Unbelievable Vegan Chicken Piccata (Seitan)

This vegan chicken piccata is unbelievably close to the real deal! Lightly breaded seitan serves as a protein-packed plant based meat alternative. The seitan is served over pasta and dressed in a light and creamy, lemon caper sauce.

When I was young, before I went vegan, and as I began attempting to cook more complex meals, one of the first recipes I tried, with the help of my mom of course, was chicken piccata. In middle school, I was captivated by the cooking shows on Food Network, and as soon as I saw Giada make this Italian dish on screen, I wanted to try it at home. It soon became one of my favorite comfort foods.

As my diet changed, I realized this Valentine's day that I had not tried to recreate a vegan version of one of my once favorite Italian dishes. Because this holiday encourages indulgence, I wanted to make this vegan version as authentic and close to the original as possible– no veggies pretending to be "steaks" here!

We start off by making the perfect seitan "chicken" for this recipe. It is incredibly flavorful, moist, and tender on the inside, and coated with a crispy, light breading. Its texture is one that even non-veg friends and family will fall in love with!

Seitan is packed with almost as much lean protein as the same serving of lean meat, almost completely fat-free, and of course completely cholesterol free! The pasta and seitan are complemented by a creamy yet light, lemony, garlicky caper sauce. The dish is topped with fresh chopped parsley.

Ingredient Rundown:

• Homemade seitan: Made of vital wheat gluten, seitan is a plant-based alternative to meat. It's texture is surprisingly realistic, and inexpensive to make yourself at home. We will use my chicken-style seitan recipe, which is savory and flavorful.
• Seasoned flour + breadcrumbs: We will coat the seitan "chicken" pieces in this breading to allow it to get a nice, brown, crispy coating when cooked.
• Pasta: I like to use spaghetti or linguine, but any pasta will do! You can even skip the pasta and instead serve this seitan piccata with veggies.
• Garlic and shallot: Seasons the base of our sauce and infuses it with aromatic, savory flavors.
• Capers: One of the stars of this dish, adds a tanginess and tartness to the sauce that complements the lemon.
• Olive oil: For sautéing the seitan, garlic, and shallots.
• Lemon: Serves as the base of the lemony caper piccata sauce.
• Coconut cream: Adds creaminess to the vegan piccata sauce and is used instead of the traditional heavy cream. This is the top layer of a can of chilled, full fat coconut milk.
• Parsley: The perfect herb to complement the creamy lemon sauce and garnish your finished dish.

Why you'll love this vegan chicken piccata:

• Easy: We simply cook the pasta, bread and sauté the seitan, and cook the piccata sauce, consisting of only a few ingredients.
• Comforting: This is the ultimate vegan comfort food for when you are craving a classic pasta dish!
• So delicious: I made sure to infuse this light and creamy sauce with extra flavor which takes this recipe to the next level.
• Perfect for guests: This is a fancy dish that will definitely impress anyone, especially when you tell them it's 100% vegan!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do! Be sure to comment below if you try it and tag your recreations on Instagram @zenandzaatar!

Recipe

Vegan Chicken Piccata (Seitan)

Zena Hassoun

This vegan chicken piccata is so close to the authentic dish, thanks to homemade seitan, made with a tender inside, and crispy outside! Coated in a light, creamy lemon caper sauce!

4.55 from 20 votes

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Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2 -3 people

Calories 646 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ batch chicken style seitan
• 3 tablespoon flour
• 2 tablespoon breadcrumbs
• salt and pepper to taste

Pasta

• ½ lb. linguine
• 2 tablespoon vegan butter or olive oil
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4-5 cloves garlic minced
• 1 shallot finely diced
• ¼ cup capers
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• ½ cup coconut cream
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ¼ cup parsley leaves chopped

Instructions

 

• Prepare ½ of a batch of chicken style seitan, creating 2-3 chicken "cutlets."
• Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside when done.
• Mix flour and breadcrumbs in a shallow dish or plate. Dredge each cooked seitan piece in flour mixture on both sides and set aside.
• Heat vegan butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Sauté each breaded seitan piece for 3-5 mins on each side, until browned, and set aside.
• Add olive oil, garlic, shallot, and capers to the skillet, and sauté for about 3 mins, until fragrant. Add vegetable broth, lemon juice, and lemon zest, and cook for 5 mins, until reduced slightly. Add coconut cream if desired, and capers. Season with salt and pepper and taste to see if it needs more.
• Pour sauce mixture over pasta and seitan. Serve with extra parsley and lemon juice. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 646kcalCarbohydrates: 66gProtein: 21gFat: 33gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 1141mgFiber: 3gSugar: 28g

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @zenandzaatar on social!