Seitan "Chicken" (Vegan)
How to make shreddable seitan chicken - this incredible slow cooker vegan chicken-style seitan is shreddable, with a meaty texture and delicious flavour. It is really versatile - use it in place of chicken in all your favourite recipes.
Servings 8 people
Equipment
- food processor
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- one entire 400 g (14 oz) tin of cannellini beans, INCLUDING the liquid
- 3 Tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon white miso paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 200 g (1 + ⅔ cup) vital wheat gluten
- 1 litre hot stock (more if needed)
Instructions
- Tip the whole tin of beans, liquid and all, into a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the oil, lemon juice, miso paste, nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powders, chicken seasoning and salt and blend until smooth.
- Add the vital wheat gluten and blend until it forms a dough.
- Working with about ⅓ rd of the dough at a time, blend the dough for a couple of minutes until it becomes very smooth and stretchy, with a stringy, fibrous looking texture. It should feel tacky but should not stick to your hands. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Take ⅓ rd of the kneaded dough and stretch it into a long rope with your hands. Twist the rope tightly.
- Tie each end into a knot so that it sort of forms one piece. Press it firmly with your hand on the counter top so that it all sticks together. Repeat with the other two pieces of dough.
- Fill a slow cooker with hot stock and add the pieces of seitan in a single layer. There should be enough stock to cover them so you may need to add a bit more depending on the size of your slow cooker.
- Cook for two hours, flipping halfway through. I have mine set to high but this may vary depending on your slow cooker. You want it to stay at a low simmer, not bubble too much and never boil.
- The seitan will expand as it cooks, it is ready when it feels quite firm.
- Allow the seitan to cool enough that you can handle it, then either use your hands or two forks to pull it apart into shreds. It is easier to do this while it is still warm. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- See post above for tips, details and step-by-step photos.
- I highly, highly recommend weighing out the vital wheat gluten using a digital scale rather than using the cup conversion. You will get a far better, more consistent result. Cups are a very innaccurate measuring system and you may end up with dough that is either too wet or too dry.
- Recipe inspired by https://avocadosandales.com/2017/12/17/chickwheat-shreds/ and Crafting Seitan by Skye Michael Conroy.