You’ve likely seen seitan on the menu at a Chinese restaurant under the name mock duck, but it’s also the basis of plenty of premade fake bacons, hot dogs, and ground meats—and it’s actually pretty easy to make at home. Like, really easy: If you can make meatloaf or meatballs or scones, you can do it. Seitan also has the same neutral flavor as many soy-based swaps but with a toothier texture and way more protein: 18 grams per ⅓-cup serving. A benefit of DIYing here is that seitan can really be anything you want it to be. It all comes down to how you flavor, shape, and cook it.
Seitan is the result of mixing vital wheat gluten with water and spices, kneading it like a dough, and cooking it—usually in the oven or a steamer. Vital wheat gluten, which you can find at most big markets, is basically flour with the starch removed, leaving only the gluten behind. Most premade supermarket seitan is already seasoned and processed into crumbles, “bacon,” or sausages. At home, you can mound it into a loaf and slice it to make mock deli meat, or form it into nuggets, patties, or cutlets to mimic whatever cut you like. Even as a dough, it kinda looks like ground chicken:
Our seitan piccata starts with a simple dough of wheat gluten, flour, and veggie broth that’s flecked with common poultry seasonings like sage and garlic, plus some nooch for umami. After a super quick knead on the countertop, we shape the dough into rough cutlets. You can make the seitan up to a week ahead to give yourself less prep to do at dinnertime. If you don’t want to go the piccata route, you can simply slice up the cutlets and add them to stir-fries, soups, sandwiches, or anything you like.
Seitan Piccata
Yield: 6 cutlets
Ingredients:
Seitan:
- 1½ cups vital wheat gluten
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Piccata:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup capers
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons plant butter
- ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
Procedure:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
- Make the seitan. In a large bowl, whisk together vital wheat gluten, flour, nutritional yeast, dried thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Pour in the broth and olive oil and stir until the mixture starts to pull away from the bowl.
- Shape the cutlets. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and knead for about 5 minutes. The dough is tacky at first but firms up slightly after kneading. Let rest for 5 minutes. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and press into cutlets. They don't have to be identical, but should be similar in size so that they cook at the same rate.
- Bake the cutlets on the prepared baking sheet for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Sear the cutlets. To a plate, add the flour, then dredge both sides of each cutlet, shaking off any excess flour. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over high heat. Add the cutlets and cook until crisp and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes per side; set aside on a plate.
- Make the sauce. To the same skillet, add the broth, lemon juice, capers, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, scraping up any bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the cutlets to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the cutlets to a platter. Add the butter to the skillet, whisking vigorously to combine.
- Serve. Pour the sauce over the cutlets and garnish with parsley. Serve with mashed potatoes or pasta and lemon wedges.
Notes and Substitutions:
- The seitan cutlets will keep for a week in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer. Thaw completely in the fridge before using.
