Vegan Fried "Chicken" With Seitan

Written by
Jolinda Hackett
Jolinda Hackett has written five books about plant-based cooking and has developed hundreds of vegan and vegetarian recipes.
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Jolinda Hackett
Updated 07/09/19
rusvaplauke / Flickr
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
388 Calories
19g Fat
21g Carbs
33g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 388
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 19g 24%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Cholesterol 95mg 32%
Sodium 1929mg 84%
Total Carbohydrate 21g 8%
Dietary Fiber 3g 11%
Protein 33g
Calcium 488mg 38%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This vegan seitan "chicken" dish is deep-fried, so it isn't particularly healthy, though it is cholesterol-free and also very tasty. Deep-fried seitan and a blend of spices create a dish that's surprisingly similar in appearance and taste to fried chicken. If you like southern fried chicken, try seitan made with all the same ingredients, including a spicy batter and a coat of flour for the perfect amount of crispiness. Make sure you have some ketchup or an accompanying condiment or even some vegan cornbread to serve alongside your "fried chicken".

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon salt (or seasoned salt)
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • Optional: 1 dash cayenne pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups flour
  • Optional: 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup mustard
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 pound seitan (or another chicken substitute, cut into 1- to 2-inch square pieces)

Steps to Make It

  1. In a medium to large bowl, mix together the salt, onion powder, garlic powder, flour, black pepper, cayenne, and nutritional yeast.

  2. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the mustard and water. Add 1/3 cup of the flour mixture to the mustard mixture and combine well.

  3. Add baking powder to the flour mixture and combine well.

  4. Coat pieces of seitan or mock chicken with the mustard batter, then coat each piece with the dry flour mixture.

  5. Fry chunks of "chicken" in the oil on medium-high heat in a large skillet for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown, turning once. Drain on a paper towel and serve with ketchup, ranch dressing, honey mustard, hot sauce, or barbecue sauce.