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Make our delicious vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches with homemade seitan and cashew cucumber ranch dressing. Perfect for meal prep!
Buffalo sauce is great any time of year
If you’ve been vegan for a while like me, you’ll know how awesome store-bought buffalo sauce is. It’s super affordable, mega delicious, and is packed with flavor. I honestly didn’t even like buffalo sauce until after I became vegan, but knowing it’s one of the many sauces I can dip a fry into brings me much joy.
I am a huge fan of buffalo sauce now! In fact, you can check out some of my favorite buffalo-inspired recipes like these buffalo jackfruit grilled cheeses, or this buffalo chickpea salad. Oh yeah, and you can’t forget about these buffalo jackfruit sweet potatoes – a true treat!
Rise to the challenge – make your own vegan buffalo chicken seitan
I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t start making seitan until a few years ago – and for a vegan who has been the thing for over a decade, I gotta tell you, I was a bit embarrassed that it took me that long to give it a go. This recipe for vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches uses homemade chicken seitan from one of my other recipes.
Seitan can be kind of tricky sometimes, but once you make it a few times it can be a lifesaver for your wallet. I absolutely love store-bought mock meat – Tofurky, Field Roast, Gardein, you name it, but they can get so expensive. Making your own seitan can be a great way to introduce mock meat packed with protein into your diet for half the cost of most mock meats.
If you don’t have time to make your own seitan for buffalo chicken sandwiches, that’s ok too! If you still have some time at home to prep, I’d suggest swapping the seitan out for two cans of jackfruit. I think that would taste quite lovely!
And if you’re looking for store-bought suggestions, I’d go with Gardein’s chicken scallopini. Sometimes the texture of Gardein products can get a bit wacky, So I’d go with a toaster oven when heating if you have one – maybe even an air fryer.
While you’re at it, make your own dressing
I am a huge fan of making my own salad dressings because the ones I make are usually cheaper and a little better for you. If you missed my last post for cashew cucumber ranch definitely check it out! That’s the dressing I topped all over my buffalo chicken sandwich.
If you’re not a cucumber person, I have a few other ranch dressing recipes lying around that are super delicious and would kick ass on this sandwich. First, check out this parsley and dill salad dressing. It’s basically a cashew ranch dressing but made with fresh herbs so it’s a little fancy!
Next, check out my hemp seed ranch dressing. If you’re allergic to cashews, this one might be a good idea. Lastly, if you’re short on time, you can always whip up a small batch of dressing with Vegenaise or buy a bottle of store-bought ranch. My favorite is the one from Follow Your Heart.
What ingredients do I need to make vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches?
Ok, so you’ve got chicken seitan and cashew cucumber ranch. You just need a few more ingredients and you’ll be ready to make vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches.
Chicken seitan: covered in-depth above! I strongly recommend making your own from my recipe! If you don’t have time, feel free to substitute for a store-bought option.
Cashew cucumber ranch dressing: Also covered above. If you have some extra time to make your own, do it! If not, go for a store-bought alternative.
Buffalo sauce: I am not really a brand loyalist for buffalo sauce. Most options are vegan but be sure to read the label just in case. I used the Noble Made Medium buffalo sauce for this recipe, but I’ve used Frank’s and Tabasco in the past. Just buy whatever is available at your local store. I’m sure it will taste just great.
Buns: I went with a very boring and standard whole wheat bun. You can really use whatever kind of bread you’d like for this sandwich.
Romaine: I love fresh crisp greens in my sandwiches and this vegan buffalo chicken sandwich is no exception. I chose romaine for my green of choice, but I think spring mix, iceberg, or arugula would work well too.
Tomato and red onion: Gotta have a few slices of juicy tomato goodness as part of this sandwich as well as a slice of red onion.
Vegan butter: This is optional, but I like to brown my chicken seitan in vegan butter before adding the sauce. It builds a layer of crispiness in the seitan which results in a less chewy product.
How to make vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches
To make vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches you will need a toaster to warm your bread, a nonstick skillet to warm the seitan, a knife and a cutting board to prep the toppings, and a silicone spatula.
Start by prepping all of your toppings, slice your tomato, onion, and lettuce, and set aside. If you are using a frozen substitute, ensure it is fully cooked before moving on. Then, in a medium-sized skillet, add ¼ cup of butter and half a batch of chicken seitan pieces (about 4 servings). Use a silicone spatula to mix the butter in with the chicken and start to lightly brown the chicken pieces on all sides for about 5 minutes.
Pour 1 cup of the buffalo sauce on top of the chicken seitan and lower the heat. Stir the chicken with the spatula to ensure sticking does not occur. Continue to cook until the chicken has absorbed some of the sauce. While the chicken is warming, toast the buns with a toaster or toaster oven.
When the buns are ready, it’s time to assemble the sandwich. Add a hearty layer of buffalo chicken seitan to the bottom bun and top with a red onion slice, a few tomato slices, and a handful of romaine lettuce. Add a few spoonfuls of cucumber cashew ranch to the top bun and place on top of the lettuce. Repeat until you run out of sandwich ingredients.
Substitution ideas and more for buffalo chicken sandwiches
Swap sauces: Not a buffalo sauce fan? I’m surprised you made it this far! You can always swap out buffalo sauce for something else. I think BBQ sauce would taste delicious or you can simply add some all-purpose seasoning to the chicken and enjoy this sandwich without any sauce.
Buy seitan instead of making it yourself: I know not everyone has time to make their own seitan. If you do, hell yeah! If you don’t, you can still make this recipe. Simply substitute your favorite mock chicken in place of seitan. Just be sure to cook it before adding it to a skillet with the vegan butter.
Make it a wrap: This vegan buffalo chicken sandwich would taste great in wrap form. Simply shove into your favorite tortilla and eat! Bonus points if you grill the sucker.
Sub store-bought dressing: I get it, not everyone has time to prep their own dressing or source all of the ingredients to do so. Feel free to substitute for your favorite store-bought ranch. P.S. Anyone seen that plant Hidden Valley yet? I have yet to run across it.
Want more recipes?
If you liked our vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches recipe, you might like some of my other sandwich recipes like
- Chipotle chickpea melts
- BBQ chicken sandwiches
- Vegan breakfast sandwiches
- Giant bagel sandwiches
- Chickpea salad sandwiches
- Green chili lentil sloppy joes
Recipe jam
I suggest a song for you to listen to while you make vegan buffalo chicken sandwiches in this segment! You can even stream it right here in your browser. Today’s recipe jam is Cartigan by Taylor Swift.
If you try this recipe, I want to hear about it! Feel free to post your creations to Instagram or Facebook and tag Hell Yes It’s Vegan or #hellyesitsvegan. I look forward to seeing what you make!
Vegan Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Equipment
- cutting board
- knife
- nonstick skillet
- silicone spatula
- toaster oven / a way to toast your buns
Ingredients
- 1 large tomato, thinly sliced
- ¼ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 1 cup romaine lettuce, shredded
- ¼ cup vegan butter
- ½ recipe chicken seitan pieces, (or store-bought alternative)
- 1 cup vegan buffalo sauce
- 4 large hamburger buns
- ½ cup cashew cucumber ranch dressing, (or store-bought alternative)
Instructions
- If you are using a store-bought alternative for your seitan, prep it according to package instructions. Then, slice the tomato, onion, and lettuce and set aside.1 large tomato, ¼ medium red onion, 1 cup romaine lettuce
- In a medium-sized non-stick skillet, add the vegan butter and seitan chicken. Brown the pieces for about 5 minutes and then add the buffalo sauce, reduce the heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.¼ cup vegan butter, ½ recipe chicken seitan pieces, 1 cup vegan buffalo sauce
- While the seitan warms, toast the buns. Then assemble your sandwiches. Add a layer of buffalo seitan to the bottom bun, then add a layer of red onion, tomato, and a handful of romaine. Take the top bun and add two tablespoons of cashew cucumber ranch dressing and place on top.4 large hamburger buns, ½ cup cashew cucumber ranch dressing