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close up on a large plate filled with golden brown fried vegan chicken pieces
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5 stars (11 ratings)

Vegan Fried Chicken

Enjoy the irresistible crunch from the very best Vegan Fried Chicken! Made from seitan and simple seasonings, these crispy vegan tenders make for a delicious party snack or side.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 505kcal
Author: Nora Taylor

Ingredients

Seitan chicken

Broth for cooking seitan

Buttermilk mixture

Dry mixture

  • 3/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon oregano

For frying

  • heat safe oil, such as vegetable or peanut oil

Instructions

Prepare the seitan chicken

  • In a large bowl, stir together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, cajun seasoning and salt. 
  • Now add the broth and oil to the bowl with the dry ingredients, and stir until the mixture starts to come together.
  • Transfer to a clean surface and knead for a minute or two with your hands until it comes together as a large ball of messy dough. 
  • Break or slice the "chicken" into two halves. Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a medium pot.
  • Place the two pieces of seitan into the broth and simmer, covered, for 25 minutes. Set aside off the heat and remove the seitan, setting it on a cutting board.

Fry the vegan chicken

  • In a medium sized bowl, combine all the ingredients for the buttermilk mixture. This is your wet batter bowl. Whisk until smooth.
  • In another medium sized bowl, add all the ingredients for the dry mixture and stir to combine.
  • Slice the cooked seitan chicken into strips. I like to cut them fairly small or thin for the best texture. They don't all have to be the same size.
  • Dip each piece into the dry ingredient bowl to coat, then coat in the buttermilk mixture,  then coat once more in the dry flour mixture. Designate one hand for the wet and one for dry, this will make things much easier. As you coat the "chicken" pieces, place them on a paper towel lined plate until they are all coated.
  • In a large pot or pan with high sides, bring a few inches of vegetable oil (safe for frying) to 350 degrees F. Use a thermometer for safety!
  • Fry until golden brown on each side, about 3-4 minutes on each side.
  • Serve immediately, perhaps alongside Vegan Mac and Cheese, Vegan Baked Beans, Vegan Buttermilk Biscuits and/or Vegan Coleslaw. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. It's called vegan FRIED chicken for a reason, so I recommend frying for the best possible outcome. However, if you must you can try air frying or baking. Instructions are included in the post above. They won't taste the same though.
  2. For gluten free, don't make the seitan and use extra firm tofu instead, or oyster mushrooms or even cauliflower. And replace the regular flour with gluten free all purpose flour.
  3. For the best flavor, I recommend using Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. Follow the instructions on the container and mix with water to make broth. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6 servings | Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 1628mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 889IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 114mg | Iron: 4mg