Vegan KFC Famous Bowl (With Seitan)

This vegan famous bowl leans fully into comfort food territory with creamy potatoes, sweet corn and rich gravy. The homemade fried seitan nuggets brings a hearty, satisfaction with each bite. It’s simple, comes together in under an hour and perfect take-out substitite for a weeknight family dinner that’s unforgettable.

What happens when you cross your love for fast food since childhood, and a passion for cooking and recipe testing online for the last ten years? Look no further than this KFC copycat recipe: the culmination of my hard work and endless fried food cravings! It’s comfort food and nostalgia through the use of creamy mashed potatoes, and crispy chicken cutlets.

This vegan famous bowl is nothing but nostalgic, satisfying comfort packed into each bite. The star of this dish is the crispy seitan, so if you want more of that but with a zing; try these crispy seitan chicken fingers for more dinner ideas this week!

Why this combo just works

From the first test, a few things became very clear why this seitan chicken bowl stands above so many other vegan comfort food recipes. It’s not always easy to hit the perfect texture and seasoning combos without being overpowering, or falling flat. Here’s a few key takeaways I think everyone should keep in mind:

• I made sure to season the seitan dough well. The nutritional yeast and chickpea powder are key, but the real depth of flavour comes from the vegan chicken stock used to cook it.
• The seitan needs to be cooked twice. Once to cook the dough, and again to fry the nuggets to golden perfection.
• Textural contrast needs to be top of mind! In my experience, thoughtfully pairing the right amounts of creamy potatoes, sweet corn and crispy seitan is what brings this bowl together.

Gravy does the heavy lifting

The vegan gravy is what gives the KFC bowl its depth. A warm, savoury backbone that ties all the components together. Without it, you’d have all the flavours you love, but the textures totally off. Made with simple pantry staples, it brings a silky smoothness that seeps down into the mashed potatoes and helps the whole dish cling together.

I’ve tested a handful of good gravies, and even more bad ones. A good gravy should balance salt, umami, and be smooth enough to pour. This one does all that, guaranteed.

Vegan KFC Bowl With Crispy Pan-Fried Seitan “Chicken”

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.6 from 5 reviews

• Author: Greg Bellefontaine
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 45
• Yield: 2-3 bowls
• Category: bowls
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

This vegan famous bowl leans fully into comfort food territory with creamy potatoes, sweet corn and rich gravy. The homemade fried seitan nuggets brings a hearty, satisfaction with each bite. It’s simple, comes together in under an hour and perfect take-out substitite for a weeknight family dinner that’s unforgettable.

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Ingredients

SEITAN “CHICKEN”:

• 1 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp chickpea flour (optional but recommended – see note)
• 1 cup vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth PLUS 2 1/2 cups broth for simmering
• high heat oil for frying

SEITAN “CHICKEN” BREADING:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose or whole wheat flour
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 tbsp paprika
• salt & pepper to taste

VEGAN GRAVY:

• 1 tbsp vegan butter
• 1/2 small onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tbsp flour
• 250 ml vegetable broth or vegan chicken broth
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

MASHED POTATOES:

• 2 russet potatoes washed, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 spanish onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tbsp vegan butter
• 2 tbsp vegan cream cheese (Optional)
• 1 cup vegan cheese shreds
• salt and pepper to taste

CORN:

• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp garlic pwder
• 1/4 tsp organo
• 2 tbsp chopped green onion

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Instructions

1. Make the seitan chicken: In a mixing bowl, whisk together vital wheat gluten, nutritional yeast and chickpea flour. Add 1 cup of vegan chicken broth and mix until it forms a dough ball. Knead a few times with your hands until dough has no dry spots.
2. Add remaining 2 1/2 cups of broth to an instant pot. See note for using stovetop method.
3. Rip off chunks of seitan and add to pot. Cook on “manual” for 15 minutes. Once it is done, quick release steam.
4. Meanwhile, in a mixing bowl, whisk together breading ingredients.
5. Boil the potatoes: Add potatoes to a pot and cover with water until just submerged. Bring to a boil and cook until fork tender – about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
6. When Instant Pot is finished cooking, quick release the steam. Use a slotted spoon to remove seitan chunks from the broth, shake a few times to allow excess drips to drop off, then transfer to the breading and toss to coat. Repeat with remaining seitan, working in small batches.
7. Line a sheet pan with some paper towel, then place a cooling rack over top for the finished seitan to catch any drips of oil. Place next to the stove.
8. Fry the seitan chicken: Heat a large frying pan with an inch of oil. When hot, add breaded seitan and fry a few minutes per side until crispy and golden brown. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon or tongs and place on your prepared cooling rack.
9. Mash the potatoes: In a medium pot over low-medium heat, add the garlic and onion. Cook about 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the potatoes and mash with a potato masher. Add the vegan butter, cream cheese, cheese shreds and a sprinkle of salt and pepper and mash until fluffy.
10. Make the gravy: Heat a medium sized pot over medium heat and add the vegan butter and onion. Fry about 8 minutes, until onion begins to brown. Add the garlic and bay leaf and cook 2 minutes.
11. Add the flour and stir to coat onion and garlic. Add about 1/4 cup of broth and stir well to make a thick paste consistency. Keep adding splashes of broth, stirring constantly until all broth is added. Add soy sauce and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
12. Simmer for 5 minutes, until gravy is thickened to your desired consistency. Remove from heat and pass trough a strainer to remove large chunks.
13. Make the corn: In frying pan over medium-high heat, add oil and corn, paprika, garlic powder and oregano and fry about 5 minutes, until corn begins to brown.
14. Assemble your bowls: In your serving bowls, layer some mashed potatoes, corn, gravy and chunks of vegan chicken. Garnish with green onion and enjoy!

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Notes

If you don’t have chickpea flour, replace it with an extra 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast.

If you don’t have an instant pot, simmer seitan chunks in broth on the stove for 45 minutes.