These homemade breaded vegan chicken patties are easy to make and incredibly delicious! With a soft and tender “chicken” on the inside and a crunchy seasoned breading on the outside, these chicken patties are sure to become your new favorite meal! Use them in sandwiches or serve as baked chicken breasts as the main course.

A vegan chicken patty served on a bun with lettuce and tomatoes on a white plate.

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I’ve been making variations of this baked vegan chicken recipe for over 26 years now. I got the original idea from a recipe in The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook. It was published in the 1970s but remains one of my best sources of inspiration. It’s one of those recipes that I love to make for non-vegans. They’re always shocked by the great taste and texture, and can’t believe that it’s vegan.

These are so good! I made a double batch so I can freeze some. Much better than any store bought vegan patties. Thank you for the recipe! : )

—Marilyn

Why you’ll love this recipe

  • They have an amazing taste and texture close to real chicken.
  • These vegan chicken patties can be easily frozen and reheated for meal prep.
  • They’re surprisingly easy to make!

Ingredients and substitutions

For the “Chicken”

  • Chickpeas – or you can use tofu or any type of bean that you wish. I usually use one 15.5 oz can of drained chickpeas or white beans, or one 14 oz block of extra firm tofu that has been drained and pressed.
  • Broth – I like to use the Not Chick’n Broth or Better Than Bouillon No Chicken brands for a chicken flavor. You can also use vegetable broth.
  • Oil – any neutral-flavored oil will work well. You can also leave it out completely, but it helps to give your chicken the proper moisture and mouthfeel. Chicken breasts have a natural fat content of about 11%, so I add a little fat to replicate it.
  • Poultry Seasoning – for flavor. If you don’t have any premixed poultry seasoning, you can use this homemade version to flavor the “chicken.”
  • Salt – for flavor. Feel free to reduce the salt for a lower-sodium chicken.
  • Garlic Powder – for flavor. (optional)
  • Onion Powder – for flavor. (optional)
  • Vital Wheat Gluten – a fine, powdery flour high in wheat protein. You can’t swap this out for regular flour or any other flour. You can usually find it in the Bob’s Red Mill section or the specialty baking section of large grocery stores. I like to order a large bag from Amazon to make lots of seitan recipes.

For the breading

  • Panko Bread Crumbs –
    • You can also crumble and use any of the following:
      • crackers (any vegan cracker will work)
      • a vegan stuffing (like Pepperidge Farm’s cornbread stuffing mix).
      • corn flakes
      • cornmeal
  • Flour – you can use white, whole wheat, or gluten-free flour mix.  This helps create a coating that sticks to the tofu and crisps up when cooked.
  • Corn Starch – to make the coating crispy. You can use potato starch instead if you wish, or omit it completely.
  • Nutritional Yeast – for flavor.  Optional, but recommended.
  • Spices – this can vary depending on the flavor that you want to achieve.  I like to use poultry seasoning or Italian seasoning.
  • Salt – for flavor.  (You may want to reduce or omit if your spices already have salt in them.)

Helpful tools

  • A blender or food processor – to blend the beans or tofu with the broth and spices.
  • Glass bowl – to mix the dough in. Gluten is very sticky and will stick even more to plastic.
  • A silicon spatula – to stir the gluten into the flour. Don’t use any wooden utensils, or the gluten will stick to them.
  • Cookie Sheet – a large cookie sheet with edges works the best.
A breaded and baked seitan patty on a white plate with salad on the side.

How to make vegan chicken patties

  • Add a can of drained chickpeas (or white beans) to a food processor or blender along with broth, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder.
  • Blend until smooth, then transfer to a glass mixing bowl.
  • Stir in 1 cup of the vital wheat gluten, then add the remaining 1/3 cup of wheat gluten, and knead with your hands until a firm dough forms.
A collage of 4 pictures showing the process steps for blending chickpeas and broth, adding wheat gluten, and kneading it to make seitan chicken.

Make the coating and bake the patties

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190 °C).
  • Put about 3 tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil on a large cookie sheet, ensuring the bottom is completely covered, and set it aside.
  • Mix together the bread crumbs, flour, corn starch, nutritional yeast, herbs, and salt in a shallow bowl.
  • Pour vegan milk (or aquafaba) into another shallow bowl to dip the dough in, wetting it so the breading will stick.
A collage of 4 pictures showing the process of mixing ingredients for the breading, and coating the vegan chicken with breading.
  • Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, then form them into the desired shape by hand.
  • Place the patty in the vegan milk to moisten it, then place it in the dry breading, pressing the dough into the breading to coat it well.
  • Place the patty on the oiled cookie sheet and repeat until you have coated all of the chicken patties in the breading.
  • Bake the patties at 375° F (190° C) for 18 minutes, then take them out of the oven, flip each one, and place them back in for another 18 minutes, until golden brown.
Breaded vegan chicken on a cookie sheet before and after baking.

Serving Suggestions

Make these patties into sandwiches with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, vegan mayo, vegan honey mustard, vegan BBQ sauce, or whatever else you like on chicken sandwiches.

Serve breaded chicken breasts with a side of vegan mashed potatoes and vegan stuffing, and drizzle some vegan gravy over the whole thing!

A vegan chicken sandwich on a white plate with pickles on the side.

Pro tips

  • You can use any type of bean or tofu, blended with the broth to make the vegan chicken.
  • For a stringier chicken texture, allow your dough to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before cooking.
  • Gluten needs to be cooked; don’t eat it raw. You know it has cooked enough when it is firm, meaty, and no longer doughy.
  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that can get messy. When pouring the flour into the bowl, hold it low so it doesn’t splash out or raise a cloud of dust.
  • Use only a glass bowl and silicone spatula. Wet gluten is very sticky and hard to clean.
  • Wash your bowl and utensils in very hot water. This will help to reduce the stickiness of the gluten. You may want to use an old rag that you can throw away after you clean up.

Storage and reheating

Refrigerate: These patties will keep well in the fridge for 3 – 5 days in a sealed container.

Freeze: These “chicken” patties freeze well and can be stored in an airtight bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can reheat them directly from the freezer.

Reheating: Reheat your vegan chicken patties in the microwave for about 3 minutes, pan-fry in a little oil, or bake at 350° F for about 10-15 minutes, until warm.

A vegan chicken patty on an open faced bun with lettuce and tomatoes.

Can I make them oil-free?

You can omit the oil from the “chicken” without much issue. The seitan tends to be a little firmer and drier is all. You can also bake the patties on a layer of parchment paper instead of using oil on the cookie sheet. However, the coating will be kind of dry and powdery without a little oil.

Can I make them gluten-free?

No, you can’t make seitan gluten-free because it’s made from gluten-containing grains. However, you can use my vegan popcorn chicken recipe with soy curls for a vegan, gluten-free “chicken.”

A breaded baked vegan chicken breast cut into slices with a piece on a fork.

More seitan recipes

Vegan chicken patty recipe

A vegan chicken sandwich made from a seitan chicken patty.
Diet
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5 from 12 rating

Vegan Chicken Patties

Yield: 6
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Total: 55 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
Homemade breaded and baked vegan chicken patties to be used for chicken sandwiches or as a breaded vegan chicken breast.
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Ingredients

For the "chicken"

  • 1 1/2 cups chickpeas , (15.5 oz can) drained or white beans or 14 oz. firm pressed tofu
  • 1 cup not chick'n broth, (reconstituted) or other vegan chicken style broth
  • 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten

For the coating

  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, or crumbled crackers, vegan stuffing, or cornflakes.
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, (optional)
  • 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, or other dry herbs of choice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

To get the patty wet

  • 1/2 cup plant-based milk, or aquafaba (the liquid from the can of beans that you used.)

To oil the cookie sheet

  • 3 tablespoons neutral-flavored oil

Instructions
 

Make the dough

  • Add a can of drained chickpeas to a food processor or blender along with broth, nutritional yeast, oil, poultry seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt.
  • Blend until smooth, then transfer to a glass mixing bowl.
  • Stir in 1 cup of the vital wheat gluten, then add the remaining 1/3 cup of wheat gluten and knead with your hands for about 1 minute, until a firm dough forms. *Don't eat it until it has been cooked.
  • You can now cook your seitan, or, for a "chicken" with a stringier texture, let it rest in the fridge, covered, for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Make the breading

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190 °C). Put about 3 tablespoons of neutral-flavored oil on a large cookie sheet, ensuring the bottom is completely covered, and set it aside.
  • Mix together the bread crumbs, flour, corn starch, nutritional yeast, herbs, and salt in a shallow bowl.
  • Pour vegan milk (or aquafaba) into another shallow bowl to dip the dough in, wetting it so the breading will stick.

Bake the patties

  • Divide the dough into 6 equal pieces, then form them into the desired shape by hand.
  • Place the patty in the vegan milk to moisten it, then place it in the dry breading, pressing the dough into the breading to coat it well.
  • Place the patty on the oiled cookie sheet and repeat until you have coated all of the chicken patties in the breading.
  • Bake the patties at 375° F (190° C) for 16-18 minutes, then take them out of the oven, flip each one, and place them back in the oven for another 16-18 minutes until golden brown.

Notes

  • You can use any type of bean or tofu, blended with the broth to make the vegan chicken.
  • For a stringier chicken texture, allow your dough to rest in the fridge for at least an hour before forming it into nuggets.
  • Gluten needs to be cooked; don’t eat it raw. You know it has cooked enough when it is firm and meat-like and no longer has a doughy texture.
  • Wheat gluten is a very fine powder that can get messy. When pouring the flour into the bowl, hold it low so it doesn’t splash out or raise a cloud of dust.
  • Use only a glass bowl and silicone spatula. Wet gluten is very sticky and hard to clean.
  • Wash your bowl and utensils in very hot water. This will help to reduce the stickiness of the gluten. You may want to use an old rag that you can throw away after you clean up.
Serving: 1g, Calories: 353kcal, Carbohydrates: 29g, Protein: 28g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 961mg, Potassium: 286mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 202IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 118mg, Iron: 4mg
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