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This Vegan Chicken Piccata is made from pan-seared crispy tofu and served in a creamy vegan butter lemon caper sauce for a cozy main dish.
When comfort food comes to mind, I’m willing to bet your first thought isn’t piccata – but let me tell you, crispy pan-fried protein in a creamy lemon butter sauce with pops of briny capers and refreshing parsley? It’s as cozy as it gets.
This Vegan Chicken Piccata is relatively straightforward, but makes the perfect date night (or just satisfying weeknight) dinner. You won’t even miss the meat with this plant-based version that’s just as savory, succulent, and satisfying!
“Piccata” is an Italian term which means “to be pounded flat”, and usually refers to meat that has been pan-fried and then served in a lemon, butter, and caper sauce. Chicken Piccata is incredibly popular in the US, and today I’m giving it a plant-based twist!
I first had a veganized piccata when my mother-in-law came in to town – it’s one her signature dishes, and hers is extra cozy with lots of lemon and sliced mushrooms in the sauce. My version omits the mushrooms for a more classic variation, but feel free to add them in – you won’t regret it 😉
INGREDIENTS FOR VEGAN CHICKEN PICCATA
The ingredients for this recipe are relatively simple, and also easy to keep on hand for a weeknight dinner! All you really need is a protein source, flour, and some capers and lemon for the creamy, zesty pan sauce.
Like traditional piccata, this recipe uses a combination of vegan butter and olive oil for the best browning and flavor. This is not the recipe to go easy on the oil – it adds creaminess to the dish, and tones down the acidity of the lemon. If you have Meyer lemons on hand I prefer to use them, but regular lemons will work as well!
Tofu vs. Vegan “Chicken” – I tested this recipe using both super firm tofu and imitation vegan “chicken” cutlets (Gardein’s Chick’n Scallopini) and they both came out great! The tofu had a hearty but slightly chewier texture, which I personally preferred. The vegan chicken was a little more dense, but the shape, to me, was more realistic. I think both would be a good choice, so use what you think you would enjoy best! You could also make this recipe with a vital wheat gluten-based seitan, but I prefer to use ready-made products to save time.
HOW TO MAKE TOFU PICCATA
If you’re efficient, you can have this piccata ready-to-enjoy in just only 30 minutes – see, I told you it was a great weekday dinner!
- Prepare your tofu or vegan “chicken” cutlets (see recipe) and dredge them in flour.
- Pan-fry the protein on both sides until golden brown, then remove and let rest on a lined plate
- Sauté the shallot, garlic, and capers, then add in the broth and simmer.
- Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the lemon juice, lemon slices, and vegan butter.
- Return the piccata to the pan to warm briefly, then serve as desired!
The capers are usually added in at the end with the lemon juice, but I prefer to fry them with the shallot and garlic to infuse the sauce more flavor.
Speaking of sauce, this recipe is a little extra saucy, which gives you extra (delicious) piccata sauce for serving. I like to serve my “chicken” piccata with pasta and a salad on the side, and it makes the perfect sauce for the noodles! For a lighter main dish you can also serve this recipe with a side of roasted vegetables, like asparagus.
COOKING TIPS + FAQ:
- Warm the oil well: make sure the oil is properly warmed before you add your dredged tofu to the pan – otherwise it won’t get as crispy. The oil is warm when the butter begins to bubble, but I also recommend swirling the oil around a few times to make sure all of the oil is the same temp, and not just the center of the pan.
- Make it boozy: Chicken piccata can also be made with a dry white wine – I chose to use broth instead, but if you have some on hand, replace up to 1/2 of the broth with white wine for even more depth of flavor
- Turn the heat down: Make sure to turn the heat all the way down to low before you add the lemon slices -they only need a little heat to infuse into the sauce, and if they cook too long they will make the sauce taste bitter.
- Can I make this gluten-free? Yes! The only gluten in this recipe is the flour that the tofu is dredged in, and you can easily replace that with a gluten-free flour blend.
If you’re looking for more cozy and comforting plant-based dinner recipes, you’ll also love these Portobello Mushroom Steaks with Peppercorn Sauce, this Vegan Tempeh Marsala, and this Creamy Mushroom Risotto!
Finally, if you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I love seeing your delicious recreations 🙂
Vegan "Chicken" Piccata | Tofu Piccata Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16- ounce block super-firm tofu OR 10 ounces Vegan chicken cutlets see note
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/3 cup 45 g all purpose flour (or gluten-free blend)
- 4 tablespoons vegan butter divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon capers drained
- 1 cup imitation “chicken” broth
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot powder or 2 teaspoons cornstarch*
- Juice of 1 lemon about 2 teaspoons tablespoon
- ½-1 Lemon sliced (or up to 1 tsp lemon zest)
- Chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Prep: Place the flour on a wide plate.
- Tofu: carefully cut the tofu block into four pieces; I prefer to cut it in 4 thin layers. Sprinkle salt (I used 1 teaspoon) and pepper over both sides of each tofu piece, then dredge in flour and shake off any excess. Discard any remaining flour.
- “Chicken”: Cutlets should be thawed completely. I opted not to season the Gardein cutlets because they are pre-seasoned. Dredge in flour, then shake off any excess. Discard any remaining flour.
- Fry the “Chicken”: Heat Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat and swirl together. Once the butter has melted and begins to bubble, add the tofu or “chicken” and fry for 2 1/2 to 3 minutes per side, or until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Aromatics:Reduce to medium heat and add the shallot. Sauté for 1 minute, then add the garlic and capers and sauté for an additional minute.
- Make the Pan Sauce: Add the broth to the pan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Dissolve the arrowroot powder in water, then add the slurry and simmer for an additional 1 to 2 minutes, until thick and glossy.
- Final Touches: Reduce the heat to low and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, lemon juice, lemon wedges, and salt to taste. Add the tofu or “chicken” back to the pan and let sit until warmed. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with parsley.
- Serve: serve warm, topped with the remaining pan sauce. This recipe is best served fresh; if you plan to have leftovers, do not add those cutlets back into the sauce and reheat both the tofu/“chicken” and sauce separately to prevent it from getting soggy. Enjoy leftovers within 3 days of making and store in the refrigerator.
Recipe Notes
- Wine: if you'd like to add even more flavor to this dish, replace 1/2 cup of the broth with a dry white wine
- "Chicken" Broth: I like to use this bouillon, but a garlic broth or vegetable broth will also work in a pinch.
- Tofu: make sure you use super firm or high protein tofu, not extra firm. This tofu holds up well to frying and won't fall apart. You can try to make this dish with extra firm tofu, but i would press it very well first.
Sauce has outstanding flavor. I did opt for half and half broth with dry sherry. I tried, for the first time, Gardein’s “chicken
scallopini” cutlets. I was pleasantly amazed how like real pounded chicken breasts
it tasted.
Will definitely be preparing this
again.
Glad you enjoyed it, Kathi!
I made this for the first time following the recipe exactly (no sherry) with tofu and it was outstanding! This is one of 2 recipes that I have really been missing since I stopped eating meat nearly 5 years ago and it is really about the sauce. I served it with riced cauliflower and sauteed zucchini. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
So happy you enjoyed it, Patricia!
I breaded and seasoned some Meati cutlets than tofu for this before pan frying. I made the sauce and stored it separate until ready to eat for meal prep. Served with whole wheat linguine and green beans. The sauce is so fresh tasting with great umami from the capers.
Glad you liked it!
Great tips, came out FANTASTIC! I used the new Meati Classic Cutlets, cut in half lengthwise, seasoned with salt and pepper as you suggested. Perfect flavor. As we were only eating half of the recipe, I reheated the remaining cutlets in the air fryer, then added them to them to the leftover sauce I reheated on the stove. Perfect!
Yum! I haven’t heard of those cutlets but will have to keep my eye out for the!
Excellent! Loved the flavors. I made this for my family and played over some angel hair with garlic, cauliflower, pine nuts, and more parsley!
Used extra firm tofu that I pressed while I prepped the other ingredients – worked well and held up fine to the frying! Delicious flavour! Served mine with spaghetti noodles! Yummy combo! The only thing I might do differently in the future, is maybe soak the tofu in chicken flavoured broth overnight to give it more flavour! It was still delicious as is though!
This made it to my food rotation because it is so easy to make and incredibly delicious! I’m using a very realistic imitation chicken filet instead of tofu and it comes out perfectly. Thanks for this recipe!
You’re so welcome, Sophia! We’re glad you liked it.
Made this today for valentines. We broke up.
Jk we loved it. Thanks for the recipe, you’re a lifesaver!
My pleasure! I’m so glad you didn’t break up 🙂
I’ve never seen super firm tofu only extra firm. I have a tofu press so your note says to press the extra firm. I’ll give the recipe a try.
How many servings are in a recipe? It doesn’t say the number of portions
This makes 4 cutlets, so depending on how many you want to serve per person, 2-4 servings 🙂
really easy to make and taste great1
I love this recipe. I used tofu sliced as directed and followed the recipe fairly closely but only used one lemon as they are pricey here. The tofu cutlets are soooo good. I served the sauce and tofu over chickpea spaghetti noodles. It was very tasty
My new weekly fave!
Thanks Sabrina! 🙂
This was so good and pretty easy to make too! I haven’t had anything like it in a long time. Also maybe I follow recipes too close but I noticed the ingredients list calls for 4 tbsp butter while the directions only call for 3? And I believe juice of 1 lemon = 2 tbsp ?
You’re totally right, Rachel. Thanks for pointing out the typo. We’ll have that corrected.
So so good!
easy to make & so tasty! i will definitely make this for my non-vegan friends
Thank you for trying the recipe, Emily. So glad you liked it!
This was very tasty. I do think that it has plenty of lemon flavor without the zest/ lemon slices added to the sauce, but I loved it and will definitely make it again. My husband who isn’t vegan even approved of it, which is awesome in my book. Thanks for another delicious recipe, Caitlin!
Thanks Megan! Glad the husband approved too 🙂
This was delicious! I put the kids tofu and pasta in a more plain butter garlic version without the lemon and caper but the whole family ate every bite. This one is a winner!
Thank you, Blaire! Glad everyone loved it.