Homemade Chicken-Style Seitan

This homemade chicken-style seitan is savory, tender, and versatile enough for skillet meals, casseroles, sandwiches, wraps, salads, and more. Chickpea flour helps create a tender, pleasantly chewy texture, while nutritional yeast, poultry seasoning, and a touch of turmeric give the seitan savory flavor and a warm, chicken-style color.

For years, I relied on store-bought meat substitutes, not realizing how incredibly easy it could be to make meatless proteins at home. There’s something so satisfying about creating a meaty, versatile protein from scratch that actually tastes good, and it’s much cheaper than many of the store-bought versions. Plus, I get to control exactly what goes into it!

There can definitely be a learning curve when it comes to working with plant proteins. I’ve cooked with tofu for more than 15 years, but even I’ve discovered better ways to prepare it recently, thanks in part to techniques and trends I’ve seen on social media.

Seitan, however, was always something I ate at restaurants or occasionally bought pre-packaged at the grocery store. Then, last year, I tried a couple of recipes using homemade seitan and was shocked by how easy it was to make. Now I’m determined to recreate all of my favorite childhood chicken recipes with my own chicken-style seitan!

Ways to Use Homemade Chicken-Style Seitan

Once you have a batch of homemade chicken-style seitan ready to go, you can use it anywhere you would normally use a plant-based chicken substitute. Tear it into pieces for skillet meals, slice it for sandwiches and wraps, toss it into salads, or add it to casseroles and pasta dishes.

Looking for a recipe to try it in? Start with one of these:

• • No Cluck Chicken & Taters – A hearty skillet meal with chicken-style seitan, potatoes, peppers, onions, and savory seasonings.
  • Vegan Santa Fe Chicken Panini – A homemade take on the old Starbucks favorite featuring seasoned chicken-style seitan and plenty of Southwest-inspired flavor.
    
    

    Sandy Lo

    Homemade Chicken-Style Seitan

    Tender, savory homemade chicken-style seitan made with vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour, and simple seasonings. This versatile vegan protein is perfect for skillet meals, sandwiches, wraps, casseroles, salads, and more.

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe

    Prep Time 15 minutes mins

    Cook Time 45 minutes mins

    Resting & Chilling Time 3 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

    Total Time 4 hours hrs 20 minutes mins

    Servings: 6

    Course: Main Course

    Cuisine: American

    1x2x3x

    Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

    Ingredients

      

    1x2x3x?

    • 1½ cups Vital Wheat Gluten
    • ¼ cup Chickpea Flour
    • ⅓ cup Nutritional Yeast
    • 1⅓ cups Vegetable Broth
    • 1 tbsp low-sodium Soy Sauce or Tamari
    • 1 tbsp Neutral Oil
    • 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar
    • 2 tsp Poultry Seasoning see notes
    • 1 tsp Onion Powder
    • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
    • ½ tsp Salt
    • ¼ tsp Black Pepper
    • ⅛ tsp Turmeric

    Equipment

    • Steaming Pot
    • Blender or Food Processor
    • Aluminum Foil

    Method

     

    1. Add the vegetable broth, nutritional yeast, soy sauce or tamari, oil, apple cider vinegar, poultry seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and turmeric to a blender. Blend briefly until smooth and well combined.
       ⅓ cup Nutritional Yeast, 1⅓ cups Vegetable Broth, 1 tbsp low-sodium Soy Sauce or Tamari, 1 tbsp Neutral Oil, 1 tsp Apple Cider Vinegar, 2 tsp Poultry Seasoning, 1 tsp Onion Powder, 1 tsp Garlic Powder, ½ tsp Salt, ¼ tsp Black Pepper, ⅛ tsp Turmeric
    2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the vital wheat gluten and chickpea flour.
       1½ cups Vital Wheat Gluten, ¼ cup Chickpea Flour
    3. Pour the blended mixture into the vital wheat gluten and chickpea flour. Stir with a wooden spoon or sturdy spatula until a shaggy dough forms and the liquid has been absorbed.
    4. Use your hands to gently knead the dough in the bowl for about 2–3 minutes, just until it becomes cohesive and slightly springy. Avoid excessive kneading, which can make the finished seitan overly tough or rubbery.
    5. Allow the dough to rest for 5–10 minutes.
    6. Cut the dough into six pieces and gently flatten each piece into a thick cutlet. The pieces do not need to be perfectly shaped.
    7. Loosely wrap each piece in aluminum foil, leaving a little room for expansion. Avoid wrapping the seitan too tightly.
    8. Place the wrapped pieces in a steamer basket over simmering water. The wrapped seitan packets may overlap or be stacked as needed, as long as there is room for steam to circulate. Cover and steam for 40–45 minutes, checking occasionally to make sure the pot does not run out of water.
    9. Carefully remove the seitan from the steamer and allow it to rest, still wrapped in foil, for about 20 minutes.
    10. Transfer the wrapped seitan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Chilling allows the seitan to firm up and develop its final texture.
    11. Once thoroughly chilled, unwrap the seitan and tear or cut it into bite-size pieces or strips. It can be used immediately in your favorite recipe, but for best flavor and texture, brown it in a skillet or air fry it.

    To Brown the Seitan

    1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the seitan pieces in a single layer and cook for 5–7 minutes, turning occasionally, until golden brown and lightly crisp around the edges. Add your favorite sauce or seasonings as desired.

    To Air Fry the Seitan

    1. Spray cooking spray in the air fryer. Lay seitan pieces in a single layer. Cook seitan at 375° for 5 minutes.

    Notes

    • Do not eat the seitan dough before it has been fully steamed.
    • Avoid over-kneading the dough. A short kneading time helps keep the finished seitan tender rather than overly tough or rubbery.
    • For the best texture, do not skip the chilling period. Refrigerate the steamed seitan for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight, before cutting or tearing it.
    • Tearing the cooked seitan creates more irregular, natural-looking pieces, while cutting it works well for cubes, strips, and other uniform shapes.
    • The flavor is intentionally versatile so the seitan can take on additional seasonings, marinades, and sauces in other recipes.
    • Be careful not to overcook the seitan when browning or air frying it, as prolonged cooking can dry it out.
    • Store cooked seitan in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.
    • Freeze cooled seitan for up to three months. Thaw it in the refrigerator before browning or adding it to a recipe.
    • Seitan is made primarily from wheat gluten and is not suitable for anyone with celiac disease or a wheat or gluten allergy.
    • No poultry seasoning on hand? For the 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning in this recipe, substitute 1 teaspoon dried sage, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ¼ teaspoon dried rosemary, and ¼ teaspoon dried marjoram.

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