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    Home > Indian Vegan Recipes

    Vegan Chicken Biryani

    Posted: Mar 18, 2010 ยท Updated: Aug 16, 2021

    Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe

    A spicy, tasty Indian vegan "chicken" biryani made with seitan chicken. It's the perfect comfort food.

    Front shot of a tasty, spicy vegan "chicken" biryani with gravy and cilantro in a red and white plate.


    I don't cook with meat substitutes often but sometimes I like to experiment because I know many vegans do enjoy them. Both because they offer tons of healthy protein without the fat usually found in meat, and because they simulate the texture of meat.

    The secret to cooking with meat substitutes is to infuse them with tons of flavor-- or else they end up tasting like, well, substitutes for the real thing and that defeats the purpose of it all.

    For my Vegan Chicken Biryani I used seitan, a wheat-based protein that's got a really chewy texture and that's quite popular even with some lacto-vegetarians I know. My memory of seitan was for a long time tainted by a dish I once had at a popular vegetarian restaurant here in the DC area. The dish was called "Kale Infinity" and as the name suggests it was packed with an infinite amount of almost-raw kale and flavorless slices of seitan.

    Despite my adamant refusal to waste food, I am ashamed to say I did end up throwing most of that mess into my compost heap.

    So when I decided to try my biryani with seitan, I wanted to make sure I put into it as much of a punch as I could pack. Which was not difficult because there are so many dashing and brilliant flavors you can add to a biryani.

    It was perfect, and for the first time I can stomach seitan again. Joyfully.

    Here's the recipe. Enjoy!

    Looking for more Indian vegan recipes?

    • Vegetable Biryani
    • Instant Pot Butter "Chicken" with Tofu
    • Easy Vegan Chick'n Curry with Potatoes and Coconut Milk
    • Vegan Spinach "Chicken"
    • Quick, Spicy Vegan "Chicken" Masala
    Front shot of a tasty, spicy vegan "chicken" biryani with gravy and cilantro in a red and white plate.



    Vegan Chicken Biryani

    A very authentic tasting vegan chicken biryani with seitan as a meat substitute.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Review Recipe
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Indian
    Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
    Keyword: Chickfree biryani, Vegan chicken biryani
    Prep Time: 20 mins
    Cook Time: 30 mins
    Total Time: 50 mins
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 253kcal
    Author: Vaishali ยท Holy Cow! Vegan Recipes

    Ingredients 

    For the rice

    • 1 ยฝ cups Basmati rice (or any long-grain rice, washed in running water until clear)
    • 2 ยฝ cups water or vegetable stock
    • 2 cloves
    • 2 green cardamom pods
    • A bay leaf
    • Salt to taste

    For the gravy

    • 18 oz seitan
    • 8 oz silken tofu
    • Juice of half a lemon
    • 6 cloves garlic , minced
    • 1 inch ginger , minced
    • 1 cup cilantro (loosely packed)
    • 2 green chillies
    • 1 ยผ onions (thinly slice 1 onion and chop the remaining ยผth)
    • 1 cup tomato puree
    • 1 tablespoon garam masala powder
    • ยฝ teaspoon turmeric
    • ยฝ teaspoon red chilli powder (optional)
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • Salt to taste
    • Cilantro (for garnish)
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    Instructions

    • Make the rice by placing the water in a pot along with the cardamom and bay leaves. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down to a simmer. Cover and let the rice cook 10 minutes. Turn off and let stand.
    • Place the tofu, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, green chili peppers, chopped onion and coriander leaves in a blender and grind to a fairly smooth paste.
    • Drain the seitan and place it in a bowl. Pour the tofu-ginger-garlic marinade over it and toss with a spoon till all the pieces are thoroughly coated. Set aside for at least an hour.
    • Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the sliced onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are golden-brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
    • Remove half the onions to a bowl and reserve. To the remaining onions, add the garam masala, turmeric and chilli powders and stir well for a few seconds. Add the tomato puree.
    • Saute until the tomato turns darker and begins to express oil.
    • Add the seitan along with the marinade, stir together well, bring to a boil. Then lower the heat to low and allow the mixture to simmer for about 15 minutes or until the flavors have merged well. Add salt to taste.
    • Take the cooked rice and gently spread it on top of the gravy in an even layer.
    • Close the skillet with a tight-fitting lid, ensure the heat is still turned to low, and allow the biryani to cook another 10 minutes. If you like some additional color in your biryani, mix 2 tablespoon of soymilk with a few strands of saffron or a generous pinch of turmeric and sprinkle on top of the rice before putting on the lid.
    • Turn off the heat and allow the biryani to stand at least 10 minutes before opening. Garnish with the fried onions you had reserved and the coriander leaves. I also love sauteing a few cashew nuts and raisins in a smidgen of oil until the raisins are plumped up and the nuts golden, and then sprinkling them on top of the biryani for a fabulous final touch.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Potassium: 285mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 302IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Please leave a comment and recipe rating below!
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    About Vaishali


    Hi! I am so happy you're here. I'm Vaishali, and I've been sharing recipes for delicious vegan food at Holy Cow Vegan since 2007. Every one of the more than 1,000 recipes on this blog has been tried and tested -- and loved -- by my family and I. I hope you will find something here to share with your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by!
    Read more about me here.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Supriya

      October 12, 2020 at 4:40 pm

      Making this now but which step do we add add the green chilis and red onion?

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        October 12, 2020 at 5:33 pm

        Step 2! Sliced onions in step 4.

        Reply
    2. Anonymous

      July 15, 2018 at 7:30 pm

      I have made this and it turned out amazing .! Addition of blended tofu is an ingenious idea. Dint miss my meat at all!

      Reply
    3. Gayathri Bhandarkar

      March 03, 2014 at 6:08 pm

      Made this yesterday! Another awesome recipe!! LOVE it!! You did a good job getting the seitan to really absorb some flavor!

      Reply
      • Vaishali

        March 04, 2014 at 3:06 pm

        Gayathri, so happy you liked it. Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    4. Pinky

      August 25, 2011 at 7:00 pm

      Cooked it !!! just perfect Taste... Went back to the day i lived in Hyderabad... thanks a lot !!

      Reply
    5. Anonymous

      March 22, 2010 at 5:15 pm

      Yum! Your biryani looks better than the ones served at restaurant here.I have never tried Seitan before but will give it a try soon.

      Anuu

      Reply
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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

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    Vaishali Honawar, Holy Cow Vegan author, profile photo

    Hi, I'm Vaishali! I cook, eat and share easy, tasty and nutritious plant-based recipes from my Washington, D.C. kitchen, but I never fight a craving for samosas or French fries. 

    More about me โ†’

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