These vegan chicken recipes will take you from breakfast to dinner. Make these plant-based dishes any time of day.
Nowadays, vegan chicken can be made from just about anything: soy, vital wheat gluten, mushrooms, even jackfruit. (Trust us, it tastes darn good.) When cooked right, the crunchy yet juicy texture and flavor-packed taste make it a terrific addition to any dish. And if you’re looking for the best chicken-less recipes, you’ve come to the right place.
From savory chicken and waffles to air-fried orange chicken, we’ve got five vegan recipes that will take you from breakfast to dinner any day of the week. Enjoy!
5 Ways to Make Vegan Chicken
Fried Jackfruit Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 20-ounce cans young green jackfruit
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 vegan chicken bouillon or 1 tablespoon chicken-flavored broth powder
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 tablespoons protein powder (pea protein or fava bean protein)
- 1 tablespoon methylcellulose
Dry Batter (Any of your favorite batters will work with this recipe. Dry batter or wet batter.)
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Wet Batter
- 4 tablespoons egg replacer
- 1 cup plant-based milk
- Wanna make this hot? Use 1-4 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce
- Vegetable oil for frying
Preparation
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1
Drain and wash the jackfruit.
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2
Separate seeds and pull jackfruit apart from their stem corners. You can squeeze the edge and the seeds will pop out of their shells. Discard the seeds.
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3
Bring the water to a boil along with bouillon and nutritional yeast. Once water is at a rolling boil, add jackfruit, lower heat to a simmer, and stir. Boil until less than half of the liquid remains.
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5
Add protein powder and mix.
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6
Allow mixture to cool below 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
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7
Add methylcellulose, mix together.
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8
Lay out a shoebox-sized piece of plastic wrap and drop a quarter of the jackfruit mixture on it.
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9
You can make 4 large patties with this, or around a dozen smaller, nugget-sized pieces.
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10
Wrap tightly and form into chicken breast shape.
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11
Place in freezer and allow to freeze. You can freeze until ready to use.
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12
Fill a large iron skillet or Dutch oven with frying oil, at least 3 inches of oil. Vegetable oil or peanut oil works well. Heat to 350 to 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
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13
Using two separate bowls, mix dry batter ingredients together in one bowl and wet batter ingredients in another large bowl.
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14
Dip frozen patties into dry mix, then into wet mix, then back into dry mix.
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15
Place covered patties on a rack for 10-15 minutes.
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16
Then fry patties two at a time, keeping the oil temp between 350 and 360 degrees Fahrenheit.
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17
When patties are a deep golden brown, remove them to a wire rack.
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Vegan Orange Chicken
Ingredients
Chicken
- 2 cups soy curls
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Sauce
- 1 cup orange juice
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon grated ginger
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 small orange, zested
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons water
Garnish
- Green onions, sliced
- Sesame seeds
Preparation
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1
Preheat air fryer or oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
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2
Soak soy curls in hot water for 10 minutes. Then, use your hands to squeeze out as much water as you can. Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with cornstarch. Toss to coat well.
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3
Transfer to an air fryer or oven and let cook for 10-12 minutes or until crisp.
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4
Add the orange juice, sugar, vinegar, tamari, ginger, garlic, and red chili flakes in a saucepan. Heat for 3 minutes.
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5
In a small bowl, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and add to the orange sauce. Whisk together and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
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6
Add the soy curls along with the orange zest. Stir until well combined.
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7
Serve over rice and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.
Vegan Fried Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 cups sunflower oil, for frying
- 2 cups spelt flour, divided
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder, divided
- 2 teaspoons onion powder, divided
- Salt, to taste
- Pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cups mushrooms, shiitake or oyster, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon of garlic and herb seasoning
Preparation
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1
Add oil to a large, deep pan on medium heat until the pan is fully coated.
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2
While the pan is heating, add 1 cup of spelt flour to a large bowl along with 1 tablespoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, salt, pepper, and 1 cup water. Mix this together thoroughly. This will be your wet batter.
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3
Next, prepare the dry batter in a separate bowl by adding remaining 1 cup spelt flour, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Mix dry ingredients well.
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4
Add mushrooms to the wet batter, making sure that the mushrooms are all evenly coated.
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5
Once the mushrooms are evenly coated, add them to the dry batter, tossing vigorously to ensure that each mushroom is (once again) evenly coated.
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6
Add the mushrooms to the heated pan. Let the mushrooms cook for 5 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.
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7
Once finished, add to a plate that has a paper towel or kitchen towel placed on top to catch any excess grease.
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8
Season with garlic and herb seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.
Like Chicken Bite Pad Thai
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Stir Fry
- 8 ounces Pad Thai rice noodles
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 package Like Chicken Bite (bite-sized pieces)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- 1 cup sliced green onions
- 1 cup julienned carrot
- 1 red chili pepper, sliced
- ⅓ cup dry-roasted salted peanuts, chopped
- ⅓ cup cilantro leaves
- 8 ounces Pad Thai rice noodles
- Lime wedges for garnish
Preparation
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1
Cook Pad Thai rice noodles according to package instructions.
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2
For the sauce: combine, rice vinegar, lime juice, and sugar in a small bowl. Stir well until sugar is dissolved.
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3
Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Once hot, add oil and then the Like Chicken Bites until browned (about two to three minutes). Remove from heat.
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4
Add cooked rice noodles, rice vinegar, lime juice, and sugar rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Stir in half your green onions, carrots, cilantro, and bean sprouts, red pepper, and peanuts. Fold everything together until evenly coated.
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5
Remove from heat and add to final platter or plate.
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6
Garnish with remaining green onion, peanuts, carrots, and bean sprouts on the side.
Vegan Latke Chicken Schnitzel Sandwiches
Ingredients
Vegan Latkes
- 3 LIKE MEAT Schnitzels
- 1 pound Yukon potatoes
- ⅓ cup flour
- ¼ cup yellow onion, grated
- 3 tablespoons unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- Black pepper, to taste
- Avocado oil, for frying
Toppings
- Arugula
- Sliced tomato
- Vegan sour cream with minced parsley and chives
Preparation
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1
Peel and grate potatoes. Place a strainer over a medium mixing bowl. Place grated potatoes and onions inside. Using your hand or a wooden spoon, expel as much liquid out as possible.
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2
In a medium mixing bowl, combine two cups of grated potato and onion, flour, almond milk, cornstarch, salt, baking powder, and black pepper. Mix well to develop the gluten in the flour. This helps with the binding.
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3
Add avocado oil into the pan until it is about a half-inch in depth.
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4
Form the vegan latke batter into a flat disc. Fry until golden brown, flip, and fry the other side. Place the finished latke on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to stay crisp.
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5
Heat a medium skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil and cook Like Meat Schnitzel according to package instructions.
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6
To Build: place a vegan latke on a small plate and spread the sour cream on top. Top with the schnitzel and then tomato and arugula.
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