Easy Vegan Chicken Fillets

Why you will love this recipe!

• Makes a delicious and satisfying main dish
• 100% plant-based
• Meaty texture and flavor that vegans and non-vegans will enjoy
• Super easy to make and very versatile
• Perfect for holidays, special occasions, and every day!

Ingredient Notes

🥕See the printable recipe card below for quantities & details

• Vital wheat gluten - this ingredient is truly vital to this dish, as it creates the ideal chewy, meaty texture in making vegan chicken fillets and other meat-substitute dishes (also known as seitan). Unfortunately, for those with gluten allergies, I don't know of any suitable gluten-free alternatives to use successfully in this recipe.
• Tofu - (soft or medium firm) provides additional moisture, texture, and protein to the fillets.
• Nutritional Yeast - provides a wonderful umami flavor.
• Vegetable bouillon - boosts the savory flavor. May be substituted with vegan no-chicken bouillon or poultry seasoning.
• Onion powder - adds a nice aromatic flavor.
• Garlic powder - I use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic because it blends well into the dough.
• Celery salt - I love using celery salt in savory dishes like this one. If you don't have any on hand, no worries, but if you do, use it!
• Salt - I used table salt, but coarse will work too.
• Water - filtered or whatever you prefer to drink
• Olive oil or spray oil - to prevent the vegan chicken fillets from sticking together while steaming.

Instructions

Note: This recipe requires just a few kitchen tools. Some are optional, but two items are necessary to make these seitan chicken fillets - a food processor and a steamer/double boiler.

1. Drain the water from the package of tofu. If the tofu still has a lot of liquid in it, you will need to squeeze out the remaining water in the tofu by sandwiching the block of tofu between two cutting boards and weighting it with heavy cans, letting it drain into the sink or a bowl.

2. You can also use a tofu press. I find it to be a faster and easier method. There are a lot of different presses available online. I use a clamp-style press like the one above for soft or medium tofu and a simple screw-down press for firm tofu.

3. Cut the tofu into pieces and place inside a food processor. Attach cover.

4. Pulse the tofu several times until it is fully mashed and smooth.

5. Add all the remaining ingredients, including water. Cover with lid.

6. Pulse until all the ingredients are fully combined and the seitan has a thick dough-like consistency.

7. Remove the seitan dough from the food processor and place on a clean cutting board. Lightly knead the dough with your hands a few times and form into a ball. (Don't over-knead or your vegan chicken fillets may become tough).

8. Press down to lightly flatten the ball. Use a knife to cut the ball into 6 wedges.

🥕Note:

Now is a good time to begin heating the water in the double boiler. Pour about 3 inches of water into the bottom of the double boiler. Put the steamer basket on top and cover. Place on a stove top over high heat and bring water to a boil.

9. Flatten and shape the wedges into fillet shapes. They should be roughly about ½" thick.

10. Lightly spray or brush a small amount of cooking oil onto one side of the fillets. It will help prevent them from sticking together while they steam.

11. Once the double boiler is steaming, place the fillets into the steamer basket with the oiled sides up. Cover with a lid and set on top of the double boiler. Allow to steam for 15 minutes on the stove over medium-high heat.

12. Using tongs, a flat spatula, or a large fork, gently turn the fillets over and brush lightly with additional oil. Be careful not to burn yourself from the hot steam. Cover and continue steaming another 15 minutes.

13. When the vegan chicken fillets are done steaming, they're ready to be enjoyed! You can eat them just as is, or brown them in a skillet with a bit of non-dairy butter (like I did above). It was so delicious served with a side of mashed potatoes and my homemade mushroom gravy.

Preparation & Serving Tips

This recipe is one of those that you can easily make your own. By adding different seasonings, marinades, sauces, or gravies, you can create dozens of dishes using this simple recipe for vegan chicken fillets, such as:

Vegan chicken tacos

Substitute the jackfruit in this street taco recipe with thin shredded strips of chicken fillets. A side of black beans and this easy Mexican rice would make a festive and zesty complete meal.

Barbecued vegan chicken

Brush the fillets with your favorite barbecue sauce and cook them on a grill. Serve with grilled veggie skewers, corn on the cob and this delicious old-fashioned vegan potato salad.

Veggie stir-fry with teriyaki vegan chicken

Marinate cubed fillets in teriyaki sauce and stir-fry them with sliced carrots, onion, broccoli florets, mushrooms, bok choy, and water chestnuts.

Sweet and sour vegan chicken

Follow the directions for my sweet and sour macadamia tofu, replacing the tofu with vegan chicken fillets.

Vegan chicken wraps or sandwiches

Make a lunch of thinly sliced fillets rolled up in a soft tortilla or between slices of bread with all your favorite fix-ins, like avocado, sprouts, spinach, tomatoes, vegan mayo, our heavenly homemade hummus or vegan tzatziki sauce.