The Edgy Veg

Best Vegan Chicken

There are so many vegan chicken alternatives out there but if you’re looking for something homemade because you don’t have access to store-bought alternatives, you don’t like all of the artificial additives, you want to save money, or you just want to experiment with making it yourself, this is the recipe for you!

Best Vegan Chicken Recipe

This recipe is almost 10 years in the making. I’ve been vegan for almost a decade and I’ve had lots of vegan chicken in those years. This is the best. This recipe is built off making chicken seitan over and over again (hence why there’s upwards of 15+ different vegan chicken recipes on this site) updating as I learn how seitan works, and get inspired by other vegan bloggers out there. Thanks to Full of Plants, for the technique to create fibers. If you want a more tender chicken, simply knead for only 5ish minutes).

Vital wheat gluten can be a tricky ingredient to work with. It is used in many vegan protein recipes but can sometimes come out with the wrong texture or flavour. Follow this recipe to get the best out of your vital wheat gluten. ** This recipe along with others are constantly being updated as I perfect them**

Related Recipe/Credit: fullofplants.com

Best Vegan Chicken

MEAT-FREE | VEGETARIAN

This recipe is the culmination of all of my favourite aspects of every vegan chicken alternative I’ve ever made. It has tofu, jackfruit, no-chicken bouillon and vital wheat gluten. All of these things make the sum of something amazing.

Vegan Chicken Breast

 

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BEST VEGAN CHICKEN:

KITCHEN EQUIPMENT I USED:

Best Vegan Chicken

5.0 from 10 reviews
Best Vegan Chicken
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This vegan chicken recipe is the culmination of all of my favourite aspects of every vegan chicken alternative I've ever made. It has tofu, jackfruit, no-chicken bouillon, and vital wheat gluten. All of these things make the sum of something amazing.
Author:
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Vegan
Serves: Roughly 4 chicken breasts
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. To a high-speed blender add tofu, no-chicken broth, tahini, sea salt, onion powder, nutritional yeast, poultry seasoning, liquid smoke, and white miso paste. Blend on high until smooth.
  2. Transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and add vital wheat gluten and shredded jackfruit. Using a flat paddle, knead on low speed until it comes together and starts to look like dough, about 3-5 minutes.
  3. Stop and swap out the paddle for a dough hook and knead at a low speed for 15- 20 minutes. The dough will be soft and slightly sticky with a fibrous texture. This is great for shredded chicken. If you want a more tender chicken, simply knead for only 5ish minutes.
  4. Divide in half and shape the halves into an oval “log” and place it in the center of a large square of foil. Roll it tight, twisting up the ends like wrapped candy. Wrap in a second layer of foil and make sure everything is TIGHT. Repeat with the second “log”.
  5. Fill a pressure cooker with 6-8 cups of water, and add both wrapped “logs”.
  6. Cook for 45 minutes under pressure. If you have a smaller pressure cooker, you may have to do this in batches.
  7. Release the pressure and remove the seitan rolls from the cooker and let them cool completely.
  8. (Alternatively, you can steam them for 1 hour, if you do not have access to a pressure cooker.)
  9. Remove the logs from the foil and transfer to a Tupperware container, and allow to sit to allow the fibers to develop further.
  10. Pull the seitan chicken into the chicken breast or bite-size pieces, or shred and use marinades, seasonings, or batter to customize the chicken to any dish.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: Approx 1 breast Calories: 392 Fat: 9.1g Carbohydrates: 17.9g Sugar: 1.9g Sodium: 1503mg Fiber: 9.1g Protein: 53.25g

Vegan Chicken Edgy VegHi! I’m Candice aka The Edgy Veg! I veganize popular food recipes for vegans, plant-based diets, eco-conscious eaters & people who are trying to eat more plants over… y’know animals or by-products of animals. I hope you enjoy this tasty vegan recipe!


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  • Veronica says:

    Seitan, jackfruit and liquid smoke are new ingredients to me which I will have to hunt for. I appreciate the recipe being made available.

  • I don’t own a stand mixer. How can this be made in a food processor? Thanks!

    • the dough might become too dry to blend with a food processor when you combine it with dry ingredients. I would recommend using a spatula to mix in a large bowl instead.

  • Dominika says:

    Hi, is it 1 3/4 cup or 1 cup and 3/4 ? xx

  • Dominika says:

    Is it 3/4 cup of the flour or 1 and 3/4 cup of the flour?

  • Good day lovely…I am wondering if you have prepared this to point of frying and then freeze for later frying without changing any texture? Thank you kindly.

    • EdgyVeg says:

      it’s a bit hard to say… depending on which recipe you are freezing, some vegan substitutes like tofu will change texture after freezing whereas seitan or cauliflower should be okay. Let me know how it goes!

  • Danny MacLean says:

    ‘Vital’ wheat gluten? Vital for what, exactly?! Filler?!

    • EdgyVeg says:

      vital wheat gluten is a flour-like powder that contains nearly all gluten and minimal starch. It’s made by hydrating wheat flour, which activates the gluten protein, and it’s then processed to remove everything but the gluten

  • Nusrat says:

    This is the first shreddable seitan chicken recipe that has actually worked out for me! I was able to get the texture I wanted by kneading it with a dough hook in my food processor for a little over a minute. I cooked it with some taco spices and lime for an awesome taco filling, and threw it in a stir fry and it worked wonderfully for both. It also doesn’t have that gluten taste that almost all gluten recipes I’ve tried have.
    Any suggestions for making a beefy seitan with the same fibrous texture?

  • Lessie Shockley-Harrison says:

    Do you have the steps to making this vegan chicken on video I would like to see it step-by-step if that’s possible🥰

  • Thanks Candice, looks amazing BUT I have no stand mixer or pressure cooker…. soooo how do I make this?

    • You can knead by hand, be prepared for an arm workout and it helps to have someone share the labour. And steam it in a pot with steam basket for 90 minutes or until the texture is firm and it has grown in size

  • Thanks Candice, looks amazing BUT I have no stand mixer or pressure cooker….soooo how do I make this?

  • This is my favourite vegan chicken. It definitely beats most store bought options so I double the recipe and keep servings in my freezer at all times !!

  • This is my favourite vegan chicken. It definitely beats most store bought options so I double the recipe and keep servings in my freezer at all times

  • Callie Shelby says:

    Wow this was so good! I have been looking for the perfect vegan chicken recipe and this one is my favorite! With half of it, I spilt the dough into three sections and braided them, then braided those three braids together. I then used it to make a vegetarian chicken noodle casserole. I’m going to fry up the other half. I was wondering, could I add some apple cider vinegar to cut some of the gluten after taste?

  • Priscilla Flores says:

    Hi! I cannot find jackfruit in Mexico, can I replace it with artichoke? Something else? Thanks!

    Also, can I use your chicken stock in the recipe?

  • TommyB says:

    How long do you let it sit int he Tupperware and does it need to be in the refrigerator while you wait?

    • EdgyVeg says:

      I’d say until they cool (at least 1 hour) but I usually leave it overnight

  • Omg, this delicious chicken recipe will be a staple in my home! Thank you, Candice!

  • Just made this recipe today. Made one big piece and 4 “chicken breasts.” I mixed all in a high speed blender except for the jackfruit. Emptied all in the kitchenaid mixer and put jackfruit in my Blendtec. Just enough to shred it. Added that and the VWG to the Mixer and did as you said down to the wire. I have NEVER had, from any blog, chicken that tasted this good. Tender, fibrous, I fried with KFC spices and added extra heat. Unbelievably delicious. You are the queen of seitan Candice. Just bought your book. This is the ONLY recipe I will use for now on when it comes to chicken style seitan. Deserves more than 5 stars. FANTASTIC!

    • Did you cook them in the pressure cooker as “breasts “? If so, how did you do it? 😊

  • How did you bread them to fry ? Like what did you dip it in and bread it in exactly to get the finished product .

  • Lisa Thomas says:

    Question , in the video you add the jack fruit to the bender with the liquid and tofu. But in the written instructions you add it to the mixer with the gluten and the liquid you processed in the blender. Which is correct?

  • parchment paper might work if you can wrap it tightly

  • This is a really niche Question but do you have any suggestions for substitutes if you needed to omit gluten? I would use it but my stomach is sadly not on board. 😢

  • oliver stanton says:

    do you have to use tin foil ? Is there a way around using it

    • It needs to be wrapped tightly in order to steam properly. I don’t see an alternative to this, sorry

    • Jenbro says:

      If you don’t want your food touching the foil, you can wrap it in parchment paper first, & then the foil. :O)

  • Can’t have wheat gluten

  • This makes the perfect batch to enjoy right away and freeze the rest. One of the best vegan chickens to date! I made mine into nuggets and my kids didn’t know the difference.

  • One serving is 1,503 mg Sodium. No way I would eat it. It does look good though.

    • EdgyVeg says:

      Adjust to your specific wants, I recommend doing what’s best for you and adjusting the recipe accordingly

  • Jeanette Paisley says:

    This recipe makes quite a lot. Can it be frozen?

  • Hi Candice, I’m wondering how this recipe would freeze? It looks wonderful and I’d love to be able to just take some out the freezer and throw in whatever I’m making!

    • EdgyVeg says:

      Freeze before the final cooking step then thaw and cook as normal before serving!

  • Esther Glazer says:

    If you steam chicken logs instead of using a pressure cooker, do you leave off the foil wrap?

  • Candice! this recipe is amazing! I’m using it today to make chicken and waffles for brunch!

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