If you love a bit of heat, then these Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken Wings are for you! These seitan wings are downright delicious. They’re air fried (or baked) to perfection to get that crispy exterior, that when dipped in vegan ranch makes them irresistible. These spicy vegan chicken nuggets are great finger food for a party or sandwich them between bread for a delicious sandwich.
the main components
As the name suggests, this hot chicken flavoring originates from Nashville, and this recipe is an adaptation to make this classic dish vegan-friendly.
While you need 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 marinade
- the dredge/batter coating
- the Nashville hot glaze
- white bread, pickles, or vegan ranch for serving!
the seitan chicken
If you’ve never made seitan, don’t worry! It’s actually quite easy. All you need are 3 main ingredients for this recipe: vital wheat gluten, tofu, and young green jackfruit. If you live in the US, you can find inexpensive cans of jackfruit at Trader Joe’s. You’ll want to blend up your tofu so it’s a crumbly texture and make sure your jackfruit is shredded very well.
You’ll first 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 ingredients (the blended tofu, jackfruit, veggie stock, soy sauce, and olive oil). Next, stir them to combine, 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.
the dredge & marinade
Once you’ve made your seitan, next up is the marinade. In a shallow bowl, mix together the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, and flax. Place the seitan nuggets into the marinade, and let them soak for 2-3 minutes. Traditional hot chicken is marinated for a few hours, however, seitan will absorb too much liquid if left in the marinade that long.
While the seitan marinates, in another small bowl, whisk together the flour, crushed cornflakes, cornstarch and salt. This is the dredge or breading for the vegan nuggets.
You’ll want to place the nuggets into the flour mixture and press the mixture onto all sides. Then, dip them back into the marinade briefly, and then back into the flour mixture for a second time. (The process should be wet > dry > wet > dry).
how to make crispy seitan wings
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.
air frying the vegan chicken
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. Remove the nuggets and brush the hot glaze onto all sides. Place them back in the air fryer and cook for 3 more mins.
baking the vegan chicken
To bake the hot seitan wings: convection bake the nuggets at 400F for 15 minutes. Then take them out, flip them and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove the nuggets and brush the hot glaze onto all sides. Then place them back into the oven and cook them for 5 more minutes.
tips & tricks
If you don’t have jackfruit, I recommend omitting it and adding in an additional ½ tbsp of veggie stock at a time to the mixture until it comes together into a soft dough. However, please note that the texture will be slightly different.
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 sensitive to heat, I recommend only using 1/4 tbsp of cayenne pepper in the Nashville Hot Glaze.
–If you love heat, I recommended using 1 tbsp of cayenne pepper.
–Really want to sweat? Use 1 1/2 tbsp of cayenne pepper.
To get a really crispy crust, here are a few important tips:
1. Make sure to preheat your air fryer.
2. Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper specifically designed for air fryers. The parchment paper I use has holes in it which allows the air to circulate around all the sides of the seitan chicken.
3. Use a pastry brush to spread vegetable oil on both sides of the battered vegan chicken.
4. Flip the seitan during the cooking time.
Looking for more vegan comfort food? Check out these recipes!
Vegan Buttermilk Seitan Chicken
Unbelievable Vegan Chicken & Waffles
Seitan Chicken Salad
Vegan Chicken Parm
Crispy Air Fried Tofu Nuggets
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Leave a rating and comment below!
Vegan Nashville Hot Chicken Wings
These vegan Nashville hot chicken wings are spicy, savory, and crispy! These air-fried (or baked) seitan wings are so tasty dipped in dairy-free ranch or served on white bread with pickles.
Ingredients
Vegan Chicken (makes about 425g of seitan)
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten, (160 g)
- 1/2 tsp salt + pepper
- 1 tbsp vegan poultry seasoning
- 160 g firm tofu, blended (about ½ a block of tofu, but I recommend weighing it out)
- 4 ounces green jackfruit, finely shredded, about ½ a can (see notes for substitutions)
- 3 tbsp veggie stock, or sub water
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Marinade:
- 1 cup almond milk, (200g)
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, (14g)
- 2 tbsp hot sauce, (20g)
- 1 tbsp ground flax, (8g)
Breading:
- 1 cup all purpose flour, (120g)
- 2 tsp salt, (12g)
- 1 cup crushed cornflakes, (66g)
- ¼ cup cornstarch, (32g)
Nashville Hot Glaze:
- 6 tbsp vegan butter
- 1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper ,(4g) (see notes for spice level)
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar,(12g)
- 2 tsp smoked paprika, (5g)
- 1 tsp garlic powder ,(3g)
- 1 tsp onion powder ,(2g)
- ½ tsp salt ,(2g)
- ¼ tsp black pepper, (1g)
Other:
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil, (60g)
Vegan Buttermilk Ranch
- 1 Recipe of Vegan Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (optional, but highly highly recommended)
Instructions
To Make the Vegan Chicken:
- Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper. If baking, grease your baking sheet.
- Combine the dry ingredients (the vital wheat gluten, salt & pepper, poultry seasoning) together in a large bowl.
- Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (blended tofu, jackfruit, veggie stock, soy sauce, olive oil). Stir to combine, then gently knead the dough by hand for 1-2 minutes until it forms a ball. Divide the dough into 12 equal-sized pieces. Shape each piece into a nugget. Set aside on the air fryer basket while you prep the marinade.
Breading the Seitan:
- Preheat your air fryer to 400 degrees F. If using an oven, preheat it to 400 degrees F with convection turned on.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together the almond milk, apple cider vinegar, hot sauce, and flax to make the marinade.
- Place the seitan nuggets into the marinade. Let them soak for 2-3 minutes.
- In another small bowl, whisk together the flour, crushed cornflakes, cornstarch, and salt.
- Place the nuggets into the flour mixture, pressing the mixture onto all sides. Dip them back into the marinade briefly, and then back into the flour mixture for a second time. (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.
To Make the Nashville Hot Glaze:
- In a small saucepan, melt the vegan butter. Whisk in the spices and cook for 1 minute. Set aside until your ready to coat the nuggets.
Air Fry Instructions:
- Air fry the nuggets 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.
- Remove the nuggets and brush the hot glaze onto all sides. Place them back in the air fryer and cook for 3 more mins.
Baking Instructions:
- Convection bake the nuggets at 400F for 15 minutes.
- Then take them out, flip them and bake for 10 more minutes. Remove the nuggets and brush the hot glaze onto all sides.
- Then place them back into the oven and cook them for 5 more minutes.
Notes
Substitutions:
- If you don’t have jackfruit, I recommend omitting it and adding in an additional ½ tbsp of veggie stock at a time to the mixture until it comes together into a soft dough. However, please note that the texture will be slightly different.
- If you live in the US, Trader Joe’s sells inexpensive cans of young green jackfruit.
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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 106Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 32mgCarbohydrates: 22gFiber: 3gSugar: 1gProtein: 4g
Nutritional info is an estimate.
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I made this yesterday and my husband LOVED it!! I did notice that the tenders “puffed” up and got a lot bigger after air frying so it almost became too chewy, what did I do wrong? 😭
Hi Carrie! I’m so glad to hear you all enjoyed this recipe! These do tend to puff up a little when baking but they shouldn’t become chewier. If they puffed up quite a bit and were too chewy, my best guess is that they were cooked slightly too long. Air friers tend to vary in strength, so I would try decreasing the air fry time by 3-5 minutes if you make these again. Let me know if you have any other questions!