Y’all, put down your mice and step away from the monitor. You have to go make this recipe for vegan fried chicken. Right now.
Okay, so maybe wait ’til lunch, or ’til you get home from work, or ’til you’re through selling your body to science for the day. But seriously, this has long been one of the most popular recipes on my blog, and for good reason.
Apparently lots of people hate boiled seitan, but I am not one of them. Well, to be fair, I’ve eaten my share of failed boiled seitan: seitan that practically disintegrates in water, seitan that’s undercooked and gummy, seitan that’s just fluffy and flavorless despite the two hours you spent making it. I once bought and cooked my way through a 25lb bulk bag of vital wheat gluten, so I’d say I’ve learned a thing or two about seitan. If you’re ardently opposed to boiling seitan, I still recommend that you try spicing and breading your preferred style of seitan this way. I promise it tastes good.
Remember that this is seitan, not a processed dead-animal analogue, so I’m not inclined to boast that you’re going to fool an obstinate omnivore with these patties (if you turn them into nuggets, though, all bets are off!). I’ve been saying it for years, but most of the enjoyment people get out of eating the corpses of non-human animals can be boiled down to* spices and preparation methods. This recipe is ingredient- and time-intensive, but once fried, it is almost weirdly authentic; it’s savory and juicy inside with crisp, salty breading outside, just like fried chicken … except without all the unbelievable shittiness inherent in, ya know, slaughtering a sentient creature.
Don’t skimp on the vegan Worcestershire sauce; if you must, you can try substituting some (vegan!) steak sauce and marmite. It packs a flavor punch, though, so it’s worth the extra effort to hunt it down or make it yourself.
- 1½ c vital wheat gluten
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp chili powder
- 1 c cold water
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ______
- 5 c water
- 2 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ______
- ⅓ c water
- 3 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 c flour
- ¼ c nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp cornmeal
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1½ tsp cumin
- 1½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- For the seitan, mix together gluten, garlic powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder in a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, mix together water, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Add wet mixture to dry and stir well.
- Knead once or twice to work gluten into a ball.
- Divide into at least 6 parts and shape into rough discs. Don't be afraid to really work and stretch them out thin; this elastic dough doesn't respond to gentle handling, and the discs will thicken substantially as they cook.
- In a large pot, whisk together 5 cups water, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
- Place cutlets in broth, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer cutlets, covered, for 60 minutes, flipping them halfway through.
- In the meantime, assemble the breading. In a wide, shallow bowl, mix together water, mustard and flour until smooth. Set aside.
- In another wide, shallow bowl, mix together flour, nutritional yeast, cornmeal, baking powder, and remaining spices. Set aside.
- When seitan is done, remove from pot and let them drain on a plate.
- Pour a generous ½” peanut oil into a frying pan over medium-high heat. Dip the tip of a wooden skewer into the oil to tell if it's ready; it should bubble steadily, but should not be smoking. If you add your cutlets too early, they’ll just soak up oil!
- Working fast, dredge cutlets in wet breading mixture, followed by dry breading mixture.
- Add two cutlets to the hot oil at a time and fry each side for a couple of minutes until golden.
- Repeat until all cutlets are done, placing them on a cooling rack stood over a plate so excess oil can drip off without making your finished product soggy.
- Serve hot!
*Ha!
79 comments
Kittee-Bee Berns says:
Sep 18, 2012
I shall try this with tofu. Sounds yumpy!
Larrisa says:
Oct 30, 2012
How did it turn out with tofu. Also, please tell me of any adjustments that you may have made b/c of using tofu vs seitan.
Eric says:
Sep 10, 2015
Sounds good. But the Seitan recipe calls for Worcestershire sauce. My wie says that contains snails. Is it vegan, or not?
claryn says:
Sep 13, 2015
Worcestershire sauce does often contain anchovies, which is why I specifically say to use “vegan Worcestershire sauce.” There are companies out there making (specifically) vegan Worcestershire sauce that can be bought in a store, or you can make your own (just google it!). If that sounds like too much of a hassle, and you live somewhere that “steak sauce” is readily available, you can use that instead. As always, be sure to check the ingredients first; all of the “steak sauces” I’ve encountered have been accidentally vegan, but there are apparently some out there that contain anchovies. Hope that helps!
Bookmarks for 19th September 2012 | Lednor.Com says:
Sep 19, 2012
[…] Vegan Fried Chicken | Hell Yeah It’s Vegan! – Y’all, put down your mice and step away from the monitor. You have to go make this recipe for vegan fried chicken. Right now. […]
Elizabeth says:
Sep 23, 2012
looks. amazing. !!!
Kelly says:
Sep 25, 2012
How about if I buy the pre-made Seitan? Still good, you think?
claryn says:
Sep 26, 2012
You can definitely do that and experience the joy of breaded, fried seitan (which is pretty excellent in my book!), but obviously the inner seitan part is going to taste different (and I am obviously partial to the flavors in this recipe). But give it a try and see how you like it!
Larrisa says:
Oct 30, 2012
This sounds delish! I can’t seem to find vital wheat gluten in my bulk food section. My family is newly vegan, so please let me know if the recipe works w/ tofu; as well as the conversion from seitan to tofu. Also, my I replace vital wheat gluten w/ whole wheat flour? I am so excited about making this for dinner tonight. The flavors sound perfect!
claryn says:
Oct 30, 2012
Congrats on going vegan, Larrisa!! That’s awesome.
Vital wheat gluten and flour are unfortunately not interchangeable. Vital wheat gluten is essentially the protein portion of wheat. Dough made with vital wheat gluten is extremely elastic, and you won’t be able to achieve that texture with regular flour.
If you still hope to track down vital wheat gluten at some point, in addition to poking around the Internet, you might also check the baking aisle near the flours/grains, especially if your local store has a natural foods section. You can also call the store and ask if they carry it — although it isn’t a pantry staple like flour, it’s not a bizarre ingredient. It can be a little harder to get your hands on, but I love seitan, so I think it’s worth it!
If you decide to go the tofu route, I would suggest using thick slices of extra-firm tofu and marinating them in the soy sauce and spices that would otherwise have been added to the seitan. Then you can follow the instructions for breading it as written (steps 9-16). You’ll have to be a little more careful when you’re doing this because tofu is more generally fragile than seitan. Good luck!
Akiko says:
Aug 10, 2017
You can make your own seitan from flour, there are plenty of videos on youtube that show you how to do this very simple process. 🙂 It takes quite a bit of flour though, but since flour isn’t that expensive, it’s cheaper to do it that way than buying pre-made seitan or buying bags of vital wheat gluten. But, if doing it by hand isn’t your back, and if you live in the New England area, Ocean State Job Lots sells bags of Vital Wheat Gluten rather cheaply, even cheaper than Market Basket. ^_^ I ended up substituting the Vegan Worcestershire Sauce with Sriracha Sauce because I had forgotten to purchase more Vegan Worcestershire Sauce.. lol. Mmmm, who doesn’t love some Spicy Vegan Fried “Chicken” though?! ^_^
Brenda says:
Apr 5, 2013
I found a small bag in Walmart where they sell flour and yeast.
Ruth Anne says:
Nov 16, 2012
I make seitan a good bit, and we have fried cutlets sometimes that are made almost identically to these. Seitan is seriously yummy!!!! I find if I only let it simmmer in the water 15 or so minutes it still fries up perfectly…just in case someone is in a rush. It is yummy and our omnivore friends love it as well. I would recommend everyone try this…I bet you will really like it!
Mark says:
Nov 27, 2012
Hi. It looks great and I will make. In steps 9 and 10, how much flour goes into each one? Is it the 3 Tbsp in the wet mixture and the 1 c in the dry?
claryn says:
Nov 29, 2012
Yep, exactly! I should split that up more clearly. The wet is: 1/3 c water, 3 Tbsp mustard and 3 Tbsp flour, and the dry is everything listed below that.
sammy says:
Dec 25, 2012
Vital Wheat Gluten can be found in the Walmart food section, close to the flour (used as additive for bread machine baking). Although a bit expensive due to the packaging, it is readily available for small emergencies. On the larger scale, I buy VWG in 50# bags (~$85)from Honeyville http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/vitalwheatgluten50lb.aspx#.UNopUXJfz_I although, you can buy it in smaller portions. We use VWG every day and a 50# bag will last us over a year. We keep it in sealed 5 gal pails. If you sign up on their “coupon club” (mailing list), they will notify you when they have a sale – which can be as much as 20% off you order. On top of that, you pay a flat rate shipping charge ($4.49), no matter how large/small your order. I’ve been a customer for years.
claryn says:
Dec 30, 2012
I loathe Walmart, but I love ordering vital wheat gluten in bulk — it is indeed sooo much cheaper that way. Thanks for sharing, Sammy!
Ruth Anne says:
Dec 30, 2012
We order the gluten online and save…our local health food store is expensive, unfortunately.
Katy says:
Jan 17, 2013
I don’t have cornmeal! Will it work without it?? I have grits! Haha
Ruth Anne says:
Jan 17, 2013
I just use nutritional yeast and spices sometimes with some wheat flour and it works fine:)
claryn says:
Jan 21, 2013
You can substitute some flour for the cornmeal, but obviously the texture will be a little different!
sam says:
Jan 25, 2013
hey i dont have worstechire sauc e and i dont have nutritional yeast can i make it without them?
claryn says:
Jan 26, 2013
You can, but I really recommend using “steak sauce” or marmite or another salty, umami-type flavoring in place of the vegan worcestershire sauce. It’s really key for the “chicken” style flavor!
sam says:
Jan 29, 2013
is mermite vegan and how much mermite should i put in the recipe
sam says:
Jan 29, 2013
btw thank you 🙂
Pamela says:
Feb 2, 2013
I just made this tonight and it turned out so good! The texture is so amazing and the flavors are even better. This is going in my recipe book!
claryn says:
Feb 3, 2013
Awesome! So glad you liked the recipe, Pamela 🙂
sara says:
Apr 3, 2013
do i have to use nutritional yeast
Vegan Vampire says:
Apr 12, 2013
They came out great! Thanks for this recipe!
Avril says:
Apr 14, 2013
Will this still work if we cook them in the oven? They are amazing fried (we made them a few weeks ago) but are wanting a healthier version 🙂
Mandee says:
Jul 23, 2013
All I have to say is, oh goodness! I divided the dough into 8… sometime while it was boiling, well, two pieces merged together and became one. Bigger pot next time most likely! You weren’t kidding about them expanding either! I had pieces that started smaller than the palm of my hand look like full, thick chicken breasts after simmering! lol I made it for dinner, and between the two of us, we only have a mere 2 left 😉 I RARELY eat more than one portion of protein but I couldn’t (we couldn’t) help myself!! AWESOME RECIPE!!!
claryn says:
Jul 28, 2013
Yeah, this stuff is definitely a gluten-and-protein overload! Glad you liked them, Mandy 🙂
ObsessedWithAmazon says:
Jul 24, 2013
This sounds delicious and I am ready to try it. Is there possibly a way to make this for freezing and use later? perhaps boiling and just doing the breading just before frying? or would it freeze well breaded?
claryn says:
Jul 28, 2013
I’ve actually never frozen seitan! I hear it works fine, though it may alter the texture a bit. As you suggest, I think your best bet would be to boil the cutlets ’til they’re fully cooked, then cool, wrap, and freeze them. Then I’d thaw them before breading and frying them, which is really more of a finishing touch. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
vegantester says:
Jul 25, 2013
absolutely delish!
Jenn Bell says:
Aug 7, 2013
I served this as a “Chicken Fried Steak” vegetarian version. I was concerned after I tasted it when it was finished cooking in the broth and it tasted bland, but the batter, breading and frying it saved it. Also covering it with a tasty gravy added more flavor. I used 4 tbsp olive oil, added 4 tbsp of the breading flour mixture, cook them for a few minutes, then slowly added 1 1/2 cups faux chicken broth, and 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and whisked until thickened, served with mashed potatoes. Awesome! thanks for this great recipe.
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Sep 15, 2013
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Linda says:
Oct 10, 2013
I simmer my sietan in my slow cooker on low for 4 hours. Expands and comes out great. I add molasses to the broth that I simmer them in. Love the fried cutlets.
Matt says:
Oct 13, 2013
Thanks for this. I made this yesterday, and it was amazing. I didn’t have spicy mustard on hand so I subbed 2 tbsp. tahini & 1 tbsp. sriracha, and it worked a treat. I did have to add a little more water to thin it out some.
Tara says:
Nov 11, 2013
I have made this recipe twice now, and all I have to say is…DELICIOUS! We all loved it! I ended up dividing the seitan into aprox 20 pieces, and stretched it out before dropping into the broth. It ended up the size of boneless wings, that we then tossed into buffalo wing sauce. Crispy, juicy, and delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe!
ram says:
Nov 11, 2013
I make this about once every ten days with variations, and it is always delicious! I don’t use tahini, but use veggie broth spice, A1, and my usual spices, and it is seriously amazing! I make chunks sometimes too and use A1 and make stir fry that is like terriyaki stir fry.
Oscar says:
Nov 22, 2013
I’ve tried various seitan recipes. This one is by far the best. I couldn’t find vegan Worcestershire sauce so I used equal portions steak sauce and marmite, and it turned out fine. I will definitely be making this again!
claryn says:
Nov 26, 2013
Thanks for the kind words, Oscar! I, too, have made (and enjoyed) this seitan with steak sauce and marmite — I think adding something savory along those lines really makes all the difference.
The Cooking Lady says:
Nov 27, 2013
I have made this and it is delicious. And I am about to make it again. Make it and eat it. You will not regret it.
Veganbaking chic says:
Dec 8, 2013
Woot !!!! I also made this with KfC’s dry mix! packs a whollop….:) get that old fashioned taste…Also for a note: dredge the seitan ( at the stage of dredging for crispy coat) Then add a buttermilk dredge ( vegan of course) then wrap the seitan balls in the buttermilk OK> then wrap in rice wraps slightly softenned then drop in vegan flour ( your choice) then back in buttermilk continue with uor prying recipe woot woot 🙂
Tiffona says:
Mar 13, 2017
When you wrap in rice paper does this give it a crunchier taste?
I love the sound of your recipe and would love to get it more detailed?
Rakshanda Anderson says:
Jan 4, 2014
Thank you so much – I have only just discovered vital wheat gluten and was terrified of using it! However, made amazing sausages yesterday, first time round and terrific! Will definitely try your recipe for fried cutlets – sounds yummy, thanks again
Jodi says:
Feb 22, 2014
I divided the seitan into eight cutlets, followed the recipe to the T, and I am disheartened to report that I found this very bland. I keep going over the ingredients list thinking, “Did I leave something out?” but no, I didn’t. The seitan itself was just so blah. Any flavor this had came from the breading, and even that wasn’t cutting it. I really wanted to love this, to “wow” my Southern boyfriend, but sadly, I didn’t. I must confess it’s making me inordinately sad! Ach! Oy!
claryn says:
Feb 24, 2014
Interesting! I wonder what vegan worcestershire sauce you used, and whether it might’ve been less pungent than what I’ve used. This recipe is loaded with spices and flavorings every step of the way, and I can’t imagine them coming out bland. In any case, sorry to hear they weren’t your thing!
Jodi says:
Feb 24, 2014
I used Annie’s Organics worcestershire sauce.
janice says:
Apr 13, 2014
I am slowly working on becoming vegan, and trying tons of new recipes. I am usually left disappointed, but not this time. This is one great recipe, even my meat loving family devoured these. Thank you so much.
Stephanie says:
Apr 28, 2014
I had very high hopes for this recipe because I had tried the Vegan Sausage recipe and love it. This recipe had a good coating, but the texture of the seitan was too spongy and too wet for my taste. It was my first time with seitan and I don’t think I will try it again. I am glad that others liked it, but for me it is a no.
claryn says:
May 31, 2014
Sorry you didn’t like it, Stephanie! Boiling the dough definitely does produce a different and less firm texture than steaming it does. If you like the texture of steamed seitan sausages, you might also like recipes where the seitan is baked!
Jake and Jill went up the hill | Southern Comfort Friday-Vegan Style says:
May 30, 2014
[…] Vegan Fried Chicken(side note: this site has lots of fun ideas) […]
Cyn says:
Jun 13, 2014
Oh, this was so good! I admit I used a slightly simpler boiled seitan recipe. I really love boiled seitan. But the breading I think was key. It was amazing! I also didn’t have spicy brown mustard so I mixed yellow with a chipotle mustard I had in hand. The whole family loved it and I will be making this again, a lot! Thanks for the recipe!
claryn says:
Jul 10, 2014
Awesome! Glad you approve, Cyn 🙂
Test Kitchen – Vegan Fried Chicken : Blacks Going Vegan! says:
Jul 7, 2014
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Heather says:
Aug 9, 2014
Yup. Incredible. My carnivorous boyfriend loves to too. Didn’t have any cornmeal but it was still awesome.
Ruby says:
Sep 28, 2014
Just finished making these… All I can say is WOW, WOW, WOW… really like ’em. I don’t make eitan too much but this is a notable exception…. OH MY GOSH. I thought as weird as they were to “shape” into “patties” that I had ruined them… but nope, GREAT texture and flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Jimie Gibbon says:
Feb 17, 2015
Just made this awesome recipe,with homemade biscuits n gravy,happily posted pics on FB.my first from scratch vegan fried chicken n i loved it.will definitely be making more to share.
Devonne says:
Mar 29, 2015
i thought it was great but i had a question when you have left overs how do you re cook without it being weird and how long can you keep in the fridge before its not good anymore??????
claryn says:
Mar 29, 2015
Glad you liked them, Devonne! I recommend reheating them in the oven on a metal sheet or pan until heated through. Seitan will generally keep a few days to a week in the fridge.
Christine says:
Apr 2, 2015
Wowie, these sound awesome, as a solo mom with limited time, I can see doing this..if can I make ahead and freeze? Anyone tried this?
ernie presley says:
Jul 15, 2015
Its so awesome
Ivan says:
Jul 30, 2015
I made this and loved it hot. Has anyone eaten it cold, say at a picnic? I need a dish for tomorrow and wondering how it will hold up.
claryn says:
Jul 30, 2015
It depends on what you’re looking for! I’ve definitely eaten these leftovers cold and didn’t mind it, though I prefer them hot and crispy. Because of the moisture in the seitan, the coating will get soft if you refrigerate them. If you already like cold seitan and don’t expect a crispy coating, you should be good to go. You might consider slicing the patties before adding them to a sandwich, because cold seitan is a lot firmer (and a bit more rubbery) than hot.
Julie says:
Aug 2, 2015
How vital is the peanut oil for flavor? My son has a peanut allergy and I would need to replace the oil with something else.
claryn says:
Aug 2, 2015
It is definitely not vital! Peanut oil is typically recommended for deep frying because of its high smoke point. It’s kinda expensive, though, in addition to being unfriendly to people with allergies, so you can go ahead and use whatever neutral-flavored oil you have on hand, like corn, canola, soy, etc. Due to the smoke factor, I don’t recommend attempting to deep-fry with olive or coconut oil.
Andy says:
Aug 25, 2015
Can’t wait to try this. It looks amazing! Can anyone suggest an equivalent to the “spicy brown mustard” that can be bought in the UK?
Elvira says:
Sep 13, 2015
I couldn’t believe how nice this turned out. Even my dogs begged for seconds.
Karen says:
Sep 13, 2015
Made this tonight; added a couple bay leaves and some rosemary sprigs to the broth while I simmered the seitan. This was out of this world delicious and went above and beyond my expectations!
Seitan Lover says:
Nov 13, 2015
OMG!!! I’ve been vegetarian since I was a toddler and grew up making seitan from wheat flour and water. It was a long, tiring process but well worth the work. I’m a stickler for making things from scratch but decided I’d give vital wheat gluten a try. That said, these were AMAZING!! I’ve never had seitan this delicious! I was skeptical but when my house smelled like real chicken I knew I was in for a treat. Even my meat eating boyfriend LOVED them and he’s not a huge fan of faux meat. He couldn’t get over how much they looked and tasted like fried chicken. Tonight I’m making them in small nuggets and going to try some as buffalo wings! I never leave reviews but I was so in love I had to! Thank you sooo much for this recipe!!
martina says:
Jul 14, 2016
Can you use a deep fryer???
Caroline says:
Jul 21, 2016
Is nutritional yeast completely necessary? If so, what can I substitute with?
Shiloh says:
Jan 31, 2017
I’ve dabbled with various seitan recipes and I have to say this is probably one of my favorite. The spongier texture works well for the fried chicken (I find baked usually ends up being too dense for my preference) and the flavors are pretty gosh darn on-point! I’m looking forward to adding some serious spiciness next time… Thanks for sharing!
Melanie says:
Feb 5, 2017
Hi! So I made this and the flavor seems spot on but I had some trouble with the texture. I think I had the seitan at a low boil instead of a simmer and it turned into meat jello. The simmering process seems a little tricky (maybe just for my skill or lack of ;)). I was wondering if I could bake the seitan and then dredge and fry it? Have you tried or do you think that would work? Thanks for the recipe! I am sure I will keep working on it.
claryn says:
Feb 7, 2017
Oh man, that sounds awful! I can’t say that’s ever happened to me, but I definitely have had seitan come out softer than it should be, in which case I’ve done exactly what you thought to do and baked it at around 350 degrees F. Although it’s been a while, I remember the texture being different from boiled seitan (chewier, but not in the gummy kind of way), but I always liked it. I’d say it’s worth a shot!
Jason says:
Mar 12, 2017
Fantastic recipe, thanks, tried a few seitan dishes and this is by far the best to date!
Tom says:
Aug 31, 2017
Awesome, I really love this recipe, my friends and family too.
I want to make it more healthy, do you think instead of frying it I can bake it at 450, and watch it? I’m going to try it tonight, thought maybe I could get a quick reply if anyone else has tried baking it with the same wet and breading recipe above.