Vegan Spicy Chicken Sandwich

Who knew vegan spicy chicken could be so damn delicious? Made with homemade, seitan even meat eaters will love this sandwich.

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This may look like a delicious chicken sandwich but you would be wrong. It’s a freaking delicious seitan sandwich! Yep, I finally took the leap and tried my hand at making my own seitan.

What is seitan?

Seitan is a vegan source of protein made from primarily wheat gluten and water (so not gluten free) and it also a great open for those that cannot eat soy-based products. You can find it in some stores but it is relatively easy to make, but does take a little bit of time.

The sticky dough can be formed into a loaf, or in this case shaped into chicken breasts, then boiled and used as desired in various recipes. I have also used this seitan recipe to make vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches and I really want to try this seitan Mongolian beef or a seitan banh mi next.

But it wasn’t enough to just make the seitan, I had to then bread it, oven-fry it, and turn it into this beautiful as it is tasty sandwich. The inspiration which was taken from a spicy chicken sandwich served at Rockmill Tavern in Columbus, OH.

Just like their spicy chicken sandwich, it is garnished with bread and butter zucchini pickles, spicy urfa aioli (made with vegenaise of course), served with a blob of vegan honey butter on top of the bun. I know that honey is sometimes a debated item for vegans but maybe you could do a maple butter instead? I bet that would be delicious as well!

Speaking of questionable vegan items, technically I goofed and forgot that brioche buns I served these sandwiches on are not vegan. If you are vegan obviously use a different bun, or you can try making your own vegan brioche buns!

And the end result? Fan-freaking-tastic! Seriously look at that thing, would you ever guess it wasn’t a perfectly breaded and fried spicy chicken breast? I will admit it was a process but I would absolutely make them again.

Can I used pre-made seitan?

Absolutely! If you are lucky enough to find seitan-chicken breasts you could easily bread them and assemble into this sandwich. But of course you could do this with any vegan chicken cutlet replacement.

Not a vegan and want to use chicken? I’m not a vegan either but I do like to try plant-based options (still cannot get over these vegan scrambled” eggs” or vegan mac and cheese). But it goes without saying that you can for sure use chicken in this recipe instead if that’s preferable.

One year ago: Sourdough Recipe Roundup

Eight years ago: Review: Classic Snacks Made From Scratch

Nine years ago: Carrot Cake Waffles

Ten years ago: Chocolate Cookies ‘n’ Creme Cookies

VEGAN SPICY CHICKEN SANDWICH

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Yield: 4 servings Cooking Time: 1 Hours 10 MInutes 1 Hours 10 MInutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

SEITAN

• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1/4 cup chickpea flour
• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup water
• 6 cups vegetable broth
• 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp liquid smoke
• 1-1/2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp cayenne powder
• 1/2 cup dairy-free milk
• Chili oil

URFA "MAYO"

• 1/4 cup vegenaise
• 1 tsp urfa pepper flakes*

HONEY-BUTTER

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) vegan butter
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 1/4 tsp salt

SANDWICH

• 4 toasted brioche rolls
• Pickled zucchini
• 4 grilled or roasted small red peppers

Directions

1. In a large bowl whisk together vital wheat gluten, chickpea flour, nutritional yeast, garlic, paprika, and salt. Add water and stir until a ball forms. Transfer to a clean surface and knead for about 5 minutes, or until dough comes together and is elastic. Cut into 4 pieces and form into chicken breast shapes. Let dough rest for 5 minutes.
2. In a large pot, add the broth, vinegar, and liquid smoke. Place over high heat until boiling, then lower to a simmer. Carefully place the seitan into the broth, ensuring it is covered by the broth (if not, transfer to a smaller pot). Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove from pot and let cool enough to touch.
3. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet and spray the rack with cooking spray. Set aside.
4. Add the Panko and oil to a 12-inch skillet, stir frequently and toast the breadcrumbs until they are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the breadcrumbs to a wide, shallow dish and allow to cool briefly. In a second shallow dish, mix the flour, cayenne powder, and season with salt and pepper. Finally, add the dairy-milk to a third dish.
5. Pat the seitan dry. Dip in the flour, then the milk, and finally the Panko mixture. Press the Panko onto the chicken to completely coat. Transfer to the prepared wire rack.
6. Brush the tops of the chicken with chili oil, flip and brush the other side. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes.
7. Assemble sandwich by spreading urfa "mayo" on the bottom bun, place one piece of seitan on top, followed by pickled zucchini, top bun, roasted pepper, and a blob of honey butter. Skewer with a steak knife and serve.

Notes

* Can use regular red pepper flakes.

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