Vegan chicken! Yes, you read that right. As a vegan, I feel obliged to contribute to the ethical treatment of animals by providing more alternative suggestions to healthy eating the vegan way. And in this article, I want to share with you three mouth-watering vegan chicken recipes that have substituted meat products for meat imitations. I will use tofu and seitan for my chicken meat imitations.
Why Meat Imitations?
You may be wondering why we have to use imitations. Well, before I decided to become a vegan, I used to enjoy the great taste of grilled lamb chops and marinated chicken every other week. Sunday roast was my favorite. With time, I came to discover that there are so many products on the market today that can give me that same great taste and appearance of food without subjecting any animal to cruelty. Besides, chicken is the leading among animals that are consumed in large numbers worldwide. Therefore, using a chicken substitute can make a huge difference. Don’t you think so? So let’s get started!
The Vegan Chicken Recipes
Spicy Chicken Tofu Stir-Fry
This easy to make dish is high in protein and low in fat.
Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
- Firm tofu diced (I have explained how to press tofu in detail below) – 200gm.
- The vegetables; feel free to use your favorite.
- One onion chopped.
- One large broccoli chopped.
- One large cauliflower chopped.
- Snow peas – 1 cup.
- One large carrot cubed.
- Three cloves of garlic – crushed.
- Freshly grated ginger – one teaspoon.
- Olive oil – Four tablespoons.
- Cornflour – Two teaspoons.
- White vinegar – Four tablespoons.
- Soy sauce (low salt).
- A pinch of black pepper.
- Red chili pepper flakes.
- Sesame seeds – two tablespoons.
How to Press Your Tofu
A firm moisture free tofu will maintain its original shape even after cooking. To remove excess moisture, sandwich your tofu between two dry paper towels. Place a large bowl on top of the tofu and put a weight, like a fruit or dry cereals inside the bowl. Leave it for half an hour. If your tofu is too moist, you may have to change the paper towels in between the process. Remove the tofu and cut it into half-inch cubes. Your tofu is now ready to be stir-fried.
Procedure
In a large wok under high heat, add the olive oil and swirl the wok to get an even coating. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, add the tofu, black pepper, and the cornflour and coat the tofu evenly.
When the oil is hot enough, add the tofu and toss the wok. This recipe will test your culinary skills. But if you can’t hack it, just use a wooden spoon and avoid pricking or mushing the tofu excessively. The trick is in the heat.
Fry for three minutes or until the tofu browns on both sides. Remove the tofu and set aside. In the same wok, stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and black pepper until they release their natural oils and aroma. Add the tofu back and mix for another minute. Remove and set aside.
Add a little more olive oil and pop the sesame seeds. It’s now time for the vegetables. Add the onions, broccoli, cauliflower, snow peas, and carrots. Stir for a minute. Add the soy sauce and chili flakes for the heat and stir.
When the vegetables are tender, add back the tofu mixture. Cook until heated through.
This dish is best served on a bowl of brown rice.
Homemade Seitan Chicken Curry
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- Precooked seitan diced – 2 cups
- 4 large tomatoes.
- I bulb of red onion.
- Olive oil – 3 teaspoons.
- Freshly squeezed coconut milk – 1 cup.
- Plain soy yogurt (optional) – 1/2 cup.
- The Spices For Marinating:
- Three cloves of garlic – crushed.
- Freshly grated ginger – one teaspoon.
- Turmeric powder – one teaspoon.
- Cumin powder – One teaspoon.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice – 3 tablespoons.
- Garam masala – one teaspoon.
- Salt to taste.
Procedure
To Marinate: Mix all the marinating spices with lemon juice in a large bowl. Add the seitan pieces and stir. Cover the mixture with a kitchen cloth and leave it for 30 minutes. This step is the most important in this recipe, and it will determine the final flavor of the dish.
To prepare the curry: Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Stir fry the garam masala, onions, garlic, and ginger for three minutes or until they become fragrant.
Add the diced tomatoes. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Add the marinated seitan pieces to the simmering curry.
Pour in the soy yogurt and coconut milk and a pinch of salt to taste. You may add more spices at this point if you prefer spicy curries. Leave it to simmer under low heat for ten more minutes. Serve hot with rice or flatbreads.
Deep Fried Vegan Chicken Nuggets
In these chicken nuggets, I use seitan. They have the same great taste and appearance as the real chicken nuggets.
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- Seitan – 500 gms cubed.
- Mustard – 1/2 cup.
- One onion diced.
- Three cloves of garlic – crushed.
- Two cups of self-raising gluten-free flour.
- Black pepper – 1 teaspoon.
- 3/4 cup of water.
- Salt to taste.
Procedure
Mix the black pepper, salt, and flour in a large bowl. Add the onions, and garlic, and set aside.
In another bowl, mix the mustard with water. Add a scoop of the flour mixture to this bowl. Mix to form a thin paste.
Now coat the seitan pieces with this batter. And then dust with flour and do a second coating.
Deep fry the seitan chunks in hot oil until they turn golden brown on both sides.
Alternatively, you can bake them. However, to be honest, the deep fried version tastes way better.
Drain the nuggets using kitchen paper towels and serve.
These nuggets go well with French fries and onion rings.
In Conclusion
Being a vegan doesn’t mean we suddenly forget all the earthly pleasures. As much as we strive to eat healthily, indulge in a few vegan cheats here and there. You never know what you bump into. And these vegan chicken recipes will be a great start for you. The recipes are so tasty that even your non-vegan friends will enjoy. And most importantly, they are an ideal solution to chicken cravings. Feel free to alter the ingredients and vegan chicken substitutes to your liking.