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This crowd-pleasing vegan caesar salad is packed with protein since it’s topped with blackened vegan “chicken”. I love this salad because it’s super simple to make, tastes just like the non-vegan version, and is light yet filling enough to eat for dinner on a warm summer night.
the main ingredients
This Vegan Caesar Salad has a super creamy dressing and is topped with salty vegan parmesan, herbed croutons, and plant-based chicken breasts. To make this easy salad, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- Romaine Lettuce
- Vegan Caesar Dressing
- Vegan Parmesan, like Violife
- Avocado
- Croutons
- Lemon
- Homemade Blackened Seitan Chicken
the best vegan caesar dressing
This plant-based Caesar salad uses my Creamy Vegan Caesar Dressing recipe. This non dairy caesar dressing is out of this world flavorful and creamy. It’s made without any cashews, making it more affordable and easy to make (since you don’t need to soak any nuts)! The capers replace the anchovies that are in traditional caesar dressing. Capers are stored in a salty brine and have an amazing olive or lemony flavor.
how to make vegan caesar salad
- Prep the dressing according to the instructions in this recipe.
- Make the blackened vegan chicken!
- Chop the romaine hearts into ribbons about 2” by ½”. Transfer the romaine to a large serving bowl. Drizzle 1-2 tsp of lemon juice on the lettuce and toss.
- Drizzle on 2-3 tbsp of the caesar dressing at a time until the salad has the desired amount of dressing for your taste. Toss the croutons, avocado, black pepper, and vegan parm into the lettuce when ready to serve. Add any salt to taste.
- Slice the seitan fillets on the diagonal, place on top of the salad, and serve.
cooking the blackened ‘chicken’
Traditionally seitan is often steamed. This recipe does not require steaming which helps save time. I’ve found that there isn’t a huge difference in texture by omitting this step.
To cook the blackened seitan chicken, first preheat the oven to 400F. Place the seitan breasts on a parchment-lined baking pan and spray them lightly with oil. You’ll want to bake them for 15 minutes.
Next, preheat a cast-iron skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-low heat. Do not heat the pan above medium-low, as the seitan will begin smoking and will burn. When the chickens finish baking transfer them to the heated skillet. Cook and char each side of the seitan fillets by cooking them on medium heat for 4-5 minutes (each side).
Low and slow is the way to go when making this blackened vegan chicken. Trying to speed up the process by turning up the heat will only result in burnt tasting seitan.
seitan chicken tips, tricks & faq
This plant-based chicken recipe is made of vital wheat gluten and tofu. These 2 ingredients create a chewy, ‘meaty’ texture that holds up well to baking. Vital wheat gluten is the main ingredient in seitan. It is a high protein meat substitute that mimics chicken in this recipe. One serving of this faux chicken is about 25g of protein, which is amazing!
While I’m using romaine in this salad, you could definitely substitute other lettuces or leafy greens if you want to! You could make this into a vegan kale caesar salad by substituting in 1 for 1 kale for romaine. If doing so, be sure to gently massage the kale with the caesar dressing to help tenderize the greens.
The key to good blackened vegan seitan chicken is to char the outside without burning it or creating a lot of smoke. Avoid turning up the heat of your pan past medium-low. Low and slow is better than burning the outside, and it not tasting great.
want more vegan chicken recipes? Check out these!
- The Best Vegan Chicken Parm
- Vegan Chicken Parm Stuffed Shells
- Nashville Hot Vegan Chicken Wings
- Seitan Chicken Salad
- Unbelievable Vegan Chicken & Waffles
Did you make this recipe? I’d love to know! Leave a rating and comment below!
Vegan Caesar Salad with Blackened "Chicken"
This Vegan Caesar Salad with Blackened "Chicken" is packed with creamy flavor and protein. This salad pairs perfectly with pasta dishes as an appetizer or is filling enough to be eaten as a main course on a hot summer day.
This recipe uses my Vegan Blackened "Chicken". I have a full recipe post with tips and tricks on how to make this seitan chicken here.
Ingredients
The Dressing
- 1 recipe of Thank You Berry Much's Vegan Caesar Dressing
Blackened Vegan Chicken
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten, (160 g)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp vegan poultry seasoning
- 1/8 tsp smoked paprika
- 160 g firm tofu, drained & blended (see notes)
- ¼ cup veggie stock, or water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Salad
- 2 cups herbed croutons
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan, like Violife
- ¼ tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 1-2 tsp lemon juice
- 3 hearts of romaine, chopped
- 1 avocado, diced
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
To Make The “Chicken”:
You can find the full recipe post on how to make this blackened vegan chicken here.
- Drain & press the tofu so most of the liquid is removed. Blend the tofu in a food processor until it is a crumbly texture.
- Combine the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. This includes the vital wheat gluten and spices.
- Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients (tofu, oil, veggie stock/water). You’ll stir all this to combine, and then gently knead the dough by hand for 1 minute until it forms a ball.
- Divide the ball into 4 equal pieces. Flatten the pieces with your hands to form ‘chicken breast or fillet’ shapes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Place the seitan breasts on a parchment-lined baking pan and spray them lightly with oil.
- Bake them for 15 minutes, flipping halfway.
- Preheat a cast-iron skillet with 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium-low heat. Do not heat the pan above medium-low, as the seitan will begin smoking and will burn.
- When the chickens finish baking transfer them to the heated skillet. Cook and char each side of the seitan fillets by cooking them on medium heat for 4-5 minutes (each side).
- Low and slow is the way to go when making this blackened vegan chicken. Trying to speed up the process by turning up the heat will only result in burnt tasting seitan.
To Make the Salad:
- Prep the dressing according to the instructions in this recipe.
- Chop the romaine hearts into ribbons about 2” by ½”. Transfer the romaine to a large serving bowl. Drizzle 1-2 tsp of lemon juice on the lettuce and toss.
- Drizzle on 2-3 tbsp of the caesar dressing at a time until the salad has the desired amount of dressing for your taste. Toss the croutons, avocado, black pepper, and vegan parm into the lettuce when ready to serve. Add any salt to taste.
- Slice the seitan fillets on the diagonal, place them on top of the salad, and serve.
Notes
- 160 grams of tofu is about 6 oz. This is a little less than 1/2 of a standard block of tofu, but I recommend weighing it out for the best results.
- Only toss the lettuce with the dressing and croutons when ready to serve, otherwise, the salad will become soggy.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipeAmount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 19gProtein: 27g
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This salad was delicious! This was my first time making seitan and I was surprised by how spot-on the flavor was and how easy it was to prepare. I felt like it was kind of heavy/ dense, but that could just be me. The dressing was amazing, and I found that the salad only required a half recipe of it. Thanks for a great recipe!