Vegan Seitan Chicken Curry (Creamy, and Spicy)

If you made my homemade seitan chicken (or you’re planning to), this is the immediate next thing you should do with it: turn half the batch into a cozy, spicy seitan chicken curry that tastes like it took ages, but really just took… a bit of onion browning patience and a good playlist. 😄

This is the kind of curry that hits all the right notes: ginger-garlic warmth, tomato tang, toasted spices, and a creamy finish without needing dairy. And because we’re using shreddable seitan instead of store-bought vegan chicken pieces, it’s also a very legit high-protein vegan meal prep situation. Make once, eat like a champion for a few days.

Why you need to make this seitan chicken curry

You know when you want comfort food, but you also want it to make you feel energized, not sluggish? This is that.

• High-protein vegan dinner that keeps you fuller for longer
• Weeknight-friendly if you prep the seitan in advance, you get to prepare the curry very easily
• Creamy without heavy cream (soy milk does the job beautifully!)
• Flexible heat level: make it mild or make it spicy-spicy
• Tastes even better the next day, which is exactly what you want for meal prep

What makes this curry work with seitan

Store-bought vegan chicken tends to be firm cubes or strips. Seitan (especially homemade) behaves a little differently, in the best way: it soaks up flavor and gives you that tender bite.

• Shredded seitan gives you more surface area, more sauce absorption, more flavor per bite.
• Chunked seitan gives a meatier bite, but is slightly less saucy.

Brown the onion base properly

This curry is built on a classic Indian-style base: onion + ginger + garlic cooked until golden. That browning step is where depth comes from, so don’t rush it. If you do, the curry still tastes good, but it won’t taste great.

Ingredients you’ll need for this seitan chicken curry

The aromatics

• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1-inch piece ginger, minced
• 1 large onion, diced (or blended with the ginger/garlic)
• 2–3 green chilies, chopped (adjust to heat preference)
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced or pureed

Spices

Whole spice

• 1 tsp cumin seeds

Ground spices

• ¼ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp red chili powder (or paprika for less heat)
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garam masala (added at the end)

The rest

• 1.5 Tbsp oil
• Salt to taste
• About 200–250 g seitan “chicken” (half of your homemade seitan batch)
• 400 ml (about 1⅔ cups) vegetable broth or water
• ½ cup soy milk (or another unsweetened plant milk)

How to make seitan chicken curry

Step 1: Toast the cumin seeds

Heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle until fragrant, about 30–60 seconds. You’ll know it’s ready when your kitchen starts smelling like something good is about to happen.

Step 2: Cook the onion base until golden

Add the onion, garlic, and ginger (either finely chopped or blended into a paste). Cook, stirring often, until it turns golden-brown. This can take around 8-12 minutes depending on your pan and how much moisture is in your onion mixture.

Pointer: If it starts sticking, splash in a tablespoon or two of water and scrape the pan. That browned layer is flavor.

Step 3: Add chilies, then tomatoes

Stir in chopped green chilies and cook for 2-3 minutes so they soften and lose that raw edge.

Add tomatoes and salt. Cook until the tomatoes break down and the mixture deepens in color, about 6-8 minutes. If you’re using pureed tomatoes, it’ll thicken faster.

Step 4: Bloom the ground spices

Add turmeric, red chili powder, coriander, and ground cumin (save garam masala for later). Cook 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. If it looks dry, add a splash of water so the spices don’t catch on the bottom.

Step 5: Add seitan, then broth

Add your seitan pieces (shredded or chunked) and stir to coat them in the masala. Let it cook for 2-3 minutes so it starts soaking up flavor.

Pour in the broth or water and bring to a gentle boil.

Step 6: Finish with garam masala and soy milk

Add garam masala and stir. Lower heat and pour in soy milk to make the curry creamy.

Simmer for about 4-6 minutes, then adjust thickness:

• If you want it thicker, then simmer a bit longer.
• If you want it saucier, then add a splash more soy milk or broth.

Turn off heat and garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with basmati rice or rotis.

Tips for the best flavor!

Don’t skip the onion browning: That 10-ish minute cook time is doing real work. It takes the curry from “fine” to “restaurant-ish.”

Use broth if you can: Water works, but broth adds an instant depth. If your broth is salted, taste before adding more salt.

Add seitan after the spices: Letting seitan sit in the masala for a couple minutes before broth helps it absorb flavor fast.

FAQ: Troubleshooting Vegan Seitan Chicken Curry

1. Why does my seitan chicken curry taste flat?

Most of the time it just needs a little finishing help. Try adding a bit more salt first, because that alone can bring everything into focus. If it still feels dull, a squeeze of lemon at the end usually brightens the whole pot. And if you want it warmer and more “complete,” a small pinch of garam masala can help, just keep it light so it doesn’t turn bitter.

2. How do I fix the seitan chicken curry if it is too spicy?

The easiest move is to mellow it out with more soy milk, or even a spoonful of soy yogurt if you have it. Tomato puree can also balance the heat nicely and make the sauce feel rounder. And honestly, serving it with rice plus something cooling on the side (like a quick cucumber salad) makes a big difference.

3. My sauce is too watery. What should I do?

This is usually just a reduction issue. Let it simmer uncovered a bit longer so some of the liquid cooks off. If you used diced tomatoes, you can also mash a few pieces into the sauce to help it thicken naturally. Next time, using pureed tomatoes from the start will give you a thicker base with less effort.

4. Why is my seitan chicken curry chewy?

Chewy seitan usually means the curry was boiling too hard, or the seitan hasn’t had enough time to relax in the sauce. Keep the heat at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Then let it sit in the curry a little longer, because seitan softens as it sits in liquid and absorbs more of the sauce.

What to serve with seitan curry

• Basmati rice
• Rotis/chapatis
• Jeera rice
• A quick cucumber-onion salad with lemon and salt for contrast