Restaurant-Style Vegan Chicken Parmesan
This is the BEST vegan chicken parmesan recipe! Make your own vegan chicken cutlets with frozen and thawed tofu, marinate them in a garlic and chickeny flavor bath, then bread and bake them with a peppery crust. Melt some dairy free mozzarella on top and serve it over pasta or as a vegan chicken parm sandwich with plenty of marinara!
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When my brother and I were kids, we were super picky eaters. So much so that for a long time, whenever our parents would take us out to eat, the only two things we ever ordered were chicken nuggets or pasta with butter sauce. We were a little ridiculous.
So, when I first ventured into the unknown world of the adult menu, it should come as no surprise I chose and fell in love with the classic chicken parm. Because this is the logical next step, yes? 😋
From that point on, chicken parm was my dish. I loved everything about it: The crispy breaded chicken that was full of pepper-y parmesan flavor POW, the melty gooey mozzarella, the mountain of pasta it lied atop. My mouth legit waters when I think about it.
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Veganized Chicken Parmesan
Obviously, these days, I like to practice a more “hug it, not nugget” relationship with those sweet little chickens (and interestingly enough, my brother does too), so I knew I eventually had to create a killer version of my favorite childhood restaurant order.
I’ve tried a few different recipes for vegan chicken parmesan over the past 4 years. All were good, but none were truly great. None of them took me back to that table surrounded by family, digging into my favorite comfort food.
There is a chicken parm sandwich our favorite vegan pizza shop, Blackbird Pizzeria, makes that comes damn close (legit – I have dreams about this sandwich), but I haven’t found a recipe that 100% hit the nail on the head…until now, that is. 😎
Friends, allow me to introduce you to our restaurant-style vegan chicken parmesan recipe, made with TOFU!
Okay, okay, I know how oh so typically “vegan” it sounds, but please believe me when I say this is not an ordinary tofu recipe. We have a few tricks up our sleeve to make the most tender, meaty, flavor-filled tofu you’ll ever taste, thanks to The Tofu Freezer Trick.
How to Make Vegan Chicken Parmesan
- Freeze, thaw, and press your tofu! If you’ve frozen tofu before, you know what a kickass texture it takes on after being thawed. So meaty! We call this method the Tofu Freezer Trick.
- Slice + marinate! We used a hefty dose of our vegan chicken bouillon recipe in the marinade to really get that nostalgic flavor going.
- Bread + bake! I love this part, mostly because it means I’ll be eating vegan chicken parmesan soon. 😋 We use a mix of breadcrumbs and our cheesy garlic butter blend here, which is the secret WOW factor that makes the breading so reminiscent of that pepper-y restaurant-style chicken parm.
- And finally, top with vegan mozzarella and get it all melty under the broiler for a few minutes. You can use any vegan mozzarella – store-bought or homemade – you like. We used some of our marinated vegan mozzarella balls, which worked so beautifully.
- Lay it atop a mountain of saucy pasta, pour yourself a glass of sangiovese, and dig in!
And wait, there’s more: The tofu cutlets freeze so well, friends! Just bread, bake, let ’em cool, and freeze. I have so much nerdy excitement for the freeze-ablitiy of this recipe!! 🤣
And I’m not the only one who has fallen head over heels for this vegan chicken parmesan: When T first tried it the other night, he looked at me and said, “You know, I used to love chicken parm too, and this is definitely among the best I’ve ever had.”
I happen to agree. 😁
I can’t wait to make this vegan chicken parmesan for my family and basically every single person I’ve ever known! 😄
If and when you give it a try too, let us know about it! Leave a comment and rate the recipe below or tag us in your mouthwatering photos on Instagram. We’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.
Enjoy the hell out of this, friends!
And side note: If you dig chicken parm as much as we do, check out our Vegan Chicken Parm Pizza recipe too!
More Freezer Tofu Recipes:
Restaurant-Style Vegan Chicken Parmesan
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 16- oz block extra firm tofu
- 4 dairy-free mozzarella slices
For the marinade:
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 Tbsp vegan chicken-style bouillon powder
For the breading:
- 1/3 cup bread crumbs*
- 2 Tbsp vegan cheese seasoning
- 1/2 cup tapioca starch
Instructions
- PREP THE TOFU: Place the package of tofu in the freezer overnight or until frozen through. In the morning, take it out of the freezer and place it in the fridge or on the counter to thaw. When the tofu is thawed (about 8 hours), squeeze the tofu gently over the sink to expel excess liquid and press it as you normally would. It should be pretty sturdy and spongey, but still handle with care, so you don't break the tofu.
- MARINATE THE TOFU: Next, slice your tofu into 8 equal "cutlets" and mix all the ingredients for your marinade in a small bowl with a whisk. Pour the marinade over the tofu slices and cover. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
- BREAD THE TOFU: When you're ready to make the cutlets, turn your oven to 350F and grab a large baking sheet. Get out two shallow bowls or pie plates. To one, add the starch. To the other, add the bread crumbs and cheesy garlic butter blend and mix with a whisk. Dip each tofu cutlet in the starch, then back in the marinade, then in the bread crumb mixture. Be sure to coat the cutlet completely during each phase.
- BAKE THE TOFU: Place your cutlets on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, flip each one carefully, and bake another 20 minutes. If you're freezing the cutlets, stop here, let them cool, and freeze. Otherwise, continue.
- MELT THE CHEESE: Top each cutlet with a slice of vegan mozzarella. Turn on your broiler and broil for about 5 minutes or until the mozzarella is all melty and beautiful.
- SERVE: Serve these cutlets on top of a mountain of pasta or a long hoagie roll with marinara sauce and cheesy garlic blend!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Watch our Tofu Parmesan web story!
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