Seitan Recipe

Closeup photo of a white plate, filled with bite-sized pieces of seitan. The plate sit s atop of blue and white kitchen towel.

This easy seitan recipe will teach you how to make the tasty plant-based protein with a few pantry ingredients! Use it in place of meat, chicken, or fish.

Course Meatless Recipes

Cuisine American

Diet Vegan

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Resting Time 20

Total Time 1 30

Servings cups (shredded seitan pieces)

Calories 150kcal

Author Lyza

Equipment

2 Bowls

Ingredients

½ vegan chicken bouillon cube
1 cup water (warm)
1 cup vital wheat gluten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vegan poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
4-6 cups vegetable broth

Instructions

Gather the ingredients. Dissolve the bouillon cube in warm water and set aside to cool slightly.
Combine the vital wheat gluten, flour, poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast, and salt in a medium-sized bowl. Add the vegetable oil to the water where you dissolved the bouillon cube and pour into the dry ingredients.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients to form the dough. If it's a bit dry, add a small amount of water. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes until the shaggy dough looks smoother and fibrous strings form.
Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes, then knead it a few more times. Divide into four. This seitan recipe yields 24 to 48 small "chicken" pieces, 15 if medium-sized, 8 if large, or about 4 cups of pulled/shredded "chicken."

FOR CHICK'N PIECES

Break off pieces of the seitan and shape them into nuggets, wings, etc. Keep in mind that it will double in size once cooked. Then, place the "chicken" pieces in a pot and cover about 2/3 of the seitan with vegetable broth. Bring to a boil.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes. Check halfway through to ensure the liquid isn't boiling. Allow to cool and your chick'n pieces are ready to be used in your favorite meat dishes!

FOR PULLED CHICK'N

Take one piece of the seitan dough and roll it into a rope. Twist until it turns into itself, then tie it in a knot to form a round shape.
Lightly grease a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, brown each side of the dough knot for about 2 to 3 minutes. Place in a pot, cover about 2/3 of the seitan with vegetable broth, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook for 55 minutes. Check halfway through to ensure the liquid isn't boiling.
Allow to cool slightly and shred the seitan like chicken.

Notes

Knead the dough until it's smooth and elastic before letting it rest. Kneading is crucial to distribute the ingredients evenly and develop the gluten proteins to give the seitan its meat-like chewy texture.
If you don't have the time (or patience) to knead the dough by hand, use a bread machine!
For the perfect meaty, tender texture, roll your seitan into a log, wrap it loosely in foil, and steam it using a steamer basket. The steaming time depends on the size of the dough. Once done, let the steamed seitan cool a bit, and it's ready for marinating, grilling, sauteing, or even baking!
To store your simmered seitan, place it in an airtight container and pour the broth on top before you put it in the fridge. This will keep the cooked seitan moist and tasty for 7 to 10 days. You can also store it in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.

Nutrition