The homemade seitan I've used in this recipe is great, but if you're not comfortable making your own yet...store bought works just fine! I'm sure any store bought faux chicken would work just as well, it doesn't have to be seitan.
Homemade Seitan
dry ingredients:
1 cup of vital wheat gluten
3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast
1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
1/2 teaspoon of thyme
dash of cumin
dash of salt and black pepper
wet ingredients:
1/2 cup of vegetable broth
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Broth for boiling method
Most recipes I've seen use a lot of broth for their boiling methods. I haven't noticed any difference between using say 4 cups of vegetable broth with 4 cups of water, and 2 cups of vegetable broth with 6 cups of water. So for this recipe you'll need:
6 cups of water
2 cups of vegetable broth
1/4 cup of soy sauce
Method:
Mix dry ingredients listed into a large bowl and use a large spoon to mix all ingredients evenly about the bowl. In another slightly smaller bowl you will wisk together the listed wet ingredients. Once this is done you will pour the wet into the dry and mix well with the spoon. Lay out on a lightly floured surface and kneed well for about 3 to 5 minutes. You'll notice the gluten strands gradually becoming thicker and stronger. The best method I've found is to press it out into a long log like shape and then roll from one end to the other kneeding as you go and stretch it out into a log in the opposite direction. This helps strengthen the strands. Once you've done this for 3 to 5 minutes let it sit untouched at room temp. for about 10 minutes. After this time has passed cut into about 6 cutlet shaped pieces.
Meanwhile, you'll want to bring your broth for the boiling method to a boil. Once it has done so, you will reduce heat to a simmer. It can be difficult to keep it at a simmer for the entire cooking time, but practice makes perfect. Once down to a simmer, drop the cutlets into the broth and cook for an hour covered. When it is finished you can keep the broth or use a strainer. Dab your cutlets a bit with some paper towels to help dry and to press out a little excess water. Let cool to room temp. and "tear" with your hands into small pieces and place them into a chilled metal bowl.
or 2- 8 oz. packages of seitan, West Soy is good.
Vegan Chicken Salad
1 1/3 cups of Veganaise original
2 good sized ribs of celery cut into small pieces
1/4 of a large green pepper or 1/2 of a small diced
1/4 of a large white onion or 1/2 of a small diced
1/3 cup of diced dill pickles *small pieces*
1/3 cup of diced pecans
Simply mix all of your salad ingredients in the chilled bowl containing your seitan and keep chilled until use.
