Vegan Chicken: The Best Plant-Based Alternatives You Need to Try

Chicken is the most popular meat consumed by all kinds of people. This fact is unsurprising as chicken has a great texture and rich flavour that never gets boring. You can customise chicken with different spices and sauces, making it a flexible meal with any side dish. 

However, consuming excess animal-based food can increase health risks as it can lead to high cholesterol and other diseases. Therefore, other options, such as vegan chicken, can be the best solution for your vegan food recipe, as it is just the same as real chicken but has healthier ingredients.

What is vegan chicken?

Teriyaki Chicken Sushi

Vegan chicken is a plant-based food that resembles chicken in shape, texture, and flavour. Even though they don't use any meat and are full of plant-based ingredients, vegan chicken is similar to chicken. This is because they use identical flours or seasonings and several techniques in the making. It can also be formed as nuggets, sliced for lunch for sandwiches, vegetable salad, popcorn chicken, and chicken breast fillets. You can also try a homemade vegan chicken recipe as vegan food to grill and BBQ with your family. 

Moreover, vegan chicken has been a typical food for a long time. It is becoming more popular in the current era because it is affordable and provides many benefits, such as being healthier and reducing the consumption of chicken meat for a better animal environment.

Vegan chicken nutrition

Hanoi Chicken Pho

Using plant-based ingredients rich in protein, vegan chicken is less nutritious than regular chicken. Vegan chicken generally uses many nutrients, such as soy and mycoprotein, and contains nine essential amino acids. These nutrients are very helpful for maintaining endurance and can be a source of energy. In addition, vegan chicken also has a lower fat content that can prevent you from various diseases, such as high cholesterol.

What is vegan chicken made of?

Creamy Udon Carbonara

Generally, most vegan chicken is made from protein, aka seitan, because it is rich in protein like chicken meat and has more texture than other plant-based ingredients. Wheat is quite a flexible ingredient, as you can mould it into any shape you want. Additional savoury seasonings such as salt or paprika are also required to achieve a more chicken-meaty savour. Besides seitan, vegan chicken can also be made with jackfruit, vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast, soy, and pea protein. 

The manufacturing process

The manufacturing process for vegan chicken involves combining techniques to mimic the texture and appearance of real chicken. It can be varied depending on the production method. The process can be traditional or modern, making vegan chicken as flexible as your vegan meal option.

Flavour infusion techniques

You should know that vegan chicken tastes similar to regular chicken. This technique plays a big role in that case. Flavour infusion techniques are necessary to provide flavour and seasoning to achieve a chicken-like taste. Seasoning still uses plant-based ingredients such as ground ginger, onion powder and garlic powder to give a more pronounced and delicious savoury image. So, the main goal of this technique is to impart a realistic chicken flavour and aroma to the final product.

High moisture extrusion cooking

Unlike the flavour infusion technique that aims to give the vegan chicken its flavour and aroma, High Moisture Extrusion Cooking (HMEC) is a technique that focuses on the texture and appearance of vegan chicken to make it as similar to chicken as possible. This technique uses plant-based proteins, such as soy, pea, wheat gluten, flour and other ingredients mixed with water to create a thick batter. The dough is then pushed through heated molds with specific shapes and holes, resulting in a textured and fibrous structure.

Why choose plant-based chicken?

Vegan chicken, which is known to have healthier nutrients and ingredients than animal-based chicken, is undoubtedly an advantage and the best solution for those who want to freely eat chicken without worrying about excess fat. This fact can also help you if you want a vegan diet without worrying about dieting with bland food. You can also customise your vegan recipes for your chicken with various recipes because they are versatile. You can boil it, steam it, if you have a steamer or fry it even after freezing the chicken.

In addition, you can also help the animal environment to be better and reduce the number of chicken farms that mass produce chicken meat due to high interest from many consumers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Vegan Chicken Healthy?

Vegan chicken can be a healthy option, depending on the ingredients used. Many plant-based alternatives are derived from soy, wheat, or pea protein, offering essential nutrients and protein. However, some processed options may contain high amounts of sodium, added sugars, or unhealthy fats, so it is important to check labels.

Is tofu a good substitute for chicken?

Can vegan chicken be used in different cultural cuisines?

Conclusion

Vegan chicken has become a versatile and sustainable alternative to traditional poultry, offering numerous benefits for health-conscious individuals and environmentally aware consumers. With a wide variety of options, such as tofu and soy-based proteins, vegan chicken can easily replace chicken in many dishes while still providing essential nutrients. However, it is important to consider the nutritional content of processed versions to make healthier choices.

Are you ready to try vegan chicken for yourself? Experiment with some recipes or pick up plant-based options at Brother Bon. Enjoy the taste while positively impacting your health and the planet!