Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken

This crispy vegan Nashville hot chicken is dredged in a buttery cracker crust, drizzled with a homemade Nashville hot glaze, and baked or air fried to golden perfection. If you’re craving a plant-based twist on a Southern classic with a touch of sweet heat, then this vegan chicken recipe is for you!

Ingredients:

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

• Vital Wheat Gluten: The main ingredient in the seitan. This can’t be substituted. I used Anthony’s Vital Wheat Gluten which I order online.  
• Firm Tofu: This helps tenderize the seitan.
• Cayenne Powder: The main ingredient in the Nashville hot sauce. Don’t skip this!
• Brown Sugar: This helps create the perfect balance of sweet and spicy.
• Vegan Butter: I used Country Crock Plant Butter. This helps create a crispy exterior and makes up a bulk of the vegan Nashville hot sauce.
• Crackers or Cornflakes: These help create a crunchy exterior for the seitan.
• All Purpose Flour: This helps create a nice breading on the seitan. 
• Almond Milk: I used unsweetened almond milk to help the flour stick to the seitan. You can use your favorite plant milk instead.

the main components

As the name suggests, this recipe originates from Nashville. I’ve adapted this Southern classic, to make it vegetarian, plant based and vegan-friendly. 

While you need more than a few ingredients to make these seitan wings, I promise it’s 100% worth it! Most of the ingredients are seasonings that make up the Nashville Hot glaze and make the taste of these nuggets more traditional. To make these seitan wings you’ll need to make the following components:

• the seitan chicken
• the dredge/batter coating
• the Nashville hot glaze
• white bread, pickles, or vegan ranch for serving

Step By Step Instructions

STEP 1: In a shallow small bowl mix together the almond milk, apple cider vinegar. In a second shallow bowl, add the all purpose flour. And in a third shallow bowl, add the crushed round crackers or cornflakes.

STEP 2: Blend up your tofu, water, and oil. 

STEP 3: Combine the dry ingredients (the vital wheat gluten, salt & pepper, poultry seasoning) together in a large bowl. Then, make a well in the center and add the wet mixture.

STEP 4: Next, stir to combine the wet ingredients into the dry and then gently knead the dough by hand for 1-2 minutes until it forms a ball. 

STEP 5: To make the seitan into wings or nuggets, divide up the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. Use your hands to shape each piece into a nugget. You can also make vegan chicken patties by dividing the dough into 5-6 equal sized pieces.

STEP 6: Dip the seitan nuggets briefly into the almond milk mixture, then you’ll want to place the nuggets into the flour mixture and press the mixture onto all sides. Then, dip them back into the almond milk briefly, and then into the crushed crackers. (The process should be wet > dry > wet > dry).

📌 NOTE: This recipe includes instructions for either air frying the seitan or for baking them. Air frying gets the vegan chicken a little bit crispier, but overall the texture is similar. If you bake the seitan, I recommend using convection bake. 

STEP 7: If air frying, be sure to preheat the air fryer for a few minutes prior to putting the seitan inside! Air fry the seitan wings at 400F for 10 minutes. Then, take them out and flip them. Reduce the temperature to 375F and cook the nuggets for 10 more minutes.

STEP 8: To bake the hot seitan wings: convection bake the nuggets at 400F (or 425F for a regular oven) for 12 minutes. Then take them out, flip them and bake for 10 more minutes. 

STEP 9: Remove the nuggets and brush the hot glaze onto all sides. Place them back in the air fryer or oven and cook for 3-5 more mins.

Serving Ideas

These vegan Nashville hot chicken wings are spicy, savory, and crispy! They are so tasty dipped in dairy-free ranch or served on white bread with pickles. I highly, highly recommend making this homemade vegan buttermilk ranch recipe to go with them. 

If you shape the seitan into vegan hot chicken nuggets, they make for a great finger food option. Think appetizer for a Game Day or Super Bowl party. 

Or you can spread some ranch or vegan mayo on a bottom bun and place the patty on top. Then, top with coleslaw and bread and butter pickles…and you have a delicious sandwich.

Storage Options

• FRIDGE: Place the baked or air fried vegan hot chicken in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days.

• FREEZER: They can also be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months.

• TO REHEAT: Heat them in a oven or air fryer at 400F for 5-10 minutes or microwave for about 30 seconds.

More Vegan Comfort Food:

• Vegan Buttermilk Chicken
• Homemade Vegan Chicken & Waffles
• Seitan Chicken Salad
• Vegan Chicken Parmesan
• Crispy Hot Honey Tofu Nuggets

Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken (Sandwich or Nuggets)

This vegan Nashville hot chicken is spicy, savory, and crispy! It's made with air-fried (or baked) seitan for a chewy, tender and 'meaty' texture. They're so tasty dipped in dairy-free ranch or served on white bread with pickles.

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 large nuggets

Calories: 260kcal

Author: Emily

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Ingredients

Breading

• ▢ 1 cup almond or soy milk
• ▢ 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• ▢ ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 1 sleeve Round 'Butter' Crackers - 95g like Ritz- crushed or use cornflakes
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable oil - 60g for cooking the seitan

Vegan Chicken (makes 425g of seitan)

• ▢ 160 g firm tofu - drained and lightly pressed (this is about ½ a block of tofu, but I recommend weighing it out)
• ▢ 5-6 tbsp water - or vegetable stock
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten - 160g
• ▢ ½ tsp salt
• ▢ ½ tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tbsp vegan poultry seasoning

Nashville Hot Glaze

• ▢ 6 tbsp salted vegan butter
• ▢ ¼ -½ tbsp cayenne pepper - see notes
• ▢ 2 tbsp light brown sugar - 24g
• ▢ 2 tsp smoked paprika - 5g
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder - 3g
• ▢ 1 tsp onion powder - 2g
• ▢ ½ tsp salt - 2g
• ▢ ¼ tsp black pepper - 1g

Instructions

Prep:

• In a shallow small bowl, mix together the almond milk, apple cider vinegar. In a 2nd shallow bowl, add the all purpose flour. And in a 3rd shallow bowl, add the crushed round crackers or cornflakes.
  1 cup almond or soy milk, 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, ½ cup all-purpose flour, 1 sleeve Round 'Butter' Crackers
• Add the drained tofu, water, and oil to a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.
  160 g firm tofu, 5-6 tbsp water, 1 tbsp olive oil
• Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper. If baking, line your baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the Seitan Chicken:

• Combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tbsp vegan poultry seasoning
• Then, make a well in the center and add the blended tofu / wet mixture.
• Stir to combine the wet ingredients into the dry and then gently knead the dough by hand for 1-2 minutes until it forms a ball.
• To make the seitan into wings or nuggets, divide up the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. Use your hands to shape each piece into a nugget. You can also make vegan chicken patties by dividing the dough into 5-6 equal sized pieces.

Breading the Seitan:

• Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. If using an oven, preheat it to 400°F with convection turned on or 425°F without convection.
• Dip the seitan nuggets briefly into the almond milk mixture, then you'll want to place the nuggets into the flour and press onto all sides. Then, dip them back into the almond milk briefly, and then into the crushed crackers. (The process should be wet > dry > wet > dry).
• Place the coated nuggets onto the prepared air fryer basket or baking sheet.
• Brush all sides of the nuggets with vegetable oil.
  ¼ cup vegetable oil

Cooking the Vegan Chicken:

• Air fry the seitan wings at 400°F for 10 minutes. Then, take them out and flip them. Reduce the temperature to 375°F and cook the nuggets for 10 more minutes.
• OR place in the convection oven at 400°F (or 425°F for a regular oven) for 12 minutes. Then take them out, flip them and bake for 10 more minutes.
• Make the sauce. In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter. Whisk in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Set aside until you're ready to coat the nuggets.
  6 tbsp salted vegan butter, ¼ -½ tbsp cayenne pepper, 2 tbsp light brown sugar, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
• Remove the nuggets and brush the hot glaze onto all sides. Place them back in the air fryer and cook for 3 more mins. Or place back in the oven and bake for 5-6 more minutes.
• Serve on white bread with vegan ranch and bread and butter pickles. Or make into a sandwich with vegan coleslaw, bread and butter pickles and vegan mayo (or ranch).

Notes

Serving the nuggets:

• These nuggets are best served warm dipped in ranch or served on white bread with sweet pickles. 

Notes about the heat level:

• These nuggets are a mild-medium heat level. I’m personally fairly sensitive to heat and found these to be just the right amount of spicy when eaten with ranch, pickles, and white bread (which help cut the heat). 
• If you’re very, very sensitive to heat, I recommend only using 1/4 tbsp of cayenne pepper in the Nashville Hot Glaze. 
• If you love heat, I recommend using 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper.
• If you really want to sweat, I recommend 1 1/2 tbsp of cayenne pepper.

NOTE: This recipe was originally published in May 2021. It has been updated on June 28, 2024.

Nutrition

Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g

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