The Easiest Homemade Chicken Seitan Recipe (Vegan Chicken)

This easy seitan recipe has no oil needed, with only two main ingredients. It’s a great homemade vegan meat substitute for dishes too!

What is Seitan?

Seitan is a meat-like food made from wheat gluten. It can be used as a meat substitute in vegetarian and vegan recipes, and it’s also high in protein.

It was first developed in China, and the word seitan comes from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese characters for wheat gluten.

What is Vital Wheat Gluten?

Vital wheat gluten is a high-protein product made from the starch portion of the wheat kernel. It’s made by washing away most of the starch from high-gluten wheat flour, leaving behind 90 percent or more protein content.

Vital wheat gluten is also known as gluten flour and wheat gluten meal

Protein and Nutrition in Seitan

Seitan is an excellent source of protein, as it contains all 20 amino acids that are essential for human health. This makes seitan a great vegan protein source. It also contains high amounts of iron, which is important for preventing anemia and improving energy levels.

In addition to being high in protein and iron, seitan is also low in calories — one cup (120 g) of raw seitan contains only 130 calories and 3 grams of fat.

Why you should make this recipe

it’s quick to make

no oil
you can use all whole wheat flour, which is a lot healthier and contains more nutritions
high in protein
vegan
All steaming, no frying or baking
very easy to make, especially compared to other chicken seitan recipes

Suggestions to eat with chicken seitan

stir fries
savory congee or porridge
fried rice

broths

Ingredients

Vital Wheat gluten – the base and main protein source.

Whole wheat flour – you can use whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour for this one. This is to make sure that the seitan doesn’t turn out chewy.

Nutrition yeast – flakes or powder. This is just to add more vitamins and more flavour. Feel free to omit this if you don’t have it and substitute with 2-3 tablespoons of flour.

Seasoning: all optional, but here are some suggestions.

salt

pepper
cayenne pepper
onion and garlic powder

organic no salt seasoning
italian seasoning
soy sauce

Storage

To store, let the chicken seitan cool completely and put them in an airtight container or bag in the fridge for up to one week.

To freeze, spread the cooled chicken seitan on a baking pan and freeze for 5 minutes. Then take them out and transfer the seitan pieces to a freezer-friendly bag in the freezer for up to 3 months.