you know how long I should kneed it for if I’m doing it by hand?

    Thanks in advance!

    • EdgyVeg says:

      You’ll want to knead until the dough is smooth, it may take longer than you think

  • This was without a doubt the best seitan recipe I’ve ever had! My omni spouse said this recipe is to chicken that beyond beef is to hamburger – high praise indeed ;0)
    🙏🏻

  • How long would you pressure cook this in an instant pot? Looks terrific!!!!!!

    • EdgyVeg says:

      Cook for 45 minutes under pressure. If you have a smaller pressure cooker, you may have to do this in batches.
      Release the pressure and remove the seitan from the cooker and let it cool completely.
      (Alternatively, you can steam them for 1 hour, if you do not have access to a pressure cooker.)

  • Lindsay says:

    I’m wondering, can you use any type of egg replacement? I normally use a flax egg, but I’m normally baking so I’m not sure if it works for cooking as well.

    • EdgyVeg says:

      a flax egg may be enough to hold on the coating, I typically use something like a soymilk and cornstarch mixture cooked on the stove and whisked until thick

  • Susan Rosenberg says:

    OMG!!!!
    I made this recipe!
    I devoured this recipe!!
    I’m in heaven with this recipe!!!
    You’re a Saint Edgy Veg!!!
    You’re my new best friend ❤
    Thank you !!!!

  • Farisha says:

    I’ve been trying to look for alternatives on vegan meat and this is so great. It was easy to follow.

  • Michelle says:

    This recipe was easy to follow and SO delicious! First time making a recipe with wheat gluten and it was a success. I used my air fryer too and it wasn’t as crispy but still amazing! Thanks for the recipe!!! (Even my meat eating fiancé couldn’t stop eating them!)

    • Elizabeth says:

      I love this recipe, I make it all the time for my husband. The only concern I have with it, is when I substitute the Frank’s for veggie broth, the dough seems a bit dry – before I simmer it – the end result is always delicious and juicy. I think next time I make it I may try more like a full cup of veggie broth and see how it turns out. Any suggestions?

      • EdgyVeg says:

        Veggie broth can be a little thin, maybe try adding more broth in case too much of it is cooking off, leaving with a dry texture

  • Kristen Zimel says:

    Thank you for being a positive vegan role model. Yum recipe. Seitan is tricky for me but i’ll keep working on it 🙂

  • Alex M. says:

    All I can say is… WOW! This is the best thing I’ve had since I’ve been a vegetarian:) truly scrumptious, it’s crispy, juicy and yes popeyee if that’s even a word lol, any way this is the best recipe I’ve found for vegan fried chicken yet! You will not be disappointed!

  • Angel says:

    Then don’t eat it but don’t diss it either. Is a good recipe for this who CAN eat this. I think is very good and replacing helps being vegetarian easier and opens one up to possibilities. I hope you get better from your stomach. Blessings

  • Amelia says:

    Was there a point to you commenting on a piece about vegan fried chicken to talk about eating meat and discuss how unpalatable this recipe was to you? Not sure it added anything but negativity, with nothing particularly constructive for folks interested in trying it.

  • I loved this! Crispy like fried chicken and the crust was to die for. I uwe’d the veggie broth/hot sauce route. So good! Thank you!

  • Do you drain and squeeze the seitan after it has been boiled for the 45 minutes or do we just keep all the liquid in it and then batter it?

  • Hey B, this is a year late, but if you get this and feel like you want to give it another shot, I think I can help. You cannot boil the water. It’s too hot and will break down the gluten into sloppy goop. It must be a light simmer,never boiling. Trust me, it makes all the difference! Good luck.

  • Hi! I’d just like to say as a seitan newbie I wish the veggie broth was listed elsewhere or specifically said “set to the side” or something as opposed to listed with the other wet ingredients.

  • Melissa says:

    I was just wondering why does the video say the dry mix has garlic powder but no poultry seasoning, but this recipe has poultry seasoning but no garlic powder? Is one more right?
    I love your channel!

    • EdgyVeg says:

      I’m constantly updating my recipes on my website. I can’t edit new clips into a youtube video unfortunately so I always recommend following my written recipe on my blog for all the updates!

  • Hello thank you for this amazing recipe ! 🙂 I have a question : can you freeze the ”chicken” ? Thanks

  • Made this for dinner last night and it was AMAZING. I used 3/4 cup hot sauce and 3/4 cup veg broth. It was the perfect amount of spicy for my family. I made it with corn on the cob and potato wedges. Soooooooo good. I’ll definitely make it again!

  • Made this with the suggestion to cut back to 3/4 cup broth and 3/4 cup Frank’s . It wasn’t overly spicy.
    The nuggets DID start to disintegrate a bit in the boiling part, but unlike the other poster, they retained most of their shape. Maybe I didn’t knead them long enough?
    Anyway, though these are a little messy to make, I would make them again in a heart beat since they are crisp, seasoned to perfection (I added extra garlic powder) and the closest thing I’ve had to fried chicken since going vegan six years ago! Thanks Candace!

  • robyn ladd says:

    Hey lovely, could you explain why there’s no need for soy or garbanzo flour in this version of seitan?

    • EdgyVeg says:

      Hey Robyn! For this one, I use tahini and nutritional yeast. I prefer the texture using these ingredients.

  • I’m so sorry that this happened. Could you tell me a bit more about how you made the recipe? I’ve never had a negative review about this recipe. I’d love to help troubleshoot.

  • Barbora Trencianska says:

    Super excited to try this recipe! Do you think it would work baked instead of fried ? Thanks :):)

  • Hi There- I always update the recipes on this site according to changes I make that I feel are better than the original. You can use both bouillon & water, OR you can use broth. They are interchangeable.

    • I am sorry, I dont understand what you are asking.

      • The water was for the egg replacer, but I see how that can be confusing! So the recipe has been updated. Thanks for the feedback! 🙂

  • Just google how to start a writer’s blog. There is a TON of advice out there to get you started. Just choose an advice source that you like the look of, focus on that one and maybe take some notes, then check out a second one and do the same. You will start to notice patterns of advice. Remember that your platform is just that – something (for your information) to stand on; the most important thing is the material that you are posting. This should be easy to read with decent grammar relative to your genre of writing, in a font that is easy on the eye. You do not need to pay for a platform in order for your work to be good. You just need to spend the time on the content (writing), and present it well. Marketing and promotion come after you have set the site up. There is also a lot of advice on these things out there. Good luck!

  • Anyone tried this recipe without tahini. Wonder how much of a difference it would make.

  • I left out ALL of the hot sauce and used booth made from notchicken cubes instead. It tastes exactly like fried chicken. Those of you who have Winco, in the bin section is a chicken gravy mix that is totally vegan (yet full of not-so-good stuff). Can be used in the dry mix or for the simmering sauce.

  • Can the seitan be frozen and used later? Before you fry it? I would want to make a bunch then use it once a week for a month.

  • Jordan says:

    Truly amazing. As one of my favorite brands of vegan chicken started to no longer sell anymore, I was looking for a homemade substitute to one of my favorite dishes. This recipe for vegan pop eyes chicken is one of a kind, strong love for spicy food. Also, when shaping the chicken into size, try grabbing a little extra and mashing it into a burger size paddy, great for a tasty spicy burger.

    Do you happen to know what the nutrition facts would be?

  • So 6 cups of broth, with the two cups of vital wheat gluten, I have a big bowl of goop.

  • What are your thoughts on using cashew cream instead of vegan egg substitute? I’ve seen a few recipes that use the cashew cream and they say it gives a really good crispy coating when frying?

  • I, personally, do not like spicy foods. A dash of hot sauce will probably be overwhelming for me. I am not vegan but I am what you may call “semi-vegetarian” (no meat but I still eat stuff like eggs, cheese, yogurt, etc.) but I have been looking for more vegan recipes. I can’t wait to try this! I plan on having a vegan soul food dinner with vegan fried chicken, vegan mac and cheese, and collards. Thanks for the recipe.

  • In watching the video beginning at 49, you add water and bullion, but nowhere on the recipe is that stated. Can you please clarify? Thanks!

    • you can use water & bouillon to make broth, or simply use broth.

      • I’m not trying to pain a pain in the butt here, but if you actually watch the video beginning at 49, it clearly shows your adding water and bouillon when you are mixing your wet ingredients for the seitan, not for the broth to boil it in, hence the confusion…

        • okay…

          You can use bouillon cubes to make a broth, I prefer this than store bought broth and often don’t have homemade broth on hand. so You can use a broth you have made, or a store-bought, OR you can mix water and bouillon to make broth.

          We are constantly updating our recipes so the video may not reflect the most up to date version of this recipe. In the video I made the less spicy version by subbing 3/4 of the hot sauce with broth (bouillon & water) as outlined in the recipe on the blog.

          Does this clear things up? let me know if you still have questions.

  • Jessica I. says:

    Is it possible to use a flax egg instead of the Vegg?

  • Natasha Haukas says:

    Hi from vego dummie in norway. saw the video in youtube, there you put some water in the seitan but i cant se the water in the receipe. Just the hot sause and tahini. I guess the 6 cups of broth is for the cooking ? How much water did you mix in the seitan ? Would love to try this????????

    • There is no water in the seitan, 1 1/2 cup hot sauce, or for a less spicy version, substitute 3/4 with vegetable broth instead. Let me know if that’s still unclear

  • Christina says:

    I have tried to but my seitan comes up very spongy once i cook in the broth.. any suggestions?

    • It should be somewhat spongy, that’s what helps that batter stick to the seitan. Seitan does take a bit of practice. Don;t worry ! You’ll get it.

      • I had the same problem. I was thinking it was because I need to kneed the dough some more. It was tasty! The texture was just a bit off.

        I also had a ton of extra egg substitute

  • I already made this 5 times and under several months. This is something I would share with the rest of my fsmily and friends saying it is the best vegan chicken I ever tried. I want to make more. This is way better than popeyes and healthier.

  • I’m the video you used something called bouillon but I was black I think. It is at 0:53 but I don’t thrill that’s listed on the ingredients for this recipe on this blog. Please let me know what it was thanks xx

  • What are these like to freeze? I’m on my own, and I doubt I’ll finish off a whole batch of this.
    Love the simple recipe – Thank you!

    • I always freeze the left over seitan and simply use them to make more at a later date 🙂

  • Palkan Sawnani says:

    What is the egg replacer thing in the video. Is there any other alternative ? It looked like mayo

  • Sunny says:

    Thank you for this delicious recipe. Our family are newly vegan and I made this dish this weekend, followed it to a T. Everyone LOVED it! Tastes just like chicken and we had no leftovers. Thank you!!!

  • Sarah H says:

    Candice, do you know any other brands of hot sauce that work really well? I live in Australia and i havent seen this anywhere! ive got the chicken boiling currently, i just temporarily subbed the hot sauce for stock, a little vinegar and some Tabasco sauce and chilli flakes. ive also noticed there is a verrrry strong tahini smell in the dough.

    • EdgyVeg says:

      Hi there! Any cayenne pepper style hot sauce will work. The tahini smell is normal, you need it to create nice and moist “chicken”

  • janet says:

    can you pre make the chicken and then cook the next day?

  • Try cauliflower as a substitute.

  • Sharon Yvonne Worrill says:

    Wow! I canot eat wheat. Substitution sugestion? Thanks for sharing!

    • EdgyVeg says:

      Unfortunately there is no substitution for the seitan meat, as seitan is made only from gluten protein. You can skip this step and try it with whatever gluten free chicken substitute you enjoy, and use GF flour for the breading.

    • Craig says:

      You might try using jack fruit as a substitute to the sextant in this recipe.

    • Actually, I haven’t tried it, but The Happy Herbivore has a gluten free seitan recipe. The ingredients may be a tad harder to source, but worth a try!

      https://happyherbivore.com/2014/03/gluten-free-seitan-recipe/?hc_location=ufi

    • Cook short grain rice and beans. Put rice and beans in blender. Put in cheese cloth (make sure it is a vegan cheese cloth ;-P). Squeeze out moisture. If this mixture is not holding together, try some xanthan gum or similar.

      This won’t be as chewy as seitan, though.

  • I thought the heat was just fine. You might want to get two bottles of the hot sauce as this recipe I think will use all of a single 12 oz bottle. Really great on day two as well!

  • Jameson says:

    These are the best, I love the heat so I added more hot sauce on the side. Yum.

  • I though my eyes were going to pop out of my head. If you like spicy, follow the recipe. Next time I make this I will definately be leaving out the Hot Sauce. Apart from that, they are quite yummy. Even the meat eater boyfriend liked them

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