Making SHREDDED VEGAN CHICKEN from INSTANT POTATOES

After searching far and wide, I believe I found a secret ingredient that helps create the perfect shredded vegan chicken, with no wash the flour technique needed! These are INCREDIBLY versatile, and can be further sautéd, marinated, and enjoyed in any dish that calls for shredded chicken.

COME HANG OUT:

GEAR:
(Above are affiliate links)

Recipe:

Combine dry and liquid ingredients in separate mixing bowls:

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

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.

[TheeBurgerDude]

Looks great!! Never thought to add instant potatoes!

[amintz]

Tried this for the first time last night, and I'm blown away by the results this morning. It has all the texture of WTF seitan without the work....THANK YOU!

[frankchen]

the oiled seitan can still be shreddable IF you add the oil AFTER you finish kneading to a tough dough i.e. after the strands have already formed (its also more appropriate because fat is usually between muscle fibers anyway)

[sturdy]

I followed this recipe super wrong but managed to stumble into something quite delicious. I used about 2.5 cups of stock (I had mixed enough to make two different recipes but got distracted and added it all to this one) which made a wet and spongy dough. I don't waste food unless it can't be helped, so I added some more poultry seasoning and a little liquid smoke, made foil bundles and steamed for two hours. The texture was different but not 'done' so I smushed it into small pieces, pan fried it in canola oil and wound up with something tasty that will work for a carnitas taco once I get the seasoning right.

[trizhaay]

Please try this recipe!! I combined the instant potatoes with some of the seasoning and some of the techniques from Connie’s Rawsome and this is hands down the best vegan meat I have ever made at home. It’s 100% restaurant quality!
Thank you so very much for the instant potato idea! It made all of the difference!

[DanDDirges]

I`m blown away by this! Ingenious! Thank you!

[audreycobb]

10/10. Super shreddy, great texture, nice neutral flavor for many uses.

[cherrybomblet]

i was just saying the world needs a vegan Joshua Weissman. and here you are. the hero we need🥔🙏🏻

[leeski]

you could also add you dry seasonings to the dry gluten mix to avoid it clumping in the wet mix

[gamyrworf]

ok I've made a double portion of this recipe twice now, and i'll probably end up making it on the regular every week or two. SUCH A GREAT RECIPE!!!

[melissawhatnow]

Okay I made this last night and was afraid it wouldn't turn out like yours because my dough was not acting like yours and I couldn't stretch as much as you did but I went ahead with it anyway. Mine barely looked like a braid. Lol. But it came out amazing. I was blown away thank you so much for this wonderful recipe. I will never make vegan chicken any other way.

[Piratessable]

Thank you for showing us this. I saw this recipe too and now I have a visual guide. You are one of my top favorites!

[immameditate]

Thanks for the tip with the apple cider vinegar. I'm currently transitioning. I don't like vital wheat because of the flavor but I do want meat Subs. Gonna give this a try.

[dayna]

just noticed i was your 600th subscriber! it’s fascinating to see how versatile and easy being vegan is. i still haven’t made seitan myself yet but i’m intrigued by it

[eklein]

Just tried this today! My thoughts….
Didn’t use msg, turned out fine.
3/4 potato might be a bit much as I struggled to incorporate it all even after extensive mixing; will prob just use 1/2 cup in the future.
The pulling and braiding takes getting used to - I accidentally pulled too hard in the stretching process and broke off a portion or two but made it work eventually. Hopefully I’ll get better at this.
I steamed mine for an hour instead of simmering.

Came out perfect!! Tasty and fairly shreddable. Much improved texture compared to my other, more rubbery seitan process. Thanks for a great and easy recipe!!

[Samantha_MV]

This is such a delicious way to make Seitan. The shreds can be made into anything! 🌱😋

[mariacox]

We made this and it is WONDERFUL! It could be Memphis pulled barbeque or a very delectable Sunday roast. What a versitile meat. Thank you! Absolutely delicious.

[Swiddullee]

Idk where I went wrong with this. I've made this twice with the end result being mushy. It in no way looked like the firm dough at the end when you're shredding it. I've made seitan before many times as well as chicken with a way better chicken texture. I also know simmering so it's not that it was boiled. My only thought was either the brand of vwg or the potato flakes. I think I'm going to try this one more time with less potato flakes. I just done get why this was very mushy

[JacKAsterisK]

Finally got around to making this and holy crap it's awesome!

The only pain is monitoring it while simmering, I wonder if like a sous vide or something would work 🤔

[denlea]

I've been hooked on Ericas slow cooker Italian beef seitan! One thing I find helps with stretching is to wet your hands with water to smooth out the ropes. That recipe is pretty much the same, but uses the Instant pot on slow cook, right in broth (after the fry part). I leave oil out of recipe, and use enough in the saute part.