Vegan Southern Fried Chicken Burger
Create your own delicious vegan Southern fried chicken burger with this flavourful seitan recipe that everyone will enjoy – even meat eaters!
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This vegan Southern fried chicken burger makes a great ‘fakeaway’ meal. The crispy vegan chicken burger is made from seitan to give it a realistic texture and is stacked with avocado, pickles and salad to make an epic vegan burger the whole family will love.
What is vital wheat gluten?
Vital wheat gluten is used to make the meat substitute seitan. It has a flour-like texture and is made from gluten.
As opposed to flour, it contains almost no starch.
Vital wheat gluten can be used in a variety of dishes, both in baking and as a meat alternative as in this burger recipe.
Seitan is created by kneading the ‘flour’ with water to form a dough. The dough is then shaped however you like.
Seitan can be used in many dishes and has a similar texture and flavour to chicken, so it’s perfect for creating this vegan chicken burger.
Seitan making tips
You can alter the texture of seitan during the kneading process. If you knead the vital wheat gluten dough for longer, the ‘meat’ will be chewier and more dense, as the gluten increases during this process.
Freezing tip
The steamed, uncoated burgers can be cooked, cooled and frozen for up to 3 months.
Place the ‘steaks’ in a zip top freezer bag with 1/2 cup of vegetable stock. Defrost in the fridge overnight, before coating and frying, as above.
Total Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Calories: 262
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Calories: 262
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- For the seitan cutlets
- 48.75 48.75 g vital wheat gluten
- 0.25 0.25 tin chickpeas
- 0.5 0.5 tsp Bouillon powder, dissolved in 1/3 cup water
- 0.75 0.75 Tbsp mild oil
- 0.25 0.25 Tbsp mellow white miso paste
- 0.25 0.25 Tbsp all purpose seasoning
- 0.25 0.25 tsp sea salt flakes
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 0.5 0.5 tsp onion powder
- 0.25 0.25 Tbsp garlic salt
- 0.25 0.25 tsp dried sage
- For the coating
- 16.25 16.25 g gram flour
- 30 30 ml water
- 23.75 23.75 g plain flour
- 0.5 0.5 tsp sea salt
- 0.5 0.5 tsp paprika
- 0.5 0.5 tsp garlic powder
- 0.5 0.5 tsp onion powder
- 0.25 0.25 tsp celery salt
- 0.25 0.25 tsp dried thyme
- 0.25 0.25 tsp all purpose seasoning
- 0.25 0.25 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 0.25 0.25 tsp dried sage
- To serve
- 1 1 large burger buns
- lettuce
- tomato
- onion slices
- pickles
- avocado
- vegan mayo, ketchup, mustard, or BBQ sauce
Method
- Place all the seitan ingredients, except the vital wheat gluten, into a blender and process until smooth. Measure out the vital wheat gluten into a bowl and add the chickpea mixture from the blender.
- Using a wooden spoon or plastic spatula, mix everything together really well until you have a soft dough. Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Take the dough from the bowl and place it on a clean surface. Using your hands, knead and stretch the dough, pulling it apart and folding it together to create a strand-like texture. This can also be done by mixing the dough in a food processor in several batches. Once the dough is stretchy and elastic, form it into a lump and wrap it in two layers of foil.
- Place the foil package into a roasting dish and pour in water to come halfway up the sides of the package. Cover the whole dish with another sheet of foil. Transfer the dish to the oven and leave to steam for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Check the water level occasionally and top up as needed. Turn the foil package over once during cooking.
- Once the seitan has cooked, remove it from the oven and leave it to cool wrapped in the foil. For best results, refrigerate overnight once cooled.
- When ready to cook, mix the gram flour and water together to create a smooth batter. In another bowl, mix together all the spices with the plain flour and bicarbonate of soda.
- Unwrap the seitan and tear it into 4 ‘steaks’. Heat 2cm of vegetable oil in a large, heavy-based pan. Dip the steaks, one at a time, into the batter and then in the seasoned flour. Make sure they are very well coated. Carefully lower into the oil and fry for a few minutes on each side, until golden and very crispy. Once cooked, transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
- Serve the burgers in toasted buns, with salad, sauces and pickles.
Each 100g serving provides:
Fat 6.4g, Saturates 0.9g, Carbohydrates 24g, Sugars 0.7g, Protein 25g, Salt 0.95g.
Fancy another bite? You need to have a look at these delicious vegan burger recipes!
