The Best Vegan (& Gluten Free) Turkey or Chick’n!

There aren’t a lot of vegan meats available at the grocery store that are gluten free, and most of the recipes online call for vital wheat gluten. This is very frustrating when you are vegan and have celiac disease! Gluten free or not, however, everyone will love this vegan turkey/chick’n recipe and it’s good enough to fool many non-vegans!

Soy Curls from Butler Foods are made from whole non-GMO soybeans that are grown without chemical pesticides. They are vegan, gluten free, and wonderfully versatile! They are easy to prepare, and delicious. However, I do not recommend following the package directions. They say to rehydrate the soy curls in warm water, drain, and then season. The problem with doing that is the soy curls then retain a beany flavor and are too wet. Follow the directions below, however, and you will end up with over a pound of delicious vegan turkey or chick’n pieces. They are lovely with gravy, on sandwiches, in salads, in lots of recipes, or even fried up for a special treat! You only need four ingredients:

I used my homemade vegan turkey broth as I was making turkey for Mabon. Use chick’n broth if you want chick’n strips. I use Magical Broth Powder as the seasoning because it already includes everything needed to give the soy curls a poultry flavor.

To rehydrate the soy curls, bring six cups of water to a boil in a large glass bowl. Add 8 oz of soy curls to the water, give them a stir, then let them soak in the hot water for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, drain the soy curls then let them cool until they are no longer hot to the touch.

When the rehydrated soy curls are cool enough to handle, add half of them to a large square of layered cheesecloth.

Squeeze out as much water as you can. Repeat with the remaining soy curls.

Now, you want to add some moisture and seasoning. Melt your vegan butter in a large saucepan. (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread.)

Whisk in the Magical Broth Powder.

Gradually whisk in the vegan turkey broth (or chick’n broth).

Add the rehydrated soy curls and toss to coat them evenly.

Cook for a few minutes on medium, then remove from the heat.

You can use your turkey or chick’n as it is, or add it to any savory recipe.

Serve with vegan turkey or chick’n gravy for a wonderful holiday dinner! My mom and I made this turkey for Mabon a couple of weeks ago:

The next day, we made vegan turkey sandwiches with Just Mayo, lettuce, and cran-raspberry sauce on soft rolls. They were so good! (To make these rolls, I used my sandwich roll recipe, divided it into nine pieces, shaped them into mini French rolls on a French roll pan, and sprinkled them with Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning.)

Leftover turkey or chick’n also makes a wonderful Waldorf Salad! I just substituted the seasoned soy curls for the chick’n strips in my Waldorf salad recipe.

There are so many things you can make with soy curls, and I’ll have lots of recipes coming up! So, I wanted to comment on their price and the best places to get them. The least expensive option is to buy them in bulk directly from Butler Foods. A twelve-pound bag (which is equal to 24 of the 8 oz bags) is $49.95 + $13 for shipping. That is $62.95 total, which is only $2.62 per 8 oz!

You can also get a case of 24 bags (8 oz each) for $67.95 + $13 shipping. That is $3.37 per 8 oz bag. I personally don’t think it’s worth the extra price to pay for the individual bags and will stick with the bulk box above.

If you want to start with a smaller amount, the six-pack is less on Amazon than from Butler because you get free shipping. It is $25.99, which is $4.33 per 8 oz bag. Amazon also has a three-pack for $15.99 that qualifies for free shipping if you have Prime, and that is $5.33 per bag.

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The Best Vegan (& Gluten Free) Turkey or Chick'n!

You only need Butler soy curls, vegan butter, vegan broth, and seasoning to make wonderful vegan (& gluten free) turkey or chick'n!

Course Main Course

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Cooling 40 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 6

Calories 170 kcal

Author Deborah Mesdag

Ingredients

• 8 oz Butler Soy Curls
• 160 g (2/3 c) Vegan Turkey or Chick'n Broth (I use homemade)
• 28 g (2 TBS) Vegan Butter (I use Earth Balance Buttery Spread)
• 18.6 g (2 TBS) Magical Broth Powder

Instructions

1. Bring six cups of water to a boil in a large glass bowl. Add 8 oz of soy curls to the water, give them a stir, then let them soak in the hot water for 20 minutes.

2. After 20 minutes, drain the soy curls then let them cool until they are no longer hot to the touch.

3. When the rehydrated soy curls are cool enough to handle, add half of them to a large square of layered cheesecloth. Squeeze out as much water as you can. Repeat with the remaining soy curls.

4. Melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan. Whisk in the Magical Broth Powder. Gradually whisk in the vegan turkey broth (or chick’n broth).

5. Add the rehydrated soy curls to the saucepan and toss to coat them evenly. Cook for a few minutes on medium, then remove from the heat.

6. You can use your turkey or chick’n as it is, or add it to any recipe.