Plant-Powered Protein: Homemade Vegan “Chicken”

If you’ve been curious about adding more plant-based protein to your week without relying on heavily processed mock meats, homemade seitan is one of the most rewarding places to start. Made from vital wheat gluten, it’s chewy, hearty, and packs roughly 25 grams of protein per serving, a number that holds its own against most animal proteins. This recipe keeps things simple: a quick stir, a brief knead, and 30 minutes of hands-off steaming. Once cooked, you’ve got a versatile base that keeps for a week in the fridge (or three months in the freezer) and slides effortlessly into stir-fries, sandwiches, curries, and grain bowls.

RECIPE

Homemade Vegan “Chicken”

Prep: 15 minutes | Cook: 30 minutes | Total: 45 minutes | Makes: 6 servings (about 1.5 lbs.)

Ingredients

1½ cups vital wheat gluten

⅓ cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1½ cups vegan “chicken”-flavored or vegetable broth

2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

In a large bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten, flour, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, and salt.

Pour the broth and olive oil into the dry ingredients. Stir until the mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly — about a minute — just until it holds together. The texture will be a little rough, not smooth.

Divide into 6 pieces and gently press each into a cutlet shape. They don’t need to be uniform, just similar in size so they cook evenly.

Wrap each piece in foil. Place in a steamer basket over simmering water and steam for 30 minutes.

Unwrap and use right away: pan-fry in vegan butter, grill, or slice for stir-fries, sandwiches, and bowls.

Notes: Stores up to 1 week in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer (thaw fully before using). The olive oil can be omitted if needed.

Here are the nutrition facts from the original recipe, per serving (recipe makes 6 servings):

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Calories: 193 | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 632mg Potassium: 93mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 207 IU | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg

Adapted from noracooks.com