Can you believe this little blog will be 10 years old this year? To all my new readers — welcome! I have absolutely no new year’s resolutions. Same old me, taking each day as it comes and enjoying every moment. See, nothing new.

Wanna see something that is new?

These Fried Chick’n Burgers are VEGAN!

Behold! The vegan burger dreams are made of. This giant panko-crusted vegan “chicken” fillet (or should I say chicken-less fillet) is the star of the show.

Nestled between the folds of a squishy sesame bun, it’s joined by fresh avocado, lettuce, red onions, tomatoes and a spicy vegan mayo. Limp fast food veggie burgers can step aside, for there’s a new wave of vegan burgers hitting our plates, shops and restaurants. Soy, gluten, pea and bean-based burgers and other meat substitutes are all on the rise and non-meat eaters have more choice than ever.

Say goodbye to grilled mushroom burgers

For me, a grilled mushroom between two buns has never hit the spot but thankfully, there’s so much more out there now. I’m not even sure why grilled ‘shrooms are classed as a burger patty.

Vegan Fried Chick’n Burgers – What you need to know

Now let’s get straight to business. It’s full disclosure time. This is by no means a quick and easy recipe. It’s a labour of love and like with all good things, you must have patience and be prepared to wait. I think a burger this spectacularly juicy, fresh and nutritious is worth said wait. Although, I’ve found that if you break the steps down and tackle one bit at a time, it’s much easier. Making the vegan “chicken” is what takes the most time.

I’m a huge fan of chickwheat which is a high-protein wheat meat made with vital wheat gluten, tofu and white beans. Once a “dough” is made, it’s wrapped in foil, pressure cooked and left to rest. The result is a slab of textured, shreddy chickenless chicken that’s so flavoursome and versatile. I make big batches and freeze it so it’s always on hand for dishes like Vegan Butter Chick’n Curry, stir fries, tacos and Vegan Hariyali “Chicken” Drumsticks.

Big thanks to these guys…

I first heard about Chickwheat via The Seitan Appreciation Group on Facebook and Lacey Siomos of the Avocados and Ales blog. With vegan diets on the rise, seitan and other meat substitutes like this chickwheat are becoming widely recognised these days and vegan or not, I think it’s brilliant for those who’d like a varied choice. You were lucky to get a frozen bean burger when I was growing up in the 90s and 00s. Times are changing for the better when it comes to food options, culinary innovation and an open mindedness towards alternative diets.

As much as I like the convenience of shop bought, there’s nothing better than being able to customise your own flavours by making your own vegan meat subs at home. I order my vital wheat gluten online (Buy Whole Foods Online do a great one if you’re UK based – try Amazon if you’re not) and my chicken-style stock/seasoning of choice is Massel and Schwartz but you can use any. If you’re vegan or are cooking for vegans, read the ingredients to make sure the one you choose is suitable.

What if I don’t have a pressure cooker?

If you don’t have a pressure cooker for making the chicken, you can use a large saucepan with a lid and gently simmer (not boil) for 2 1/2 hours. An instant pot is also a great option – cook on high for 35 minutes. A stand mixer with a dough hook attachment is essential for this recipe. If the dough is not kneaded enough, you’ll end up with more of a spongy texture without the desired “pulled” effect. Knead the dough long and hard and keep an eye on your mixer to ensure it doesn’t wiggle across the countertop — they can shift fast! I wrap it tightly in foil to make sure the chicken doesn’t expand too much during the cooking process. We want it nice and compact.

What if I don’t want to use foil?

You could also use cheesecloth or muslin and string if you’re not keen on using foil, although it is a little messier. Be sure to wrap it tightly for a good shape and to stop the water leaking in. To sum up, It’s the long kneading, tight wrapping and long cooking that gives the chicken its perfect shreddy texture.

The perfect breadcrumbs

Panko are my coating of choice because I like the crunch you get with larger breadcrumb pieces. Switch in regular breadcrumbs if that’s what you have. You’ll need to dust the fillets in plain flour and batter of dairy-free yoghurt and chickpea flour first — this will help the breadcrumbs adhere well. It’s messy but fun and kids will love helping with this part! Feel free to customise the burger toppings to your taste; a slice of melty vegan cheese, wafer-thin pickles and a smidge of mustard or barbecue sauce is also a good idea. I’ve also been known to throw in a few jalapeños for a big chilli kick.

Ingredients you’ll need for these Vegan Fried Chick’n Burgers

• Seitan chicken fillets (try my epic homemade recipe below or use shop bought)
• Burger buns
• Panko breadcrumbs
• Chicken seasoning (I use garlic and chilli) – make sure it’s vegan
• Soy yoghurt
• Chickpea flour
• Oil
• Lettuce
• Avocado
• Red onion
• Tomato
• Hot sauce
• Vegan mayo
• Fries, to serve

How to make Vegan Fried Chick’n Burgers

How to make vegan chick’n for these burgers

Follow the recipe below to make your own vegan chicken (chick’n) at home. Once the cooked seitan is cold and rested, slice it into fillets for your burgers.

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Vegan Seitan Chicken (Chick’n)

Perfectly succulent meat-free chick'n made using tofu and beans. This recipe is worth the effort and makes lots of high-protein seitan chicken for curries, stir fries, burgers and more.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian

Keyword beans, seitan, tofu, vegan

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• Pressure cooker
• High-powered blender

Ingredients

• 300 g extra-firm tofu
• 400 g tin any white beans inc. liquid from tin such as haricot
• 150 g vital wheat gluten
• 150 ml cold water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp white miso paste or MSG optional
• 1 1/2 tsp salt or 1 vegan chicken-style stock cube (such as Massel)
• 3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

Instructions

• In a high-powered blender, combine the tofu, haricot beans in their liquid, miso paste (or msg), salt, nutritional yeast, oil and water until you have a smooth paste.
• Add the vital wheat gluten to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the tofu mixture and mix on a low speed until the two come together in the form of a dough.
• Switch the paddle attachment to a dough hook and mix on a medium/high speed for 10-12 minutes. Stay close by as the mixer may shuffle across the counter top as the dough is tough to work. You’ll also need to be very careful your mixer’s motor doesn’t burn out. This kneading of the dough is crucial in developing the gluten and proteins in the seitan and shouldn’t be skipped. The longer and harder you work it, the more fibrous and chicken-like the final product will be.
• Once your seitan has been kneaded long and hard, remove it from the mixer and cut it in half. Wrap each “loaf” very tightly in 3-4 layers of heavy-duty foil. You want it to be nice and compact inside to stop it expanding inside as this will promote sponginess rather than the shreddable texture we’re after. The multiple layers of foil will also stop water getting inside. 
• Next, fill a pressure cooker with plenty of water (about 3/4 of the way full) and bring to a boil. Carefully drop your seitan into the cooker and put the lid on. Cook on a medium/high heat for 40 minutes. Once the time is up, switch off the heat and leave it to cool completely.
• Once cool, remove the seitan parcels from the cooker and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
• Unwrap and check out that amazing texture when you pull it apart. Your seitan is now ready to use in your favourite vegan chicken recipe.

Notes

• I wouldn’t recommend making this recipe by hand as your arms might threaten to fall off. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger would struggle, seriously. Having said this, you can create seitan kneading by hand – it will not however, have a shreddable, “pulled” quality and you’ll finish up with a spongy end product instead. It’ll still taste good but probably won’t fool your meat-eating friends.
• If freezing the seitan chick’n, keep it in an airtight container and use within 3 months.

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Vegan Fried Chick’n Burgers

Vegan Fried Chick'n Burgers: The veggie burger dreams are made of. A giant “chicken” fillet inside a squishy bun, with avocado, lettuce & spicy vegan mayo.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword barbecue, burger, party food, seitan, tofu, vegan

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the crispy coating:

• 200 g panko breadcrumbs
• 2 tsp chicken seasoning (I use garlic, chilli and thyme)
• 100 g dairy-free yoghurt
• 2 tbsp chickpea flour
• 1.5 L Oil to deep fry I use sunflower oil

For the burgers:

• 4 burger buns
• 100 g fresh gem or iceberg lettuce shredded
• 1 ripe avocado sliced
• ½ red onion peeled and cut into rings
• 1 ripe vine tomato thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp hot sauce I use Frank's
• 4 tbsp vegan mayo I use Hellman's

Instructions

For the crispy chick'n fillets:

• Cut the chicken-style seitan into four fillets the size of your burger bun. Save any offcuts for another recipe (it freezes really well).
• Whisk together the dairy-free yoghurt (I use soy yoghurt) with the chicken seasoning and chickpea flour. Coat all the fillets well and then roll each one in the panko breadcrumbs. Arrange on a tray and place the tray into the freezer for 5 minutes.
• Cut the chicken-style seitan into four fillets the size of your burger bun.
• Remove the fillets from the freezer and carefully deep fry, two at a time for 2-3 minutes until golden and crispy all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

To build the burgers:

• In a small bowl, mix together the hot sauce and vegan mayo.
• Slice the burger buns and spread the spicy mayo inside. Add lettuce, chick'n fillets, onions, tomatoes and avocado. You can also add a slice of vegan cheese if you like.
• Serve immediately with crispy French fries.

Notes

• To make ahead, simply freeze the breadcrumbed fillets in an airtight container and fry or bake before serving. Always cook from frozen.
• You can bake the burgers but they won’t be as crispy as the fried version. Spray with cooking oil and bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes. The frozen fillets will take 35 minutes if cooking from frozen.

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“Hariyali” refers to the beautiful shamrock green colour of the marinade. My recipe puts a glut of coriander and mint to good use and the tandoori-style drumsticks pair perfectly with salad and freshly-made Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha and chapattis.

Even though the marinade is packed full of big, punchy flavours, the spicing is simple using lots of ginger, chillies and garlic. Cashews and coconut yoghurt give the super green marinade body so that it clings on the the “chicken” drumsticks with ease. Both vegetarians and meat eaters will be able to dig in to these party-ready vegan drumsticks so they’re a great option for big gatherings.

I like to keep batches of vegan seitan chicken in the freezer. I make shreds, pieces, loaves and drumsticks so I can quickly whip some out and marinate them or pop them straight into curries, stir fries and noodles.

Traditionally, Hariyali Chicken is a mouth-watering appetiser which is popular in Northern India and is best enjoyed with red onions or kachumber (a mix of red onions and tomatoes) and chutneys. I like to top them with a handful of juicy pomegranate seeds for a burst of freshness.

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Vegan Hariyali “Chicken” Drumsticks

Hariyali refers to the beautiful shamrock green colour of the marinade. My recipe puts a glut of coriander and mint to good use and the tandoori-style drumsticks pair perfectly with salad and freshly-made Indian flatbreads like naan, paratha and chapattis.

Course Appetizer

Cuisine Indian

Keyword marinade, seitan, vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the vegan “chicken drumsticks”:

• 300 g extra-firm tofu drained
• 1 400 g tin haricot beans inc. the liquid from the tin (you can also use any other white beans, such as cannellini beans or butter beans)
• 150 g vital wheat gluten I buy mine on Amazon
• 150 ml cold water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp white miso paste
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

You will also need:

• 10 flat wooden lollipop sticks
• Kitchen foil

For the hariyali paste:

• 120 g fresh coriander
• 50 g fresh mint
• 2 thin green chillies
• 3 tbsp coconut yoghurt
• 8-10 cashews
• 1- inch piece ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp sunflower oil
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp agave nectar

Instructions

• In a blender, combine the tofu, haricot beans in their liquid, miso paste, soy sauce, salt, nutritional yeast, oil and water until you have a smooth paste.
• Add the vital wheat gluten to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the tofu mixture and mix on a low speed until the two come together in the form of a dough.
• Switch the paddle attachment to a dough hook and mix on a medium/high speed for 10-12 minutes. Stay close by as the mixer may shuffle across the counter top as the dough is tough to work. You’ll also need to be very careful your mixer’s motor doesn’t burn out. This kneading of the dough is crucial in developing the gluten and proteins in the seitan and shouldn’t be skipped. The longer and harder you work it, the more fibrous and chicken-like the final product will be. I wouldn’t recommend doing it by hand as your arms might threaten to fall off. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger would struggle, seriously. Having said this, you can create seitan kneading by hand - it will not however, have a shreddable, “pulled” quality and you’ll finish up with a spongy end product instead. It’ll still taste good but probably won’t fool your meat-eating friends.
• Once your seitan has been kneaded long and hard, remove it from the mixer and divide it into 10 equal pieces. Wrap each piece around a wooden lollipop stick into a drumstick-like shape. Next, wrap each “drumstick” very tightly in 2-3 layers of heavy-duty foil, trying to maintain the shape as well as possible. You want it to be nice and compact inside to stop it expanding inside as this will promote sponginess rather than the shreddable texture we’re after. The multiple layers of foil will also stop water getting inside.
• Next, fill a pressure cooker with plenty of water (about 3/4 of the way fuland bring to a boil. Carefully drop your drumsticks into the cooker and put the lid on. Cook on a medium/high heat for 45 minutes. Once the time is up, switch off the heat and leave it to cool completely. If your pressure cooker is too small to hold all 10 drumsticks, you'll need to cook them in two batches. In any case, keep the cooking time the same.
• Once cool, remove the seitan drumsticks from the cooker and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
• Unwrap and check out that amazing texture when you pull it apart. Your seitan is now ready to marinate.
• To make the marinade, combine all the ingredients except the coconut yoghurt in a blender and blend until completely smooth.
• Transfer to a large bowl and stir the coconut yoghurt in. This will ensure the marinade doesn’t become too runny.
• Add the cold vegan chicken drumsticks and carefully coat each one in the marinade.
• Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. You can also prepare this 24 hours in advance.
• Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Place the vegan chicken drumsticks on the griddle pan and cook each side until you have charred grill marks all over. Serve with red onion rings and scatter with pomegranate seeds and more coriander.

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The secret to perfect Vegan Butter Chick’n Curry

There are multiple components to get right here; the seitan chicken needs to be firm, pullable and flavoursome without being overpowering. The colour should to be light inside, not brown. Next, the sauce. Perfect Butter Chicken sauce is the holy grail of modern North Indian cooking and everyone has their own way of doing it. It’s one of the most popular restaurant dishes around the world because of its subtlety and simplicity. It’s not always easy to find that balance.

How to make Vegan Butter Chick’n Curry extra creamy

I’ve switched the butter in my Vegan Butter Chicken with almond butter which lends a rich, creamy texture to the fresh tomato sauce. Having said this, y could also use cashew butter if you prefer that. A touch of coconut milk mellows out the spices and finishes the dish perfectly. I’d highly recommend using a high-powered blender, such a NutriBullet to blend the sauce.

Sieve the sauce!

For the silkiest sauce possible and a true restaurant-style Butter Chicken finish, pass the sauce through a sieve or food mill to strain away unwanted tomato seeds and skin, as well as any coarse spices. You don’t want rogue spices ruining your heavenly Vegan Butter Chicken experience.

Stockpiling vegan chick’n pieces 101

If like me, you need a Vegan Butter Chicken experience once a week, you can always double up on quantities and stow it away in the freezer to assemble later. For example, I keep seitan pieces in a ziplock-type (for example) bag in the freezer. You can keep it frozen for up to 3 months.

Indeed, you can also freeze sauce portions. The sauce can also be used for other curries, such as butter tofu or mixed veggies. The protein-packed seitan pieces are great in stir fries, salads, pasta, wraps and more.

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Vegan Seitan Chicken (Chick’n)

Perfectly succulent meat-free chick'n made using tofu and beans. This recipe is worth the effort and makes lots of high-protein seitan chicken for curries, stir fries, burgers and more.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Asian

Keyword beans, seitan, tofu, vegan

Prep Time 40 minutes minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Author Sanjana

Equipment

• Pressure cooker
• High-powered blender

Ingredients

• 300 g extra-firm tofu
• 400 g tin any white beans inc. liquid from tin such as haricot
• 150 g vital wheat gluten
• 150 ml cold water
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp white miso paste or MSG optional
• 1 1/2 tsp salt or 1 vegan chicken-style stock cube (such as Massel)
• 3 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil

Instructions

• In a high-powered blender, combine the tofu, haricot beans in their liquid, miso paste (or msg), salt, nutritional yeast, oil and water until you have a smooth paste.
• Add the vital wheat gluten to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the tofu mixture and mix on a low speed until the two come together in the form of a dough.
• Switch the paddle attachment to a dough hook and mix on a medium/high speed for 10-12 minutes. Stay close by as the mixer may shuffle across the counter top as the dough is tough to work. You’ll also need to be very careful your mixer’s motor doesn’t burn out. This kneading of the dough is crucial in developing the gluten and proteins in the seitan and shouldn’t be skipped. The longer and harder you work it, the more fibrous and chicken-like the final product will be.
• Once your seitan has been kneaded long and hard, remove it from the mixer and cut it in half. Wrap each “loaf” very tightly in 3-4 layers of heavy-duty foil. You want it to be nice and compact inside to stop it expanding inside as this will promote sponginess rather than the shreddable texture we’re after. The multiple layers of foil will also stop water getting inside. 
• Next, fill a pressure cooker with plenty of water (about 3/4 of the way full) and bring to a boil. Carefully drop your seitan into the cooker and put the lid on. Cook on a medium/high heat for 40 minutes. Once the time is up, switch off the heat and leave it to cool completely.
• Once cool, remove the seitan parcels from the cooker and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours.
• Unwrap and check out that amazing texture when you pull it apart. Your seitan is now ready to use in your favourite vegan chicken recipe.

Notes

• I wouldn’t recommend making this recipe by hand as your arms might threaten to fall off. Even Arnold Schwarzenegger would struggle, seriously. Having said this, you can create seitan kneading by hand – it will not however, have a shreddable, “pulled” quality and you’ll finish up with a spongy end product instead. It’ll still taste good but probably won’t fool your meat-eating friends.
• If freezing the seitan chick’n, keep it in an airtight container and use within 3 months.

Kudos goes to the brilliant Skye Michael Conroy and The Seitan Appreciation Society on Facebook who are generous enough to share their wonderful passion, tips and recipes. The addition of beans to this recipe was inspired by the Avocados and Ales Chickwheat recipe. Thank you.

Shall we get on with the curry then?

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Vegan Butter Chick’n Curry

Vegan Butter Chick'n Curry: I've veganized one of North India's most famous curries, Butter Chicken. Also known as Murgh Makhani, it's known for having a lusciously-smooth and aromatic sauce laced with mild, fragrant spices. Seitan pieces replace the chicken in this recipe for a high-protein main course that pairs perfectly with roti, laccha paratha or garlic naan.

Course Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Indian

Keyword curry, seitan, vegan

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Author Sanjana

Ingredients

For the seitan chick'n marination

• 1 kg seitan chick'n, cubed recipe above
• 2 tbsp any flavourless oil such as sunflower or vegetable oil
• 1 tsp chilli powder Kashmiri chilli is best
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 2 large cloves garlic crushed
• 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1 tsp ground fennel seeds

For the butter chick'n curry

• 2 tbsp your favourite vegan butter
• 1 large onion chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic chopped
• 2 cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 1/4 tsp kalonji seeds nigella seeds
• 2 hot red chillies chopped
• 1 tbsp concentrated tomato paste
• 400 g fresh tomatoes chopped
• 1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp ground cardamom seeds from 4-5 green cardamom pods
• 1 tbsp smooth almond butter
• 200 ml coconut milk plus more for drizzling on top
• 2 tsp kasoori methi, rubbed between your palms until fine plus more for garnishing
• 1 tbsp light brown sugar or agave
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp fresh coriander chopped

Instructions

To marinate the seitan pieces

• Combine the ingredients for the seitan marinade until smooth. Add the seitan chicken pieces and gently mix until coated. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and carefully add the seitan chicken pieces. Cook until golden on all sides. You might need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan. Place the pieces onto a plate and set aside whilst you make the sauce.

For the butter chick'n curry

• Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan. Add the nigella seeds and chopped onion. Sauté until translucent. Next, add in the ginger, garlic, chillies and tomato paste. Cook for 2 minutes.
• Add in the fresh tomatoes, ground coriander seeds, garam masala, ground cardamom seeds, almond butter, coconut milk, kasoori methi and brown sugar or agave. Give everything a thorough stir and cover with a lid. Cook for 10-15 minutes on a medium heat. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
• Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender and blend until very smooth. Strain the mixture through a sieve, back into the same pan. Season with salt to taste. Switch the heat back on and add the golden seitan chicken pieces. Bring to a gentle boil and simmer for 5 minutes with the lid on. Garnish with fresh coriander, more kasoori methi and a splash of coconut milk, if desired.

Notes

• Keep refrigerated and eat within 48 hours.
• Leftovers can be frozen the day the curry is made. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and ensure the curry is piping hot before serving.

 

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Psst, if you like this, you’ll LOVE these Vegan Crispy Chick’n Burgers.

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