Seitan Chicken Stir-Fry (3 Cup Chicken)
I created a vegan and high protein version of one of my favorite Taiwanese takeout dishes of all times!
Seitan chicken stir-fries are so yummy because you get a meaty bite of “chicken” that absorbs so much flavor. In this case it’s the classic Taiwanese dish: 3 cup chicken. If you enjoy meatless recipes, check out my Thai Tofu Stir-Fry recipe.
What is 3 Cup Chicken?
3 cup chicken also known as “San Bei Ji”(三杯鸡) is a popular Taiwanese chicken stir-fry dish that got its name from using 3 equal part ratios of sesame oil, soy sauce, and rice wine. I grew up ordering this dish a lot when we would go out to eat in Houston’s chinatown and it’s a family favorite. It’s sweet, savory, and a hint of spicy all in one dish, delicious!
How to make seitan chicken?
Seitan is a form of protein made from wheat gluten so this dish is high in plant protein. I decided to use seitan chicken for this classic Taiwanese dish because of the texture when cooked can resemble that of chicken. It’s also really great for absorbing sauces. I’ve attempted to make seitan many times but the ratio that Avocado and Ales provided is the best! It is a time-consuming process so I recommend multi-tasking while you’re making the seitan chicken in the background or pre-cook it the day before. I use my kitchen-aid on the lowest setting to make my dough and my rice cooker to steam it.
Substitutions
- Shaoxing cooking wine – you can use any rice wine
- Dark soy sauce – you can skip or add more soy sauce
Seitan Chicken Stir-Fry (3 Cup Chicken)
Pin this RecipeEquipment
- Stand Mixer
Ingredients
Seitan Chicken – using Avocado and Ales' ratios
- 1 cup canned chickpeas
- 128 g vital wheat gluten
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup aquafaba saved from the canned chickpeas
- 1 tsp onion powder optional
- 1 tsp garlic powder optional
- ¼ tsp salt optional
- ½ tsp apple cider vinegar
3 Cup Chicken
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp sesame oil
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce see notes above for substitution
- ¼ cup shaoxing cooking wine
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 inch knob of ginger
- 6 cloves garlic
- 4 pieces dried red chiles
- 1 bunch fresh thai basil (roughly 1 cup)
Instructions
Make the Seitan Chicken
- Create chickpea mixture. Blend the following ingredients together in a blender until a smooth consistency: chickpeas, aquafaba, soy sauce, vegetable oil, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and apple cider vinegar
- Knead seitan dough. Using a stand mixer with a flat beat attachment on the lowest setting, stir together the liquid chickpea sauce and vital wheat gluten for roughly 45 mins to 1 hour. The long kneading time is crucial to ensure the dough is tough and firm or else the seitan will turn out gummy.
- Steam the dough. Form the dough into a ball and double wrap it with aluminum foil so the steam doesn't seep into the dough. Steam the dough for 1 hour. While the dough is steaming you can move on to prepping the ingredients for the stir-fry.
- Shred the seitan. After steaming, allow the seitan to cool before shredding. You can shred with your hands or with forks. Shred into bit size pieces. These will be your "chicken" chunks.
3 Cup Chicken
- Prep the aromatics. Slice the ginger and garlic. Cut the red chiles into 1 inch pieces.
- Crisp up the seitan. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet or wok. Once the oil is hot, add the seitan making sure the pieces are spread evening so each piece can crisp up. Cook for 1 minute and then flip over, cook the other side for another minute.Note: you can crisp up the seitan in many ways including baking in the oven or air-frying. I don't recommend cooking the seitan as is (steamed) because it won't have the meaty texture for 3 cup chicken.
- Bloom the aromatics. Remove the crispy seitan and set aside. You can also clean up the pan and remove any excess burnt bits. Heat up the pan again and add 2 tbsp of sesame oil. Once the oil is hot, reduce down to medium to high heat and add the sliced ginger, garlic, and dried chiles until the oil is fragment. Stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the seitan and sauce. Toss in the crispy seitan and coat fully with the sesame oil. Add the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, shaoxing wine, and sugar. Stir fry the seitan chicken in the sauce until it is nice and coated. Stir-fry for another 5 minutes, allowing the seitan to really absorb the flavors of the sauce. Note: If there is too much liquid in the sauce you can reduce the heat to low and let it simmer until the sauce is reduced down. If you need more flavor add equal ratios of soy sauce and shaoxing wine.
- Serve. Turn off the heat and toss in the washed Thai basil leaves. Gently stirring so the leaves are mixed in the sauce. The residual heat is enough to cook the basil leaves. Serve with white rice.
