The Quickest & Easiest Seitan Recipe! (Vegan Chicken!) (2024)

Aug 4, 2021

5 from 358 votes

| 353 Comments

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Just 20 minutes to make, and only 7 ingredients, this is by far the quickest and easiest seitan recipe ever!! This vegan chicken alternative is simple to whip up and perfect to add to any meal. Crispy crunchy on the outside, and tender chewy in the middle. The perfect meaty texture to amp up any vegan meal! If you are new to making seitan this is the perfect recipe for beginners to try.

FEATURED COMMENT:

Okay, I never leave comments, BUT THIS recipe is so good! I’ve only been vegan a year and wanted to start learning how to make my own vegan meat. This recipe is so easy and it tastes great!!! I was so proud of myself for my first try and I will definitely make this again and again! - Ty Snowden

I came across a video on TikTok by @futurelettuce showing a 15-minute seitan recipe. I had to try it immediately! Unfortunately, even after trying it a few times, I wasn't super happy with the results. The seitan is first fried, and then you cover the pan with a lid for 10 minutes to cook it through. The problem with this is that by covering the seitan after it is fried, it tends to lose the crispy outside due to the steam. Or if you cover it and there isn't much moisture in the pan, then it can run this risk of burning before the seitan is cooked through. And I don't know about you, but soggy burnt vegan chicken just isn't my thing. The end result is spongey and rubbery, and just not super delicious. But I loved the idea of making a quick seitan recipe so I had to play around with different techniques until I came up with my recipe for the quickest and easiest seitan recipe! In my experience, no matter how many techniques I try, steaming seitan is always a must. Boiling seitan makes it have a brainy spongey texture, frying seitan (without first steaming it) makes it rubbery and spongey, baking it makes it dry and rubbery. Steaming seitan, on the other hand, will yield the perfect meaty, juicy, chewy, yet tender seitan every single time. So even though I tried to get away with a one-pot recipe, it just didn't work for this recipe. The key is to first steam the seitan (which takes only 10 minutes) and then pan fry it for that crispy outside. Vegan chicken perfection! The result is seitan that is crispy, juicy, chewy, tender, and absolutely amazing!!!! While I love all of my seitan recipes, (you can see them here), they do tend to take an hour or even longer to prepare. So I have fallen madly in love with this recipe as you just can't beat the speed of this one!

How to make the quickest and easiest seitan recipe:

Add about an inch of water to a pot with a steamer basket and bring to a light boil. In the meantime, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, flour, vegetable broth powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in the water and mix to form a ball of dough. Lightly grease the steamer basket, then tear off bite-sized pieces of the seitan dough and place them in a single layer in the steamer basket. Cover, and steam the seitan for 10 minutes. In the meantime, in a small bowl or a measuring glass, mix together the Thai sweet chili sauce, hoisin, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Set aside. (See notes for other sauce options). When the seitan is done steaming, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or non-stick pan. Use tongs to remove the seitan bites from the steamer basket, and place them into the hot oil in the pan. Be careful as it may splatter. Cook the seitan bites a few minutes per side until they are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the heat and add the sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired and serve hot. When preparing the seitan with the provided sauce recipe I love to serve it over a bed of rice with a side of cooked greens such as broccoli or spinach. Of course when you are using different sauce recipes, you can get as creative as you want! BBQ seitan bites would be great served with vegan potato salad, macaroni salad, or mac and cheese. Yum! For jerk seitan bites, try serving them with rice and peas and coleslaw. If you're using an Italian sauce try tossing them onto pasta. The options are endless! Bon Appetegan! Sam Turnbull.

5 from 358 votes

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The Quickest & Easiest Seitan Recipe!! (Vegan Chicken!)

Just 20 minutes to make, and only 7 ingredients, this is by far the quickest and easiest seitan recipe ever!! This vegan chicken alternative is simple to whip up and perfect to add to any meal. Crispy crunchy on the outside, and tender chewy in the middle. The perfect meaty texture to amp up any vegan meal! If you are new to making seitan this is the perfect recipe for beginners to try.

Inspired by @futurelettuce

Prep: 5 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
Total: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

For the seitan:

▢ ¾ cup vital wheat gluten
▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour
▢ 1 teaspoon vegetable broth powder
▢ ½ teaspoon onion powder
▢ ½ teaspoon garlic powder
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
▢ ⅔ cup water

For the sauce (optional, see notes for other sauce ideas):

▢ 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
▢ 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
▢ 2 tablespoons soy sauce
▢ 2 tablespoons water
▢ 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
▢ ½ teaspoon sesame oil
▢ 2 tablespoons light oil for frying, (such as canola or vegetable)
▢ 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, for garnish
▢ 1 small handful chopped green onions or chopped chives, for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add about an inch of water to a pot with a steamer basket and bring to a light boil.
In the meantime, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, flour, vegetable broth powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in the water and mix to form a ball of dough. Lightly grease the steamer basket, then tear off bite-sized pieces of the seitan dough and place them in a single layer in the steamer basket. Cover, and steam the seitan for 10 minutes.
In the meantime, in a small bowl or a measuring glass, mix together the Thai sweet chili sauce, hoisin, soy sauce, water, rice vinegar, and sesame oil. Set aside. (See notes for other sauce options).
When the seitan is done steaming, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or non-stick pan. Use tongs to remove the seitan bites from the steamer basket, and place them into the hot oil in the pan. Be careful as it may splatter. Cook the seitan bites a few minutes per side until they are golden brown and crispy.
Remove from the heat and add the sauce and toss to coat. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if desired and serve hot.
Learn how to master the art of making seitan in my new cooking course Seitan School! Click here to learn more and enroll.

Notes

Sauce options: the sauce recipe I provided is just one idea. You could sauce this seitan anyway you like! Just fry the seitan in oil, then stir in your favourite sauce. Any of my 12 seitan marinades would work great as a sauce!

Oil-free:I love how crispy the seitan gets by frying it in oil, but if you prefer oil-free, try frying it in a dry non-stick pan, grilling it, or tossing it in your air fryer.

Make-Ahead: you can prepare this seitan completely, let it cool, and then store in an air-tight in the fridge for 3 - 5 days. The seitan will be chewier when cold. Alternatively, you could allow the seitan to cool after steaming (but before frying) and store the steamed seitan in the fridge, then you can fry it fresh.

Freezing: seitan freezes wonderfully, allow the seitan to cool after steaming (but before frying) and store in an air-tight container in the freezer.

Vital wheat glutenis essential to this recipe, and there is no substitute. Therefore this recipe cannot be made gluten-free. For a vegan gluten-free chicken inspired recipe try myBaked Tofu Bitesrecipe.

Steaming tips: you need to steam the seitan bites before using them. I recommend getting a steamer potif you plan to make seitan often, or you can use aDIY methodif you do not have a steamer.

Cleaning tips:vital wheat gluten is very sticky and can destroy dish brushes and cloths. So what I like to do is save old clothes, sheets, or towels that are too shabby to donate, and cut them into rags. I use these rags to clean up after preparing a seitan recipe and discard the rag once finished.

Nutrition

Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Insta and let the world see just how amazing plant-based creations can be!

Author: Sam Turnbull
Cuisine: Chinese
Course: Main Course

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Rain says
March 19, 2024 at 9:04 am
This is so genius - turned out awesome. Wondering, would adding a tablespoon or two of some fat (olive oil etc) to the dough, while kneading, make a textural difference to mouthfeel - one way or the other? If so, how should I incorporate it?
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  March 21, 2024 at 3:43 pm
  So happy you love the recipe Rain! I haven't tested it with that, but you could try it. A lot of the fat would melt out when you steam it, but the remaining would make it a bit fattier. If you give it a try let us know how it goes!
  Reply
  - Rain says
    March 21, 2024 at 11:37 pm
    Valid point Sam - best I stick with your recipe. Thanks heaps. 🙂
SS says
March 04, 2024 at 6:39 pm

I never comment... This was unbelievably easy to make. The texture is absolutely amazing.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  March 09, 2024 at 3:34 pm
  Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!
  Reply
Heather Smith Thomassen says
March 02, 2024 at 4:44 pm
I’m OK with gluten but I’m wheat intolerant. I usually substitute all purpose flour with spelt flour quite successfully but Is there anything I can use in place of ‘vital wheat flour’?
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  March 04, 2024 at 9:56 am
  Hi Heather - sadly, there is no gluten free substitute in making seitan.
  Reply
  - Heather Smith Thomassen says
    March 04, 2024 at 11:43 am
    Im fine with gluten - just not wheat. Is there a wheat free substitute for 'vital wheat flour', please?
  - Jess @ IDTLC Support says
    March 09, 2024 at 3:33 pm
    Sadly, not that we're aware of.
Joseph Dinan says
March 02, 2024 at 4:34 pm

Thanks, Sam, for your very delicious recipe for vegan chik'n bites. Mine, like Roo's, seemed a bit underdone in the center. Then, I remembered that real chicken "drummies" had a similar bite and feel. I like this better than my previous attempts at seitan sausages.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  March 04, 2024 at 9:57 am
  We're delighted you enjoyed this!
  Reply
Catherine says
February 26, 2024 at 4:48 pm

I have been experimenting with different methods for making seitan, and your recipe has been the best I have found. I think that several things made a big difference. Seasoning the seitan dough itself before cooking rather than just the poaching liquid -- I used Better than Bouillon's No-chicken Base (1 tsp) in addition to the onion and garlic powder. Making the dough fairly soft by adding a bit more water to get a softer springier stretchier dough texture. Not kneading too much keeps it from becoming tough from developing the gluten (thank you for that tip!). Steaming, rather than poaching it. Using small pieces rather than one large chunk so it cooked faster (and thus more tender). Steaming first, then frying, rather than the reverse. Frying over medium heat rather than high (wok) temperature. Seitan burns easily and even just a dark brown crust tastes really bad. Thank you for all your work in developing this recipe. It is delicious!
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  March 04, 2024 at 9:56 am
  That's so kind of you to say and thanks for sharing your tips!
  Reply
Jim Tharp says
February 25, 2024 at 3:48 pm

Wow, I am shocked at how easy and good this is! I think I've shied away from making it in the past because it looked too easy to be good. I have recently been doing washed flour recipes and having limited success. I have tried lots of recipes that are much more complicated with limited success. Every once in a while I get lucky, buy usually not. I'm very happy to have this and thank you so much. I thought the texture was awesome. The only thing I added was some hot spice only because I thrive on it.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  March 04, 2024 at 9:55 am
  We're so happy to hear it!
  See Also
  10 Best Vitamix Soup Recipes
  Reply
- Melanie says
  March 23, 2024 at 10:51 pm
  
  My second time making this recipe I nailed it. The key for me this time was pinching off smaller pieces so each one cooked more thoroughly. Once my seitan had steamed, I tossed with about 1T vegan butter until all pieces were coated and I dumped the lot into my air fryer for 5 minutes @ 375. I gave them a turn and finished with 4 more minutes and they came out perfect with crispy edges.
  Reply
  - Jess @ IDTLC Support says
    March 26, 2024 at 10:22 pm
    Sounds terrific! Thanks for sharing your tips!
Ren says
February 23, 2024 at 11:00 pm

Thanks for sharing this super easy, straight forward, and most importantly tasty recipe! I just started messing around with seitan after being anxious about it, and this was the perfect intro to making seitan.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  March 04, 2024 at 9:55 am
  That's amazing!
  Reply
Coulinjo says
February 10, 2024 at 2:00 am

I'm making it for the second time. I love this recipe and the clear instructions. Perfect!
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  February 12, 2024 at 9:47 pm
  Wonderful!
  Reply
Eva says
January 25, 2024 at 8:10 pm
Delicious! I had to make 2 batches of seitan!
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  January 29, 2024 at 10:28 pm
  Yay! We're happy to hear it!
  Reply
  - Ben says
    January 29, 2024 at 11:57 pm
    In order to get the 9th essential amino acid for complete protein which Vital Wheat Gluten lacks, Lysine, I’ve heard that seitan recipes should include nutritional yeast which does contain lysine. Any knowledge if that’s true?
  - Sam Turnbull says
    February 01, 2024 at 9:37 am
    To quote healthline "Like all plant foods, seitan contains some amount of all nine essential amino acids. However, basic seitan may contain only a small amount of lysine ( 4 ). That just means it's important to make sure you're getting other sources of lysine in your diet, such as beans, soy milk, tempeh, quinoa, and lentils ( 4 )." You could use a program like cronometer to calculate the exact amounts in a recipe. I hope that helps!
Tamara says
January 25, 2024 at 5:21 pm

Taste tested a few fried pieces. So easy and so good! I doubled the batch. Used Vegeta for the veggie seasoning. Steamed as directed, cooled, and will freeze prior to cooking further. Thanks Sam for making it so simple and delicious.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  January 29, 2024 at 10:28 pm
  Wonderful!
  Reply
- Susan Roman says
  February 25, 2024 at 6:06 pm
  Have you thawed your frozen seitan? My husband and I were just wondering aloud if this would freeze well.
  Reply
Lily says
January 23, 2024 at 10:02 am
Hi, I'm excited to try your recipe, it sounds good and pretty straightforward. Just one question though, how did you generate the nutrition facts values at the end of your post? (I mean the "carbs: 10g, protein: 18g, fat: 1g" etc)
Reply
Pat cavallaro says
January 21, 2024 at 12:30 pm
thought I'd share this clean-up info:
yes, seitan dough is very sticky, but if you run your irty bowls under very cold water, the dough stiffens & a good amount can be scraped off & thrown into waste bins. There will still be some stubborn residue, but clean-up will be so much easier & less messy.
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  January 22, 2024 at 10:33 pm
  Thanks for sharing your tips!
  Reply
Kathy says
January 19, 2024 at 10:48 pm
Can you use whole wheat flour instead of all purpose flour?
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  January 23, 2024 at 10:56 am
  Yes that should work fine. Enjoy!
  Reply
Pam says
January 08, 2024 at 7:44 pm
I just tried this recipe today and I can't believe HOW EASY it was. I didn't have any Thai sweet chili sauce, but I did have the remaining ingredients so I just made the sauce with what I had on hand and it was still delicious. I am already imagining other ways to use the seitan from this easy recipe. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  January 09, 2024 at 10:13 pm
  We are delighted to hear it!
  Reply
Victoria says
January 07, 2024 at 1:23 am
just made this and was all good. except, the end result was a bit too chewy. any suggestions to make it less chewy? I'm loving your work here on this site though
Reply
Dewi says
January 04, 2024 at 8:55 am

Great quick recipe - I find these air fry well too on max crisp or otherwise.
Cleaning hack - rather than use an old cloth or rag - I have found a used tea bag works, and saves the waste as would otherwise be going in the bin.
Reply
- Jamie says
  January 16, 2024 at 4:50 pm
  
  I've always been hesitant to make seitan because everyone always talks about how hard it is This was so easy! And the outcome was delicious. Thanks so much!
  Where does the one gram of trans fat come from, though, and can it be eliminated or subbed?
  Reply
  - Sam Turnbull says
    January 18, 2024 at 10:23 am
    I just calculated the nutrition again and this time it had no trans fat so it must have been a typo!
  - Jamie says
    January 18, 2024 at 10:43 am
    Thank you so much. That means I can make it all the time - and will!
Roo says
December 15, 2023 at 7:36 pm
Hi, made this tonight, steamed for probably 12 mins, pan fried in oil till crispy, they didn't seem quite cooked through but added a Rogan Josh sauce and cooked for about 10-15 mins. Although the flavour is great they still don't seem cooked inside properly Not sure if I've under/ over cooked them or I just don't like the texture Any ideas please?
Reply
- Tyler says
  March 10, 2024 at 4:35 pm
  Mine turned out the same way. Did you find a solution that seemed to get rid of that chewy texture?
  Reply
  - Roo says
    March 15, 2024 at 5:35 am
    Hi Tyler, I've not tried again, although I saw a YouTuber adding different percentages of nutritional yeast and in his opinion adding 25% worked best. I'll probably be trying it over the weekend. I'm not sure if I can mention his name or add a link here. If someone could let me know if that's acceptable I'll post it.
Julia says
December 14, 2023 at 8:52 pm

This recipe was so quick and easy - and tasty! Great texture on the seitan. My meat-eater husband loved it in the stir fry we made. Thank you for another wonderful recipe!
Reply
- Jess @ IDTLC Support says
  December 18, 2023 at 12:36 pm
  We're delighted to hear it!
  Reply
Sara Cunha says
December 09, 2023 at 6:23 am
please can you tell me if I can substitute the all purpose flour by more vital wheat gluten or almond flour? I follow a keto diet and all purpose flour shouldn't be consumed. thank you so much
Reply
- Sam Turnbull says
  December 14, 2023 at 9:50 am
  More vital wheat gluten would make it too tough and chewy, so don't do that, but you could try subbing with the almond flour or garbanzo bean flour.
  Reply
  - Sara Cunha says
    December 15, 2023 at 6:04 am
    Thank you so much Sam! I actually made it replacing the flour with garbanzo flour and my husband absolutely loved it! thank you so much for this recipe! it will be my go-to from now on!

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