If you thought you had to give up fun weeknight chicken dishes as a vegan… think again! Today we are making homemade cheesy basil-stuffed chick’n cutlets in a creamy tomato rose sauce packed with rice and veggies.
First, we start by making the chick’n using my seitan nuggets recipe, but instead of nuggets you’ll form them into 3 cutlets. Then, once the seitan is cooked, we stuff them with fresh basil and vegan cheese, coat them in a flour breading and then fry them until golden.
Meanwhile, we have veggies simmering in a creamy rose sauce (made with marinara and coconut milk) and some rice cooking. Once the rice is done, you just add it to the skillet, add the chick’n and simmer for a few minutes before serving. It’s absolutely delicious!
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Cheesy Basil-Stuffed Chick’n in Creamy Tomato Sauce
- Yield: 3 servings
Description
Homemade cheesy basil-stuffed vegan chick’n, simmered in a creamy tomato sauce, served with rice and vegetables.
Ingredients
Cheesy Basil-Stuffed Chick’n:
1 cup vital wheat gluten
4 cups vegan chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 tbsp chickpea flour or nutritional yeast
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 salt
1/2 black pepper
6 basil leaves
6 tbsp vegan cheese
For the Skillet:
1 tbsp oil
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 onion chopped
1 cup chopped kale
1–1/2 cups coconut milk
1–1/2 cups marinara sauce
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup white rice + 1 cup water
Instructions
- Chick’n: Whisk together vital wheat gluten and chickpea flour until combined. Add 1 cup broth and stir until it forms a dough ball. Knead a few times with your hands until dough has no dry spots.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of broth to an instant pot or pot on the stove. Use hands to divide seitan dough into 3 chunks and shape each into a flattened “chicken cutlet” shape (they will expand while cooking!). Instant pot: Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Once it is done, quick release steam. Stovetop: Bring to a simmer over medium/high for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size and firm when you stick a fork into it.
- Meanwhile, whisk together all-purpose flour, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.
- Add the rice and water to a pot on high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer, covered about 10 minutes, until water is absorbed and rice is cooked. Fluff with a fork and set aside.
- Instant Pot: quick release steam, then remove seitan cutlets from the pot and transfer to a cutting board. Stovetop: remove seitan cutlets from pot and transfer to a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice a pocket into each cutlet, making sure not to cut all the way through.
- Using a sharp knife, slice a pocket into eat seitan cutlet and add a few leaves of fresh basil and 2 tbsp of vegan cheese inside. The heat from the seitan should melt the cheese slightly and hold it together, but try to be gentle while breading it because it can fall out if you’re not careful :).
- Heat a large frying pan on medium/high heat with enough oil. Gently dip each seitan cutlet into the flour mixture, ensuring all sides get coated. Immediately add to the frying pan and cook about 5 minutes per side, until golden and slightly crisp.
- Remove from the pan and add to a plate. Set aside. Wipe the frying pan with some paper towel, then place back on medium heat.
- Add the oil, onion and red pepper and cook about 3 minutes until onion starts to turn translucent. Add the marinara sauce, coconut milk, rice and kale and stir to combine. Add seitan cutlets and simmer on low about 5 minutes, until thickened slightly.
- Let cool slightly, then serve.
Notes
This recipe uses an instant pot to cook the seitan chick’n cutlets, however you can also find stovetop instructions in the instructions as well.
Tried this recipe last night. The chick’n was great, but I think theres a missing step in the instructions between steps 5 and 6 where the chicken is stuffed with basil and cheese.
If I were to make this again, I think I would try to incorporate more basil into the sauce somehow.
Thanks for the heads up! You are correct I’m sorry that step got missed! Edited the recipe. Thanks for your feedback about the basil too 🙂
Made this tonight and it was a crowd favorite! Would have never thought to add rice to the sauce but it made it so hearty. Would definitely try this again with arrabbiata sauce instead of marinara for the extra spice.