The Best Vegan & Gluten-Free ‘Chicken’ Piccata

This vegan tofu piccata features golden flavorful tofu in a buttery lemon-caper sauce that feels like pure comfort in every bite. It’s naturally gluten-free, easy to make, and so delicious it will even impress the meat-eaters in your life.

This post may contain affiliate links. These links help support this website. Thank you for your support.

Ingredients

• Extra firm tofu – You will want to use extra-firm and press tofu for at least 30 minutes to get the best texture.
• Plant-based butter – I use Earth balance but you can use any brand.
• Plant milk – I use unsweetened soy milk, but unsweetened oat or almond milk should work as well.
• Maple syrup – Combining maple syrup with plant milk and butter is the perfect binder for the tofu to help the cornstarch and seasoning stick. Maple syrup caramelizes helping create the golden-brown crust and adds a touch of sweetness.
• Corn starch – Naturally gluten-free and works best to create the crispy coating of the tofu. Flour can be used but is more likely to become soggy and peel off when cooking.
• Nutritional yeast – Enhances the flavor and texture of the crust while adding a small cheesy taste and extra protein.
• Lemon – You will want to use fresh lemon juice to get the best lemon flavor in this dish. Adding the lemon zest to the breading of the tofu helps add extra flavor!
• Chicken seasoning – I used a rotisserie chicken seasoning.
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Shallot
• Garlic
• Vegetable stock – The perfect vegan substitute to chicken stock that is typically used in the traditional recipe.
• Brined capers – An essential ingredient providing the tangy kick to this classic meal.
• Fresh parsley

Step by Step Instructions

Find the complete printable recipe with measurements below in the recipe card.

1. Press tofu for 30 minutes and pat dry. Cut each tofu block in half horizontally, then cut each half into thirds vertically to create tofu slabs. (6 total slabs per block of tofu)
2. In a small bowl, melt vegan butter then mix in maple syrup and plant milk. Add corn starch, nutritional yeast, seasoning and lemon zest to a plate and mix together.
3. Dip tofu into wet mixture allowing excess to drip off then coat evenly in dry mixture. Place on parchment paper on top of plate and place in freezer for 15-20 minutes. *This step is important to keep the coating from sliding off tofu during cooking.
4. In a large pan over medium-high heat, melt vegan butter with extra virgin olive oil and mix. Once oil and butter start to sizzle, add 6 tofu slabs to pan, keeping space in between. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat this step for remaining tofu.
5. Turn heat down to low-medium and add the chopped shallot and garlic to the leftover oil/butter in the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, stock and capers.
6. Add tofu to the pan and simmer for 1-2 minutes coating tofu in sauce. Remove tofu from pan, then add in 1 additional tbsp of butter and whisk into capers and sauce. Pour sauce over tofu and garnish with parsley.

The Best Vegan & Gluten-Free ‘Chicken’ Piccata

Recipe by Paige

0.0 from 0 votes

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

30

minutes

Serving size

2

tofu slabs

Ingredients

• Tofu

• 2 450 oz Extra firm tofu

• 2 Tbsp Vegan butter

• 2 Tbsp Unsweetened plant milk

• 2 Tbsp Maple syrup

• 8 Tbsp Corn starch

• 3 Tbsp Nutritional yeast

• 1 Zest of lemon

• 3 tsp Chicken seasoning

• 6 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 4 Tbsp Vegan butter, divided

• Sauce

• 1 Shallot, chopped

• 4 cloves Garlic, chopped

• 1/3 cup Fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup Vegetable stock

• 1/3 cup Brined capers, rinsed

• 1 Tbsp Vegan butter

• Fresh parsley

Directions

• Press tofu for 30 minutes and pat dry. Cut each tofu block in half horizontally, then cut each half into thirds vertically to create tofu slabs. (6 total slabs per block of tofu)
• In a small bowl, melt 2 Tbsp vegan butter then mix in 2 Tbsp maple syrup and 2 Tbsp plant milk. Set bowl aside. Add corn starch, nutritional yeast, chicken seasoning and lemon zest to a plate or large bowl, then mix together.
• Dip each tofu slab into the wet mixture, allowing excess to drip off then coat evenly in dry mixture. Place coated tofu slabs onto parchment paper on top of plate and place in freezer for 15-20 minutes. *This step is important to help keep the coating from sliding off tofu during cooking.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbsp vegan butter with 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil and mix. Once oil and butter start to sizzle, add 6 tofu slabs to pan, keeping space in between. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Repeat this step for remaining tofu.
• Turn heat down to low-medium and add the chopped shallot and garlic to the leftover oil/butter in the pan. Sauté for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, stock and capers.
• Add tofu back to the pan and simmer for 1-2 minutes coating tofu in sauce. Gently remove tofu from pan and transfer to plate. Add 1 Tbsp of butter to the pan and whisk into capers and sauce. Pour sauce over tofu and garnish with parsley. Serve with rice, pasta or potatoes. Refrigerate any leftovers in an airtight container and consume within 3-4 days.

Notes

• If saving leftovers, I recommend saving the leftover sauce in a separate container then heating it up separately from the tofu.