you can make delicious vegan shredded chicken at home! made with vital wheat gluten, beans, and seasonings it is delicious and nutritious.
the inspiration
I have made so many different types of mock meats. However, something we haven’t done yet is make just a plain vegan shredded chicken. So, I knew it was time we add that to the blog!
This recipe uses seitan as I find it to be super meaty and delicious. It is perfect for this. Don’t let the idea of making seitan feel overwhelming or scary. It is much easier to make than you think and the result is amazing.
the ingredients
- Vital Wheat Gluten: the main ingredient in vegan shredded chicken. It is the protein component found in gluten. It is very protein rich and creates a nice meaty texture.
- Vegetable Broth: we will add some vegetable broth into the seitan base and then use it to boil the seitan. You can either use a bouillon cube in water, homemade vegetable broth, or Better than Bouillon.
- Seasonings: we will need a few seasonings like salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and poultry seasoning. Poultry seasoning is just a blend of seasonings like marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and sage.
- White Beans: the beans help to add texture and create a softer consistency in the seitan. You can also use cannellini beans, great Northern beans, or chickpeas.
- Nutritional Yeast: this helps to add in B vitamins, extra protein, and flavor.
- Bay Leaves: we will use the bay leaves while we boil the seitan to add in flavor.
What is seitan?
Seitan is a vegan mock meat made from wheat gluten, and it’s known for its chewy, meaty texture. It’s been used in Asian cuisines for centuries and is especially popular in vegetarian/vegan cooking. Because it absorbs flavors really well, it works great in stir-fries, sandwiches, and things like tacos.
how to make the vegan shredded chicken
- In a bowl mash the beans into a paste with the back of a fork. It doesn’t need to be fully smooth, a little bit of texture will help create a nice consistency.
- Add in the dry ingredients: seasonings, vital wheat gluten, and nutritional yeast.
- Mix together until clumps form.
- Slowly, add in about ½ cup (120ml) of the vegetable broth until it forms into a dough.
- Knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Until it turns into a ball that when stretched has a striated texture.
- Boil the seitan without a lid for 1 hour. Most of the liquid will have evaporated during the cooking process. It will take a bit for it to start boiling, so just put it on high from the start. Let it start to boil and if you see it is really bubbling too much you can drop it a bit.
- Remove the seitan from the pot and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Use your hands or 2 forks to shred the seitan into pieces.
how to use the shredded vegan chicken
The base of this recipe is rather plain. While it of course has some flavor on its own it would be pretty comparable to eating a rotisserie chicken without a sauce or some gravy.
You can use this in soups and make a delicious vegan chicken noodle soup! You can use it in stir-fries. Add it to the top of salads, in wraps, quesadillas, tacos, burritos, and anywhere else you want.
Another fun idea is to cook this in a bit of a pan sauce and serve it with roasted potatoes and vegetables. Truly, so many ways to enjoy this vegan shredded chicken.
Can I use flour instead of vital wheat gluten?
S0, there are 2 methods for making seitan. One is called washing flour and the other is this way using vital wheat gluten. I have never tried the fl0ur washing method. However, if you are interested to learn more about that you can check out Sam’s, It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken, recipe.
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seitan making tips
For years making seitan really intimidated me. I didn’t try it for a while as I was super nervous how the result was going to be. However, now I really love it.
One thing that I would greatly recommend is if you have a food scale use it. It helps to get more accurate measurements and will give you a better chance of success.
The next thing that usually gets people in trouble is how long should you knead the seitan for. I really only recommend 2 to 3 minutes here. You want to develop the gluten but not over develop it. Unfortunately, both under and over kneading can cause issues. So, set a timer and once you start to see striations when you pull the seitan you are good to go.
Finally, in this recipe we boil the seitan for a while. This allows it to cook, but still keep a meaty and moist texture. When preparing seitan there are all different reasons for steaming vs boiling, so it is important to just follow the recipe as is.
why you’ll love this recipe
If you are a vegan or vegetarian who has been wanting to start making homemade mock meats this is a great place to start. After it is done cooking you can add in anymore spices or seasonings you like to make it work for the dish you are preparing.
We don’t need any equipment like a food processor or blender for this recipe. The prep time is very minimal. It doesn’t require a lot of effort to make something like this that will be similar to real chicken without hurting an animal.
Furthermore, a lot of vegan products seem to be disappearing off the shelves these days. So, I do think it is very important for people to know how to make homemade recipes like this. This high in plant protein and low in fat, carbs, and no cholesterol or trans fats.
vegan shredded chicken faq
Is this recipe allergy friendly?
It does contain gluten, so the recipe is not gluten-free. Otherwise, it is nut and soy free.
How do I store the leftovers?
You can store the vegan shredded chicken in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it if you like.
How do I reheat it?
It will depend on how you are using it. If you are just going to warm it up plain and put it with a little sauce of some sorts, you can warm it in a pan on the stove with the sauce. You can also warm it an in oven or air-fryer. If you are adding it to a dish like a soup or stew you can just add it in there cooked a few minutes prior to the meal being served.
I can’t have gluten, what can I substitute?
Unfortunately, you cannot substitute anything for the vital wheat gluten in this recipe. It is the main ingredient in seitan. However, you can make this Vegan Chicken Strip recipe instead.
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Vegan Shredded Chicken
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup white beans cannellini, great northern beans, chickpeas
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups water
- 3 bay leaves
Instructions
- In a medium or large bowl mash the beans into a paste with the back of a fork. It doesn’t need to be fully smooth, a little bit of texture will help create a nice consistency.
- Add in the dry ingredients: vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, and seasonings (not including bay leaves).
- Mix together until clumps form.
- Slowly, add in ½ cup (120ml) of the vegetable broth until it forms into a dough. I like to do a ¼ cup (60ml) at a time. Mix with a spoon and big pieces of the seitan dough should form.
- Knead for 2 to 3 minutes. Until it turns into a ball that when stretched has a striated texture. If it feels a little dry and the seitan isn’t coming together you may need to add in a few more teaspoons of broth.
- In a medium to large pot bring the water, remaining 2 cups (480ml) of vegetable broth, and bay leaves to a boil. Carefully, add in the seitan. Boil the seitan without a lid for 1 hour.
- Most of the liquid will have evaporated during the cooking process. It will take a bit for it to start boiling, so just put it on high from the start, set your timer for 1 hour and keep an eye on it. Let it start to boil and if you see it is really bubbling too much or you are losing a lot of liquid you can drop it a bit.
- Carefully, Remove the seitan from the pot and allow it to cool for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Use your hands or 2 forks to shred the seitan into pieces. Then, you can use it however you like.
Video
Notes
- Nutrition facts are based on my gram measurements put into Cronometer. Yours may vary, they are to help you get an idea.
- Please do not repost recipes without my permission. Sharing a direct link is always highly encouraged and appreciated.
- For any questions you may have please refer to the FAQ above the recipe card.
Nutrition
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hey there!
Hey, I’m Francesca!
Thank you for checking out my recipe! I am happy to have you here and hope you explore more delicious vegan recipes.
Do you put the entire ball of seitan in the pot to boil or do you tear it into pieces?
entire ball in
I eat soy curls all the time but like everything else, things are getting more and more expensive. I decided to try this for soup and it was great. So easy, so tasty already and I don’t think I kneaded it enough but the spice mix was right on target and once I browned them and put them in the soup, they were the perfect meaty bite! Thank you.
Hi Joe! Yay I am so so glad you enjoyed them. Thank you so much for trying it out and leaving a comment/review!! 🙂
How many servings does this make please? I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Suzy, thanks for bringing to my attention that the blog post didn’t save. I say 4 servings but of course it will depend on how you plan to use it for example in a soup you would probably get more servings out of it.
What if the seitan is not fully submerged in the broth? Should I flip it at some point?
Hi, if you need to add in more liquid to cover it you can
Thank you!
This is my new favorite seitan recipe! I boiled 2 balls at once. So tender, juicy and versatile!
Yay!!!! It really is so great to keep on hand. So glad you enjoyed it!!! <3
I subbed in kidney beans and used whatever seasoning I have on hand. I was a bit worried as I used a stand mixer and didn’t keep an eye on it, so it started breaking apart. I shoved it in a pot anyway and it is great!
I was worried as every other seitan recipe I have seen has said absolutely under no circumstances let the water boil (and and any time I have before it has come out spongy) but somehow this works. Not all the water evaporated, and I flipped the pieces maybe 8 times throughout.
Iusually use chickpea flour to cut the VWG but I think I am a convert. Now I just need to find one of your recipes to use up the huge bg of chickpea flour!
Yay I am so so glad you enjoyed it!!!! Oh yes chickpea flour is amazing. I like to use it in my vegan egg recipes you can check out the vegan omelette and vegan breakfast wrap. I also like to use it for making a breading or coating like in my vegan tofu francese!
Tasty and easy! Recommend reducing salt and adding 1-2 c more broth. I used a stand mixer for just a minute but still over kneaded it. It turned out suitable for my “Butter chick’n curry” recipe anyhow. This one makes it onto my “must make again” list. Thanks!
Glad to hear you enjoyed!