Makes 2 pounds
Total time: 1 hour || Active time: 10 minutes

This is the easiest vegan simmered seitan, gently flavored with chicken-y stuff so that you can use it in any kind of cuisine. Italian, Thai, Mexican…it goes everywhere. The key is forming them into cutlets with a smooth surface and then, the most important part: simmering, not boiling, so that the seitan forms a skin and cooks through inside. Be patient and you shall be rewarded.

Even though the simmering is precise, everything else is pretty easy. You mix the dough, shape it into cutlets, and let them swim in garlicky broth for about 45 minutes. That’s it. You can slice it up (pictured above), turn it into cutlets (pictured below), mince it, dice it, sear it, fry it. Make a batch on Sunday and you’re set for the week.

If you’ve ever been disappointed by rubbery, bland homemade seitan, this recipe is here to fix that. The chickpea flour and nutritional yeast keep things tender, the soy sauce and sage give it that savory depth, and simmering low and slow in broth is the secret to a texture that people love.

A few recipe to use seitan in:

Seitan Piccata – savory cutlets in lemon caper sauce.

Seitan & Broccoli With BBQ Sauce – an easy stir-fry!

Seitan Negamaki – scallion wrapped rolls with hoisin.

One-Pot Chili Mac With Seitan – like a hamburger helper.

A little backstory: This recipe has been on the internet for over a decade, and the comments section on the original post is basically a love letter from people who’ve been making it for years (plus a few complaints but what are you gonna do). I’ve streamlined it a bit here, but the bones are the same. When a recipe survives that long and still gets rave reviews, you know it works.

EASY CHICKEN-STYLE SIMMERED SEITAN FAQ

What do I do with the leftover broth? Don’t toss it! It’s basically a rich, garlicky stock at this point. Use it to cook rice, quinoa, or lentils. It makes a great base for gravy or soup. You can also freeze it for later.

My seitan came out spongy and weird. What happened? Your broth was probably boiling too hard. This is the number one thing that goes wrong with simmered seitan. You want a gentle simmer…small bubbles lazily rising, not a rolling boil. If the broth starts to pick up speed, just turn it down a notch. Water-logged seitan is called “seitan brains,” and once you see it you’ll understand why. You can still eat it, it just won’t be pretty!

Can I make this in a slow cooker? I haven’t done it myself, but several people in the comments have had great success with 3 hours on high. It takes the guesswork out of monitoring the simmer, which is a nice perk if you tend to wander off and do other things while cooking.

Can I bake it? I’d recommend sticking with simmering for this recipe, people in the comments say they have baked it, but do we trust them?

Can I make this soy free? I haven’t tried it, but here’s an idea: replace the ¼ cup soy sauce with an additional ¼ cup vegetable broth and 1 ½ teaspoons salt. Another idea, for more depth: try an additional ¼ cup vegetable broth and 2 tablespoons chickpea miso instead. Others in the comments reported using coconut aminos. Again, I haven’t tested these but, eh, give it a shot.

Can I use something other than chickpea flour? The chickpea flour is what keeps the seitan tender. If you’re allergic to chickpeas try pea flour. But I wouldn’t leave the second flour out altogether. 

Can I leave out the nutritional yeast? Ok, stop it. 

What broth should I use? For the most chicken-y results, use an unchicken broth like Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian No Chicken Base. You can also use a chicken-style bullion. Any yummy broth works, though. 

Can I freeze this? Yes! Freeze the cutlets submerged in broth in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.

How long does it keep in the fridge? About a week, stored in a tightly covered container submerged in broth. The longer it sits, the more flavor it absorbs.

Easy simmered chicken style seitan

Easy Chicken Style Seitan

Isa Chandra
Tender, savory vegan chicken-style seitan simmered in broth with garlic and bay leaves. Just 10 minutes of active time, endlessly versatile, and keeps in the fridge all week.
5 from 1 vote
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Course Main Course
Servings 2 pounds of seitan

Ingredients
  

For the broth:

  • 8 cups vegetable broth
  • 6 garlic cloves smashed
  • 2 bay leaves

For the seitan:

  • 2 cups vital wheat gluten
  • ¼ cup nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup chickpea flour
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1¼ cups vegetable broth
  • ¼ cup soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Fill a stockpot with the 8 cups vegetable broth, smashed garlic, and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil.
  • While the broth heats, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, chickpea flour, salt, onion powder, and sage in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the 1 ¼ cups broth, soy sauce, and olive oil. Mix with a fork until a dough forms, then knead with your hands for about 3 minutes, until firm and evenly combined.
  • Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. An easy way to do this: divide the dough in half, then divide those halves, then those halves again so you have eight pieces. Stretch each piece into a cutlet, pressing it against the counter to smooth the surface.
  • Once the broth reaches a full boil, lower the heat to a gentle simmer. This part is important: if the broth is at a rolling boil, the seitan can get waterlogged and turn spongy (aka “brains”). Add the pieces of seitan to the pot and partially cover so steam can escape.
  • Simmer for about 45 minutes, turning occasionally and keeping an eye on the heat to maintain a steady, low simmer- not a boil. When the seitan is done, you can let it cool right in the broth or pull some out to use immediately. For storage, keep the cutlets submerged in broth in a tightly covered container.
Keyword Seitan
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