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Vegan Air Fried Chick'n

3.02 from 91 votes
Inspired by our vegan spicy popcorn chick'n, we created this recipe for air fried chick'n. Made with seitan, this vegan substitute for chicken is made out of vital wheat gluten.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main Course
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

To make the seitan chick'n:
  • 1 cup vital wheat gluten*
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
To simmer the seitan chick'n:
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 cups water
For the flour coating:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tbsp paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tbsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
For air frying
  • Nonstick spray
For the chipotle mayo dip:
  • 1/2 cup vegenaise
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1 tbsp adobo sauce

Method
 

Make the seitan chick'n:
  1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, and spices.
  2. Add the veggie broth and soy sauce to the mixture and stir to combine.
  3. Knead the mixture for ~3 minutes. It will form into a stretchy dough.
  4. Break off small pieces of dough (~1-2 tbsp each) to form your chick'n pieces. Keep in mind that these will expand before frying. Set aside.
Simmer the seitan chick'n:
  1. Add the broth and water to a large pot over high heat.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil.
  3. Place your chick'n pieces into the boiling mixture.
  4. Turn the heat to low and place a lid on the pot. Let simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the pieces have approximately doubled in size.
Air fry the seitan chick'n:
  1. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour and spices for the flour coating.
  2. For each piece of chick'n, remove it from the broth, coat in the flour mixture, and place it in the air fryer. Spray the pieces with nonstick spray. Fry at 375°F for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through and spraying the other side with nonstick spray.
Make the chipotle mayo dip:
  1. If making the chipotle mayo dip to serve the popcorn chick'n with, blend vegenaise, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and adobo sauce in a food processor (or blender) until fully combined.
Serve
  1. Serve the chick'n with the chipotle mayo dip or your favorite dipping sauce!