Roast beef and turkey roast ingredients side by side
Blend in 2 batches to avoid overheating ninja blender
1 block extra firm tofu
1 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4-1/2 cups water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
2 tbsp oil
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp onion powder (was 1 tsp)
1 tbsp garlic powder (was 1-2 tsp)
1 tsp sage (was 1/2 tsp)
2 tsp rosemary (was 1 tsp)
2 tbsp No Chicken Better Than Bouillon (was 1 tbsp)
1 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp salt
MSG
Turkey Only - 3 tablespoons hickory seasoning, or any other seasoning you like to coat the “turkey”
This makes about 3.5 tbsp "Mesquite" seasoning:
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried onion flakes
1 tsp salt
Note: to use regular extra firm tofu. Press for several hours and reduce water to 1/2 cup. Press for only 20 minutes and reduce water to 1/4 cup. Or try not pressing and no water, which is unconfirmed. If too wet can add a little VWG.
Notes: For firmer seitan, longer knead time and longer cook time.
Can blend whole batch in large Ninja until it comes together; then separate and blend in 2 batches to avoid overheating ninja blender
Break up the tofu and place it into a food processor with the regular metal blade. Run the processor for around a minute until the tofu is broken down.
Add all of the remaining ingredients and let the food processor run for a couple of minutes. You want the mixture to form a dough. Letting the processor run will help knead the dough. We want this seitan to be firm so we need it to knead for a bit. If you dough seems a bit too dry, you can add another few tablespoons of water, just don’t add too much more! I start at 1/2 cup and work from there.
Turkey - Once you have a smooth but firm dough, remove it from the food processor and place on a clean counter. Knead the dough with your hands for about a minute (knead longer for firmer seitan), forming a kind of oval shaped loaf with the dough.
Take a piece of aluminum for about 3x bigger than the loaf of dough, and lay it out flat. Coat the foil in spray oil or wipe it down with any oil you have. Sprinkle half of the hickory, or whatever seasoning you are using in the center of the foil. Place the loaf on the seasoning and roll it around. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning over the top and press it in. The goal is to fully coat the loaf in the seasoning!
Place the loaf back in the center of the foil and fold up the sides, pinching at the top to seal it up, then twist the ends to fully seal the foil.
Place on a baking sheet and put in the oven on the middle rack. Bake sealed for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes carefully open up the foil, and continue baking for another 30-40 minutes.
Remove finished “turkey” breast and let cool at room temp. Seal the foil back up and place the “turkey” breast in the fridge over night to rest. This step is important to get the texture we are trying achieve. If you try and serve it before it rests it will not be nearly as firm.
Once the “turkey” breast has been in the fridge over night, you can remove it and slice it to serve. It should at this point be firm enough to slice using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Chicken - Once you have a smooth but firm dough, remove it from the food processor and place on a clean counter. Knead the dough with your hands for about a minute, forming a kind of oval, flattened out shaped with the dough. Cut the dough into 8 triangles. Using your hands, form the triangles into a chicken breast shape.
Line a baking sheet in parchment paper or foil, spray with oil. Evenly space out the seitan chicken pieces making sure they are not touching. They will expand as they bake. Spray the tops with oil and give them a sprinkle with any seasoning you like. Tightly cover the entire pan in foil, tucking the edges tightly around the edges of the pan. We want the seitan to steam inside the pan. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
Open up the foil and allow the seitan chicken to bake for another 10 minutes uncovered. These chicken seitan pieces are thin, if you know your oven cooks hot or the temp is off, you may need to adjust your cook time by 5-10 minutes. If the seitan over cooks it tends to form tiny holes that look like bread. That is often an indication you oven temp is off and you may need a oven thermometer to check the actual temp.
Let the seitan cool at room temp them transfer to the fridge for about 6 hours to rest. I often bake the seitan the night before I wish to fry it. But you could also bake it in the morning and it would be fine to fry by dinner. Seitan requires a nice long rest to firm up and achieve a more meaty texture. The longer you can let it rest, the better!
You can reheat the chicken in the oven on 350 degrees covered in foil until warmed through. You can slice or cube the chicken to use in just about any recipe that requires a chicken substitute. Use in fajitas, tacos, casseroles, sandwiches, pastas, or as is.