Crispy Roasted Soya Chunks (Vegan Alternative To Chicken)

Enjoy the soft and crispy texture of Roasted Soya Chunks, a great vegan alternative to chicken. Each serving contains 118 calories and 14g of protein. Try this recipe in any dish where you would normally use chicken.

These roasted soya chunks are a great alternative to chicken.  I actually think they’ve got a much nicer texture to chicken.  They are a little soft on the inside and nice and crispy on the outside.  And just like chicken, they soak up the flavor of anything you add to them as they have quite a neutral natural flavor. 

Another name for soya chunks is TVP which stands for Textured Vegetable Protein.  In the US soya chunks aren’t as common as they are in the UK and they tend to use soya curls for this type of recipe. 

Soya curls are a little different from soya chunks in terms of fat content and calories, so if you are counting your calories, make sure you calculate them for the type of soya chunks that you are using. 

Another thing I love about soya chunks or TVP is that you can bulk-buy them and store them in your pantry because they are dried.  That means you always have the protein element of your dinner sitting in your cupboard. 

The only thing you need to do to make your soya chunks edible is to rehydrate them by leaving them to soak in water for up to 10 minutes.  So it really doesn’t take very long to get your TVP into an edible state.  When your TVP is hydrated you can then continue to cook it either in an air fryer, oven, or pan so that you crisp up the outside and give it some flavor by adding some herbs or spices to it.  This makes this recipe very fast and easy as you can have dinner on the table in less than 15 minutes.

Another reason why soya chunks or TVP make an appearance in so many of my recipes is that they are very low in fat because the fat has been extracted from it.  The calories are also very low compared to the high protein count.  In fact, soya chunks made it into the 2nd place in my list of highest vegan protein sources by calories. One serving of these Roasted Soya Chunks contains just 118 calories and a whopping 14g of protein.  When you compare soya chunks to the same number of calories of chicken, the protein amount is almost identical. 

Roasted soya chunks are so versatile.  You could use this dish in so many other types of recipes.  You could use soya chunks in any recipe where you would normally use chicken pieces.
Some of the recipes that I love to add my roasted soya chunks to are my Speedy Soya Chunks Biryani, my Vegan Chicken Shawarma, and my Easy Vegan Souvlaki.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This recipe contains 118 calories per serving
• This recipe contains 14g of protein per serving
• One serving of this recipe contains 29% of your recommended daily intake of protein

• This easy recipe takes 10 minutes of passive preparation time and 5 minutes of cooking time.  
• This recipe is made extra tasty by the addition of garam masala and lemon juice.
• I have simplified this recipe by limiting the number of ingredients and using everyday, simple ingredients such as maple syrup and olive oil.
• This recipe and all recipes on my website are vegan, plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free, lactose-free, free from refined sugar, vegetarian, and are based on whole foods.  
• All of my recipes follow my own diet plan called the Plant Plate 400. In addition,  my recipes also adhere to the following diets, the Mediterranean diet, the 1200 Calories a Day diet, Clean eating, the Macrobiotic diet, the Alkaline diet, the Ornish diet, the Daniel Fast, and the Starch Solution diet.

Ingredients

Ingredient Substitutions

• Olive oil: Use any oil you choose.  Or omit the oil completely and just saute the vegetables in a little water.
• Soya Chunks: You can replace the soya chunks with any type of TVP or soya curls, but bear in mind the soaking time will vary depending on type and size.  The smaller the TVP chunks, the less time they need to soak.  If you don’t want to use TVP you could use firm tofu, or even canned chickpeas or beans for this recipe.
• Sea salt: You don’t have to soak TVP in salted water.  You can soak it without salt.  In the recipe, you don’t have to use sea salt, you can remove it completely or you can replace it with any salt of your choice or 1 tablespoon of tamari.
• Garam Masala: You can replace garam masala with curry powder, ground cumin, or any herbs or spices of your choice. 
• Lemon juice: Replace this with lime juice or remove it completely.
• Maple syrup: You can omit the syrup or replace it with any sweetener of your choice.
• Tamari: Replace this with sea salt or vegan Worcestershire sauce.  If you’re not gluten free you can use soy sauce as it’s most similar to tamari.

The Structure Of A Plant Based Plate

Each of the recipes I create fits into my Plant Plate System.  This system incorporates 5 food groups into every meal. 

The 5 food groups are 1) Plant Protein, 2), Leaves, Fruit, And Veg, 3) Aesthetic Additions, 4) Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates, and 5) Taste

This recipe adds plant protein to any dish.  It falls under the “vegan protein” category on the Plant Based Plate and is not a complete meal.

The diagram below helps you visually see how this element features on a Plant-Based Plate.

Click here to discover more about my Plant Plate System and some of the benefits of eating this way.

Here’s how this recipe is structured according to the Plant Plate System.  

Adding each ingredient to the following categories helps you to easily see how to make substitutions.  It also lets you know the exact reason why the ingredient is in the recipe. 

Plant-Based Protein

• Soya chunks (TVP)

Leaves, Fruit & Veg 

• n/a

Aesthetic Additions

• n/a

Nutrient Packed Carbohydrates

• n/a

Taste 

• Oil
• Salt
• Garam masala
• Lemon juice
• Maple syrup
• Tamari

Recommended Equipment

Here are the main kitchen equipment tools I have used to create this recipe.

How To Make This Recipe

Here is a brief summary of the steps needed to make the recipe.  See the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full detailed instructions.

• Hydrate the soya chunks and then squeeze out the excess water.
• Then add the rest of the ingredients to the soya chunks and cook in a pan or bake in the oven or air fryer.

How To Serve

Soya chunks can be served warm or cold.  Just like chicken, they taste good in a hot meal or stew, and they taste equally good in a cold salad or wrap.

Serving Sizes

If you like this recipe I recommend making a big batch of it and storing it in your freezer.  There is plenty of store-bought frozen vegan “chicken” out there that is very similar to this recipe.  Buying store-bought vegan meat can be very expensive, but soya chunks are very cheap especially if you buy them in bulk.  So you will save a lot of money by making a big batch of these soya chunks.  You can choose to leave the garam masala off so that you can adjust the seasoning to each new recipe that you make. 

How To Reduce The Calories

If you’d like to reduce the calories of this recipe even further, I suggest removing the oil from the cooking process.

Frequently Asked Questions

How To Store Leftovers

This recipe keeps for up to 4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.  Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in a pan.

Ways To Use This Recipe

Here are some of my favorite ways to use this recipe: 

• Add the chunks to my Speedy Soya Chunks Biryani
• Use the chunks as mock chicken in my Vegan Chicken Shawarma
• Make vegan skewers and serve the soya chunks as part of Easy Vegan Souvlaki
• Add them to a veggie stir fry, serve it with noodles or rice and your favorite stir fry sauce

Vegan Carbohydrate Side Dishes

Serve this recipe with any of the following carb side dishes which are all around 100 calories per serving: 

• Crispy Homemade Baked French Fries
• Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
• Most Crispy Vegan Jacket Potato
• Easy Whole Baked Sweet Potato
• Perfect Long Grain White Rice

For more options, see all of my best vegan, gluten-free carbs side dishes.

Vegan Vegetable Side Dishes

Here are some vegetable side dishes that go very nicely with this recipe which are all under 100 calories per serving.

• Easy Vegan Cheesy Broccoli
• Vegan Zucchini Fritters
• Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan vegetable side dishes.

Vegan Dips

Here are some vegan dips or vegan sauces that go very nicely with this recipe, and are very quick to make.  These are all under 50 calories per serving.

• No Cook Marinara Sauce (this makes a great salsa or tomato sauce dip)
• Quick Gluten Free Vegan Gravy Recipe
• Vegan Ranch Dip Recipe
• Creamy Edamame Guacamole

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan dips recipes.

More Vegan Meat Side Dishes

If you’re looking for some vegan meat side dishes that are great substitutes for regular meat, and are under 150 calories per serving, check out some of my other recipes:

• Vegan Gluten Free Black Bean Meatballs
• 10 Minute Plant Based Black Bean Burger
• Easy Vegan Meatloaf
• Smoky Tempeh Bacon
• Spicy Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
• Vegan Jackfruit Shredded Chicken
• Easy Baked Mushroom Bacon

For more options, see all of my best gluten-free vegan meat recipes.

Recipe

Crispy Roasted Soya Chunks

Katherine Kyle

Enjoy the soft and crispy texture of Roasted Soya Chunks, a great vegan alternative to chicken. Each serving contains 118 calories and 14g of protein. Try this recipe in any dish where you would normally use chicken.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course, plant protein

Cuisine Britain

Servings 4

Calories 118.2 kcal

Equipment

• Air Fryer
• Oven
• Large Pot or Large Frying Pan

Ingredients

  

• 1 Teaspoon Olive Oil
• 100g (2 Cups) Soya Chunks
• 2 Teaspoons Sea Salt (Divided)
• 1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Maple Syrup
• 2 Tablespoons Tamari

Instructions

 

• Add the soya chunks, 4 cups boiling water, and 1 teaspoon sea salt to a large bowl or saucepan.
• Leave the soya chunks to hydrate for 10 minutes. Drain the water from soya chunks.
• Rinse the soya chunks with cold water, then squeeze out the excess water. At this point the soya chunks are edible, and we are now going to add some flavor and crispiness to them.

Pan

• Add the oil to a large frying pan over a medium heat.
• Add the hydrated soya chunks to the pan and cook for 2 minutes.
• Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of sea salt, and garam masala to the pan and stir for 1 minute.
• Add the lemon juice, maple syrup, and tamari and stir. Cook for a further 2 minutes.

Oven

• Preheat the oven to 200C/400F.
• Mix the hydrated soya chunks with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sea salt, garam masala, oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and tamari in a large bowl.
• Spread the soya chunks out on an oven tray lined with parchment paper (greaseproof paper) and bake for 10 minutes or until golden.

Air Fryer

• Mix the hydrated soya chunks with the remaining 1 teaspoon of sea salt, garam masala, oil, lemon juice, maple syrup, and tamari in a large bowl.
• Spread the soya chunks out in the air fryer basket lined with parchment paper (greaseproof paper) and bake for 5-10 minutes at 200C/400F or until golden.

Notes

Storage: This recipe keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an air-tight container. It also freezes well for up to 3 months.  Defrost it before using it. Reheat it by warming it up gently in a pan.

Nutritional Information: The nutritional information is for one serving of the recipe.

Ingredient Swaps

Almost all ingredients can be swapped for other ingredients.  See the section called Ingredients substitutions in the blog post for easy ingredient swaps. 

Now it’s your turn to make magic with food.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Katherine Kyle

BSc, PGCE, Certified Vegan Nutritionist at Magical Life Of Fruit

I help busy people make tasty, simple, plant-based, gluten free meals that are so filling that they don't need to snack at all.

When I switched to a vegan diet I lost 56 pounds (5 dress sizes) and all areas of my life were dramatically transformed.

Going vegan totally gave me my life back, saved me money, boosted my confidence, increased my energy, and helps me maintain a healthy weight.

Read my story here.

I have helped millions of people to do the same through my two websites,
GreenThickies.com and MagicalLifeOfFruit.com.

Send Katherine a message on Instagram,or email.

Latest posts by Katherine Kyle (see all)

• Gluten-Free Vegan Yorkshire Pudding - August 6, 2023
• Air Fryer Greek Potatoes Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free) - August 5, 2023
• Vegan Yorkshire Pudding Wrap Recipe (Gluten Free) - August 3, 2023