Shredded Vegan Chicken From Instant Potatoes
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Are you on a quest for the perfect plant-based substitute for shredded chicken? Your search ends here! I’ve discovered a secret ingredient that’s a total game-changer: instant potatoes. This recipe for Shredded Vegan Chicken is not only incredibly versatile but also avoids the labor-intensive ‘wash the flour’ technique. It’s perfect for sautéing, marinating, and using in any dish where you’d typically use shredded chicken.
Ingredients Needed To Make Shredded Vegan Chicken
Dry:
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Instant Potato
Liquid:
- Veggie Stock
- Apple Cider Vinegar
- Salt
- MSG (optional)
- Poultry Seasoning
- Onion Powder
- Garlic Powder
How To Make Shredded Vegan Chicken
- Mix Ingredients:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients in one bowl and the dry ingredients in another.
- Combine them, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Knead the mixture thoroughly for several minutes.
- Shape the Dough:
- Form a log with the dough, stretching it into a long noodle-like shape.
- Cut and braid the dough, and then knot it, ensuring the gluten strands are aligned.
- Cooking Process:
- Sear the knotted dough in a hot, oiled pan.
- Simmer in veggie stock for one hour, being careful not to boil.
- Rest Overnight:
- After simmering, let the seitan cool down.
- Store it in the fridge overnight in the stock.
- Final Touches:
- Shred the seitan and prepare it as desired.
Commonly Asked Questions
Can I make this recipe gluten-free?
As vital wheat gluten is a key ingredient, making this recipe gluten-free isn’t feasible. It’s specifically designed to mimic the texture of chicken using gluten.
How long can I store the cooked seitan?
The cooked seitan can be refrigerated for up to a week. You can also freeze it for longer storage.
Is there a substitute for apple cider vinegar?
Lemon juice or white vinegar can be used as substitutes for apple cider vinegar.
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Shredded Vegan Chicken
Ingredients
Dry:
- 1 cup Vital Wheat Gluten
- ¾ cup instant potato
Liquid:
- ¾ cup veggie stock
- 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar - as suggested
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp MSG
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Whisk together your wet ingredients and then pour that into your potato gluten mix. Mix it until it is all incorporated, and then KNEAD for several minutes, pushing down, turning, and folding.
Pro tip here: place a towel under your cutting board to reduce movement while kneading. - If you’ve made seitan before, you’ll immediately notice that this is a very very dry dough, this is important for the next step, so don’t add any liquid.
- Next form your dough into a log and then stretch the log out as much as you can without tearing it so that the gluten strands all end up going the same way. Do this by pulling from the ends of the log like you’re trying to make a really big long noodle.
- Once you’ve made your long log, cut two lines into the dough making him into a little octopus man, and then braid those tentacles tucking in the remaining ends into the dough. I’d say these strands should be about 1 to 3 4ths of an inch each.
- Then stretch your braided dough rope and knot that as many times as you can starting in the middle, again tucking in any remaining strand into the dough. I barely got two knots in this version of the recipe. If you double the recipe, your dough will be longer and have more room for knotting.
- The braiding and knots will continue to stretch the gluten while it sits until it is fully cooked. The cooking in the next step will stop the strands from forming.
- Next, to a hot and generously oiled pan, sear your little knotted octopus dough boy on each side.
- Once the sear is complete complete SIMMER IN VEGGIE STOCK FOR ONE HOUR. The searing will stop it from becoming a bulbous blob during the simmer.
- Don’t boil the dough! If you boil, IT WILL likely TURN BREADY and we’re not making bread. So keep a close eye on the water and make sure that it is as close to a nice lazy simmer as possible. For me and my electric range, this is usually somewhere around the 2 and a half to 3 number on my dial.
- So after simmering, remove the pot from the heat and once cooled let the seitan sit overnight in stock, in a container in the fridge.
- Shred, sauté, marinate, and enjoy in any dish that calls for shredded chicken.
