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This vegan chicken parmesan is a classic Italian-American dish made veggie-friendly! This recipe has crispy herb crusted seitan chicken, a rich tomato sauce, and creamy dairy free cheese on top that becomes golden brown when baked.
If you love comforting Italian-inspired pastas like this one, be sure to check out my vegan Alfredo, meatless baked ziti, or my authentic vegan carbonara next.
Originally Published: April 2021 | Updated: February 2024
Why You’ll Love this Vegan Chicken Parmesan Recipe
I grew up in an Italian-American household, which meant, well… a lot of Italian food from meatballs to pasta! This dish is nostalgic and a classic that hits that classic chicken parmigiana craving. This dish has seitan chicken that’s breaded and smothered in a savory tomato basil marinara sauce (or your favorite store-bought red sauce).
It’s topped off with lots of my favorite vegan parmesan cheese by Violife. I love how chewy the homemade seitan is and that it adds TONS of protein to this dish.
Here are a few more reasons why we love this recipe and you will too:
Emily’s Recipe Notes:
- Hearty and Crispy Baked Vegan Chicken Cutlets: The primary component of this dish is the the plant-based seitan chicken. It’s crusted in a herby parmesan breadcrumb coating and baked until golden brown and crispy.
- Homemade Creamy Vegan Mozzarella Cheese Sauce: To get that authentic chicken parmesan look, this recipe includes a simple homemade plant-based cheese sauce to spread on top of each vegan chicken cutlet.
- High Protein with the Perfect Texture: Seitan gives this dish a chewy ‘meaty’ texture that is also super high protein (about 38g per serving)!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
This vegan parm recipe is fairly easy, so don’t let the list of ingredients scare you off! Most of the ingredients are seasonings, so this dish is PACKED with flavor. It’s made of 4 main components: the vegan seitan chicken, the breading, the pasta, and the sauces.
If you don’t have time to make seitan, you can use store-bought vegan chicken (like Gardein) and your favorite store-bought marinara sauce.
To make this recipe, the main ingredients you’ll need are the following:
- Vital Wheat Gluten
- Firm Tofu
- Italian Seasoning
- Vegan Parmesan– I’m using Violife Vegan Parmesan
- Bread Crumbs
- Vegetable Stock
- Salt & Black Pepper
- Marinara Sauce– I used Trader Joe’s Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce (my favorite…it’s so affordable and delicious!)
- Thin Spaghetti, or pasta of choice
- Fresh Basil, or other Italian herbs like fresh parsley
For the Vegan Mozzarella Cheese Sauce:
- Dairy Free Milk
- Vegan Butter
- All Purpose Flour
- Vegan Mozzarella Cheese– I used Violife’s Just Like Mozzarella Shreds
Substitutions
- Seitan Cutlets: Feel free to sub in Gardein’s Chicken Scallopini Cutlets for the seitan chicken recipe. This will make the recipe super quick and easy. Just follow the same breading and baking instructions below.
- Bread Crumbs: If you don’t have regular bread crumbs, you can use Panko bread crumbs instead.
- Firm Tofu: You can use extra-firm tofu if you can’t find regular firm tofu. The tofu will have a slightly coarser texture in the seitan.
Helpful Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl: for making the seitan dough
- Pots and Skillet: for simmering the seitan, boiling pasta and making the vegan mozzarella sauce
- Shallow Bowl: for mixing up the breading
- Baking Pan & Parchment Paper: for baking the vegan chicken recipe
Step By Step Instructions
Combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. This includes the vital wheat gluten and spices. Then, make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (the blended tofu, oil, veggie stock).
You’ll stir all this to combine, and then gently knead the dough by hand until it forms a ball.
Divide it into 4 equal-sized balls. For this recipe, I’m making vegan chicken breasts, so shape the dough into a filet or cutlet like shape.
To cook the seitan, we’re first going to simmer it in veggie stock, and then we’ll bake it with the herbed breading. To simmer the seitan, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Then, add in 1 cup of the veggie stock and bring it to a simmer. Add in the seitan, cover the pan, and cook for 15 minutes.
Breading the Vegan Chicken
To get a crispy herbed exterior, I’m coating this seitan in a breadcrumb mixture. Dip the seitan cutlet in dairy free milk to wet it slightly. Then, mix together all of the dry breading ingredients in a shallow dish, and dip the seitan in the breading mixture.
Press the breading into both sides and place the seitan on a parchment lined or greased baking sheet. Then, bake the seitan for 20 mins at 425F.
Baking the Breaded Vegan Chicken
Make the vegan cheese sauce in a small sauce pan while the seitan bakes.
Halfway through cooking, flip the seitan, spread marinara sauce on top and spoon the vegan mozzarella cheese sauce on top. Return to the oven and continue baking until the vegan cheese is bubbly and golden!
Serving
Since the vegan seitan chicken needs to bake, this is a perfect opportunity to prep the other components of this dish. I’m using thin spaghetti in this recipe. You’ll want to prep your pasta according to the box’s instructions.
Once the vegan chicken is done baking, plate it on top of the cooked spaghetti with the marinara sauce mixed in. Spoon a bit of marinara sauce on top of the vegan chicken, sprinkle cheese on top and top it all off with fresh basil. The more vegan cheese the better!
This is seriously the best vegan chicken parmesan. The seitan gives this dish so much texture. The marinara is tomatoey, herby, and full of Italian flavor. And of course, the Violife vegan parmesan is so cheesy and salty!
For a balanced meal, you can serve this recipe with a simple green salad like this spinach arugula salad or this vegan caesar salad.
Storage
Keep the leftover seitan in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The seitan will firm up when refrigerated, but will soften when reheated. For the best texture, I recommend reheating in the oven or toaster oven.
You can eat the leftovers as is, or use them in parmesan sandwiches!
Tips from Emily’s Kitchen
- Avoid Over-Kneading the Seitan: To achieve the perfect texture, knead the seitan dough just until it reaches a smooth ball. When seitan is overworked it can become tough and too chewy.
- Make the Vegan Mozzarella Sauce in Advance: To help streamline dinner, you can make the vegan cheese sauce in advance and keep it in the fridge. Reheat it when ready to make the recipe to help loosen it up.
- Bake until Golden Brown: Get the perfect crispy exterior by baking until the seitan is golden brown.
these help create the best flavor & texture!
FAQ
If you don’t have time to make homemade ‘chicken’ with seitan, that’s totally okay! You can substitute store-bought vegan chicken and follow the same steps below to bread and bake it. I recommend using Gardein’s Chick’n Scallopini since it isn’t already breaded.
The vegan chicken I’m using in this recipe is made of vital wheat gluten, tofu, and spices. This creates a chewy, ‘meaty’ texture that holds up well to baking. Vital wheat gluten is the main ingredient in seitan which is a high protein meat substitute that mimics chicken in this recipe.
Vegan chicken is not an exact match to real chicken in taste. It’s made with vital wheat gluten, and in this recipe I’m seasoning it with Italian seasoning. The texture is what helps this vegan chicken feel and look like real chicken. Vegan chicken, similar to tofu, takes on the flavor of whatever you season it with. I’ve found that poultry seasoning and garlic powder help give it a great flavor.
More Vegan Comfort Food
The Best Vegan Chicken Parmesan
Rate this RecipeIngredients
Vegan Chicken (or sub store bought- see notes):
- 1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten, 160g
- ½ tsp each salt and black pepper, 2g each
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning, 4g
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning, 1g
- 170g firm tofu, drained and pressed, then blended until smooth
- ⅓ cup vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- For cooking: 1 ½ cups vegetable stock, divided
Breading:
- ½ cup unsweetened dairy free milk
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs, 90g
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, 3g
- ½ tsp each salt and black pepper, 2g
- ½ cup grated Violife Vegan Parmesan
Vegan Cheese Sauce:
- 3 tbsp salted vegan butter, 40g – or olive oil
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 22g
- ¾ cup unsweetened plain dairy free milk
- ¼ cup grated Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, or Violife Vegan Parmesan
- 1 pinch salt and black pepper, to taste
Serving
- 1 lb thin spaghetti
- 28-32 oz Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce, see notes for homemade
- Fresh basil
Instructions
Make the Vegan Chicken
- Combine the vital wheat gluten, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and Italian seasoning for the seitan chicken in a large glass bowl. Mix to combine.1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten, ½ tsp each salt and black pepper, 2 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (blended tofu, ⅓ cup veggie stock, oil). Stir to combine until most of the dry ingredients are incorporated, then switch to shaping the dough by hand. Form into a moist but firm dough ball.Divide into 4 equal-sized pieces. Shape the dough into flat cutlets about 4” long and 3” wide.170g firm tofu, ⅓ cup vegetable stock, 1 tbsp olive oil
- Bring 1 cup of the veggie stock to a simmer in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the seitan cutlets, cover, and cook for 15 minutes. Halfway through cooking, flip and add the remaining ½ cup of veggie stock.For cooking: 1 ½ cups vegetable stock
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Grease a large baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.
- While the seitan simmers, prepare the breading. Add the dairy free milk to a shallow bowl. Mix together the dry breading ingredients in another shallow bowl.½ cup unsweetened dairy free milk, 1 cup plain bread crumbs, 1 tbsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp each salt and black pepper, ½ cup grated Violife Vegan Parmesan
- Dip the simmered seitan in the dairy free milk. Then dip in the bread crumb mixture. Press the breading into both sides and place it on the baking sheet. Grate extra vegan parmesan on top.Bake for 10 mins at 425F.
Make the Vegan Cheese Sauce
- While the vegan chicken bakes, melt the vegan butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. Add the flour, stir to form a paste and cook for 1 minute.Slowly pour in the dairy free milk while whisking continuously.3 tbsp salted vegan butter, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, ¾ cup unsweetened plain dairy free milk
- Add the vegan mozzarella cheese and cook for 2-3 more minutes whisking frequently until the cheese is melted and incorporated into the sauce. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.¼ cup grated Vegan Mozzarella Cheese, 1 pinch salt and black pepper
Finish the Vegan Chicken
- After baking for 10 minutes, remove the seitan from the oven and flip. Spread about ¼ cup of marinara sauce on top of each cutlet. Spread 2-3 tbsp of the prepared vegan mozzarella cheese sauce on the marinara.28-32 oz Tomato Basil Marinara Sauce
- Return to the oven and bake for another 10-15 minutes at 425°F until golden and the cheese sauce is bubbly.
- While the seitan continues to cook, prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.Plate the vegan chicken parmesan on top of the cooked spaghetti with warmed marinara. Top with fresh basil and more grated vegan parmesan.1 lb thin spaghetti
Video
Recipe notes
- If you don’t have time to make homemade ‘chicken’ with seitan, that’s totally okay! You can substitute store-bought vegan chicken and follow the same steps below to bread and bake it. I recommend using Gardein’s Chick’n Scallopini since it isn’t already breaded.
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp sugar
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil on medium-low heat. Sauté the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the tomato paste, and mix until the onions are coated. Pour in the crushed tomatoes. Add the spices (Italian seasoning, dried basil, dried oregano, salt & pepper) and the sugar.
- Simmer on low for 20 minutes while prepping the other components.
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Made this tonight and loved it. Used another seitan recipe since my tofu was frozen and used real dairy because I’m not vegan. This was super satisfying and a fun way to change up my normal vegetarian cooking!
can we use your “ultimate vegan chicken” recipe as a chicken sub here?
I haven’t tested this yet with my Ultimate Vegan Chicken, so I can’t recommend exact timing or method. I do think it could work, but the Ultimate Vegan Chicken dough is much more moist and usually needs a longer bake than the simmered seitan cutlets used in this recipe. Because of that, the cooking method would definitely need some adjusting to make sure it cooks through properly.
I’ve been making those on repeat and storing in the freezer! So I was wondering if I could defrost, then dip in milk / breadcrumbs etc and bake!
You could definitely try it that way! It probably won’t need to bake as long as in this recipe- just enough to brown the breading and ‘cheese’ sauce. If you give it a try, I’d love to know how it turns out.