Vegan Chicken Recipe
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.
Best Vegan Chicken recipe made of a perfect mix of seitan and tofu for the most tender and meaty texture. Incredibly delicious fried as meatless cutlets or nuggets and toped with a luscious Piccata sauce. Serve with mashed potatoes as a vegan Thanksgiving turkey alongside a green bean casserole and stuffing, or anywhere you would use chicken breast.
Vegan Chicken
This flavor packed protein rich chicken substitute is made from the perfect ratio of wheat gluten aka “seitan” and silken tofu. The meatless but meaty mixture is then shaped into thin cutlets that resemble chicken breast, steamed, coated in panko bread crumbs and pan fried until golden crispy.
It’s particularly lovely served with a Piccata sauce over mashed potatoes as a festive dish but could also be used as “vegan turkey” or “chicken parmesan” with a nice homemade tomato sauce alongside vegan fettucine Alfredo. It’s also great in tacos, fajitas, stir fries, a sandwich, added to a big salad, alongside this roasted tomato pasta, on top of the best mac and cheese, leek pasta and even fried rice.
Ingredients
- Wheat Gluten – otherwise known as wheat meat and wheat protein, a fine flour-like powder that is mostly gluten and no starch. Legend has it that it was discovered by Buddhist monks and used to encourage people to adopt a meat-free diet.
- Tofu – I used this silken firm one but any silken tofu will work here. You’ll need about 1.5 cups and there’s no need to press it at all, just crumble it.
- Spices – a simple mix of savory nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powders + just the perfect amount of sea salt.
- Panko – if you want an extra crispy cutlet you have to use panko bread crumbs. Regular ones are ok but panko are magical.
- Piccata Sauce – unless you are going to make a sandwich with mayo, lettuce and tomato, you really want to prepare this sauce. In a nutshell it’s butter infused with garlic and simmered away with white wine and capers until reduced to a silky heavenly emulsion. Worth every single calorie!
How To Make the Best Vegan Chicken Breast
- Prepare the Seitan in the bowl of a food processor by combining the vital wheat gluten, tofu, nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powder + salt. Blend until a smooth dough is form. Transfer to a cutting board and divide into 6 pieces.
- Shape each piece into a thin 5 to 6 inch long oval that resembles chicken breast. If you prefer you could shape it into tenders, patties or nuggets.
- Place the cutlets in a steamer basket, cover with a lid and steam for 25 minutes flipping them half way so they cook evenly. Transfer to a plate and allow to cool off completely or refrigerate for later use.
- Prepare the batter and panko coating. Dip each cutlet in the batter and coat in the panko bread crumbs.
- Fry in hot vegetable oil until golden crispy on each side.
- In a medium sauce pan make the Piccata sauce with the butter, garlic, capers and white wine. Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon and serve with the crispy cutlets and mashed potatoes.
Make Ahead
The seitan cutlets can be prepared and steamed in advance then cooled and refrigerated up to one week. It’s a great item to prep for the holidays and have ready to coat and fry in no time.
Vegan Chicken Breast
The Best Vegan Chicken made from seitan and tofu for the most tender and meaty texture. Perfect for frying as meatless cutlets or nuggets and served with a garlic butter Piccata sauce and mashed potatoes.
Print Recipe
Ingredients
The Cutlets
- 12.3 oz silken tofu aprox 1.5 cups
- 1 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten + more as needed
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 4 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp sea salt
Piccata Sauce
- 1/2 cup vegan butter (I used Miyoko’s European)
- 5 cloves garlic grated
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 Tbsp capers brined
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup Italian parsley roughly chopped
Batter + Coating
- 3/4 cup cashew milk (or any plain plant milk)
- 3 Tbsp all purpose or whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 2.5 cups panko bread crumbs for coating
- 1 pinch salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
Make the Vegan "Chicken" Cutlets
- To the bowl of a food processor add the cutlets ingredients: crumbled tofu, wheat gluten, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, onion and garlic powders + sea salt. Process using the pulse button until a smooth dough ball is formed. If the mixture seems too sticky just sprinkle in a little more wheat gluten but take care not to over process. (Alternatively if the dough seems a little dry just add 1 Tbsp water).12.3 oz silken tofu, 1 1/3 cup vital wheat gluten, 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast, 4 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp sea salt
- Remove the dough from the food processor and divide it in 6 pieces. Sprinkle with some wheat gluten if needed to prevent sticking. Roll each piece into a ball then flatten and stretch into 5 to 6 inch long ovals that are about 1/2 inch thick or so. (I prefer them thinner as they will puff up again during steaming)
- Bring 2 to 3 inches of water to a simmer in a large pot and place the steamer basket inside of the pot. Brush the cutlets with some oil and place them inside the steamer basket without touching each other. Cover with a lid and steam the for 25 minutes flipping them half way.
- Transfer the cutlets to a plate and allow to cool off completely. At this point they can be refrigerated for later use.
Make the Piccata Sauce
- Preheat a medium sauce pan over medium low heat. Add the vegan butter and as soon as it has melted stir in the garlic. Cook for about 30 seconds or so just until fragrant. Pour in the white wine and bring to a simmer. Add the capers and continue cooking until de sauce is reduced by half. Hit it with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, remove from heat and stir in the fresh parsley.1/2 cup vegan butter, 5 cloves garlic, 1 cup dry white wine, 2 Tbsp capers, 1/2 lemon, 1/4 cup Italian parsley
Batter + Fry the Cutlets
- In a medium bowl whisk together the milk, flour, onion, garlic powder and paprika. Place the panko breads on a plate and season with a pinch of salt.3/4 cup cashew milk, 3 Tbsp all purpose or whole wheat flour, 2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp paprika
- Dip each cutlet in the batter and allow and excess to drip. Place in the panko coating and make sure to pack well all over pressing with your fingers where more coverage is needed. Repeat the process until all cutlets are breaded.2.5 cups panko bread crumbs for coating
- Heat up 1 inch of vegetable oil in a heavy bottom skillet. Carefully place each breaded cutlet in the hot oil and fry for about 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown to your liking. Transfer the cutlets to a cooling rack or a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve hot with the garlic butter Piccata sauce over a bed of fluffy mashed potatoes. Finish with a light drizzle of olive oil and garish with fresh parsley.
Video
Notes
- Make Ahead - The seitan cutlets can be prepared and steamed in advance then cooled and refrigerated up to one week. It's a great item to prep for the holidays and have ready to coat and fry in no time.
- Panko - if you want an extra crispy cutlet you have to use panko bread crumbs. Regular ones are ok but panko are magical.
- Piccata Sauce - unless you are going to make a sandwich with mayo, lettuce and tomato, you really want to prepare this sauce. In a nutshell it's butter infused with garlic and simmered away with white wine and capers until reduced to a silky heavenly emulsion. Worth every single calorie!
Nutrition
Serving: 1cutlet | Calories: 411kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 810mg | Potassium: 328mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1100IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 127mg | Iron: 4mg
Servings: 6 cutlets
Calories: 411kcal
You’ll Also Love:
Wowza! I don’t know how this is possible but really this was the best chicken piccata I’ve ever made and it’s vegan. My mind is blown, this recipe truly makes the case for plant based diets and begs the question: Why are we still messing with animals? Amazingly done Florentina!
Do you think it would be okay to freeze the cutlets after steaming them?
Sure, but I would expect a little change in texture, think a little more chewy opposed to tender. Hope you love them ~ Florentina Xo’s
Do you think you can use a bamboo steamer?
Yes Lisa, you can certainly use the bamboo steamer just try to not overlap the cutlets if possible. You can lightly oil them to prevent sticking.
Omigods. I made these for supper tonight, but used Marinara sauce (instead of the piccata – I didn’t have all the ingredients)…made a Chick’n Parm…I also added a teaspoon of Trader Joe’s Vegan Chickenless Seasoning Salt instead of the regular salt to the dough part of the recipe. THIS is a winner recipe! Next time, will try the Piccata sauce…absolutely easy to make and tastes delicious! The leftover cutlets will be cut into lunchtime whole wheat wraps tomorrow!!! Five Stars!!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This makes me so happy Susan. You definitely need to try them with the Piccata sauce as well, I’m doing that for Thanksgiving but will also have a red sauce option and this creamy sausage gravy. There are so many ways to use these cutlets in different recipes,enjoy! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Hi
I’d like to make this recipe. it looks great, but I don’t have a “Steamer”. Is there anything else I can do to steam them?
could i just do the batter and fry part?
thanks!
Hey Patrice, you must cook the cutlets before frying them. If you don’t have a steamer then i suggest boiling them in water instead just like you would pasta. This method will yield a chewier cutlet but will still be delicious. Let me know how it turns out! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Can I fry they without breading them, can I use in stirfrys?
Sure, once steamed the cutlets are totally cooked and can be enjoyed any way you choose.
I made this just over a week ago and having tried numerous seitan recipes, I always found that they are very heavy. But when I tried this recipe, I could already see from the consistency of the dough, that it was totally different. And the result was an awesome light and crispy schnitzel. All other seitan recipes have been set aside. This one is the best.
Will substituting regular firm tofu for silken tofu ruin the recipe? It is often difficult to find silken tofu in grocery store near us. Thank you!
Regular tofu will be fine, you’ll just end up with a firmer cutlet. Let me know how it turns out ~ Florentina Xo’s
Made this tonight. Absolutely delicious. I used regular firm tofu. I can’t even believe how good this is. Made “chicken” Parmesan. It was the best!! Thank you!!
Lisa, thank you so much fo your feedback! 🤗 I really needed this information 🙃
I was wondering if a “chicken” salad could be made from the leftover cutlets and if so how would you suggest cutting it?
Thanks
I personally would slice up the leftover cutlets and add them to a big green salad or a pasta salad.
After reading all the amazing reviews, I’m excited to try it. I’ve always had an issue with my chicken (especially in larger pieces) out rubbery, you can literally bounce it off the floor, even when I add tofu in. What am I doing wrong??
Carrie, have you tried this exact recipe? The ratio of wheat gluten to tofu plays a major role in texture and also the cooking part. Overcooking the cutlets will make them rubbery so maybe that’s where the error happened in your previous experiments. Let me know how this recipe turns out for you ~ Florentina Xo’s
I made this recipe for dinner last night and it was incredible! This was my first time combining seitan and tofu and it was perfect! This has been added to my favorite recipes!
OMG is right! The most incredible vegan chicken / seitan I’ve ever eaten. Nobody will know this is vegan from texture to flavor this is like the most tender chicken cutlets, snitzel or chicken parmesan, really can’t wait to try it again with some marinara sauce. Thank you, thank you for sharing this recipe, the entire world needs to taste this!
Is there is there anything that can be used as a substitute for the wine in the picatta sauce?
Hi Carla, you can definitely do a lemon veggie stock combo instead, however this is a wine sauce with a certain flavor as it reduces so just keep that in mind as you substitute ingredients, it won’t turn out quite the same. Enjoy and let me know how it goes ~ Florentina Xo’s
Can this be baked or air fried instead of fried in a pan?
You sure can sit fry or bake @400″F until golden crispy (the cutlets are already cooked through so you need not worry about that)
This must be some sort of sorcery! A vegan dish that my husband RAVED over! If I’m not too late, I have a few questions, however:
Have you tried air frying these?
Do they freeze well in any form (raw, steamed, fully cooked)?
How in the HECK do you clean the food processor? I didn’t realize that soaking the bowl would only cement the dough to the bowl, it took me almost an hour to get the thing clean! 😀
I’ve been looking through your recipes and have several on cue to be made. Thanks for all your effort to make such amazing recipes and a great website to view them on!
Well YAY for the successful sorcery of my vegan chicken LOL! About the food processor, yikes, it’s best if you clean it right away, I just try to hand clean all I can before using any water, try using a flat spatula to scrape out any bits left behind then wash. On FREEZING – Yes you can freeze the steamed cutlets and thaw out before cooking. You can totally air-fry @375″F or even @400″F until crispy, don’t forget the cutlets are already steamed. Can’t wait to hear what else you will try next, report back ~ Florentina Xo’s
Can I freeze the silken tofu so I have it avalable when I need to make these chicken breasts. I some times have trouble finding silken tofu at the grocery stores.
Hi Betty, yes you can freeze the tofu but also you can just stock up on the shelf stable ones I used. I store them in a kitchen drawer and they last for a long time, you can find them on Amazon here https://amzn.to/3ROFKRO