Vegan Chicken Stew - an easy, flavorful dinner recipe (2024)

ByBrittany Roche

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Get this vegan chicken stew recipe on your weekly meal plan STAT. It makes the perfect cozy winter dinner and will immediately transport you back to childhood. This creamy vegetable stew with meaty soy curls is easy to make using common ingredients, methods, and hidden vegetables too! This vegan stew recipe is also freezer-friendly and the perfect plant-based meal prep recipe. It’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, and easily made oil-free.

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FRIENDS.

I have something for you, and I think you’re gonna love it.

Behold, my newest recipe obsession: Vegan Chicken Stew. OMG.

I can’t stop staring at it, or eating it, or stirring it around in the pot as I reheat leftovers and gaze longingly at all that warm and comforting deliciousness, stealing quick tastes every chance I get.

Click here to Pin this recipe for later.

Creamy Vegan Stew Ingredients

Oh, and did I mention the BEST part?! That creamy sauce is made from – drumroll, please – CAULIFLOWER!

Yes! I know it is really hard to believe, but it is 100% true. Cauliflower.

So basically you get big bowl of warmth and comfort, AND you get a massive dose of veggies? You all know that has my name written allllllll over it.

This vegan chicken stew is also another kickass way to use our homemade vegan bouillon powder.

The flavor the bouillon adds to this dish is so perfect I could scream with joy! And I have, let’s be real.😋

To make this dish animal-free, we used soy curls to replace the traditional chicken. Soy curls are a total pantry staple in our house, and they are the perfect texture for vegan chicken stew!

If you don’t have soy curls, fret not though! We have also had success using homemade chicken-style seitan, as well as many store-bought vegan chicken like Gardein + Tofurkey.

The main thing you want to remember with store-bought vegan chicken is to use something without breading. Check the freezer aisle at your local grocery store for ideas!

Honestly, this vegan chicken stew would even be great without any vegan chicken at all, whatever your preference! I can’t believe I of all people just said that, but it is 100% true. 🙂

How to Serve Vegan Chicken Stew

This stew is wonderful served with a simple roll and vegan butter.

But, if you really want to “fancy” things up a bit, go ahead and make yourself some puff pastry triangles. (See pictures for context.)

These are T’s FAVORITE. They make take a tad longer to throw in the oven, but they are just about as simple as getting a roll and buttering it up.

As for leftovers, they’ll keep for up to a week in the fridge or a month in the freezer. This is one of our go-to freezer recipes, actually!

We hope you’ll try this cozy, delicious vegan chicken stew and we know you will fall in love with it just like we have!

If and when you do give it a go, we would love for you to rate it and leave a comment below or tag us in your tasty photos on Instagram. If you’re not already following along, we’re @theplantpowercouple with the “the”.

And if you want to be sure you never miss a Plant Power Couple recipe, don’t forget to sign up for our email list!

Enjoy!

Other Cozy Vegan Dinners You’d Love:

  • Vegan Chicken(less) Tetrazzini
  • The BEST Vegan Chicken(less) Noodle Soup
  • Vegan Pot Pie Casserole

Vegan Chicken Stew - an easy, flavorful dinner recipe (5)

Creamy Vegan Chickenless Stew

Brittany Roche

Get this vegan chicken stew recipe on your weekly meal plan STAT. It makes the perfect cozy winter dinner and will immediately transport you back to childhood. This creamy vegetable stew with meaty soy curls is easy to make using common ingredients, methods, and hidden vegetables too! This vegan stew recipe is also freezer-friendly and the perfect plant-based meal prep recipe. It’s also gluten-free, dairy-free, and easily made oil-free.

4.99 from 59 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner

Servings 5 bowls of stew

Calories 259 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 cup unroasted unsalted cashews soaked in hot water for 20 minutes
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil see notes for oil-free
  • 1 small yellow or white onion roughly chopped
  • 4-5 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 head cauliflower roughly chopped / stem removed
  • 5-6 cups water
  • 2 cups soy curls measure dehydrated + break into small pieces*
  • 2 large carrots small diced
  • 1 large potato peeled and small diced
  • 1 1/2 cups frozen corn
  • 1 cup frozen green peas
  • 1/2 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup vegan chicken-style bouillon powder
  • 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Add the olive oil to a large pot and turn heat to medium. When hot, add the onion, garlic, and a large pinch of salt and saute for about 5 minutes or until fragrant.

  • Pour in 2 cups of the water along with the cauliflower. Cover and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is fork-tender.

  • Whilst the cauliflower cooks, make your cashew cream: Drain your soaked cashews and add them to a blender with 3/4 cup water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Then, set aside until you're ready to use it.

  • When the cauliflower is tender, use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Then, add the remainder of your ingredients (including the cashew cream and remaining 3 cups of water). Stir to combine and cover/cook for another 15-20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.

  • Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. If your stew is too thin, allow to cook a little longer uncovered. If it's too thick for your taste, add the optional sixth cup of water. Serve with puff pastry or a big slice of rustic bread. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or the freezer for up to 6 weeks. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

TO MAKE IT OIL-FREE: Saute the onions and garlic in some water rather than olive oil.

*Feel free to use whatever vegan chicken you like, but if you’re not using something that comes dehydrated, you will want to cut back on the water (use 4 cups instead of the 5-6 recommended cups).

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl of stewCalories: 259kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 15gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 993mgFiber: 11gSugar: 8g

Keyword creamy vegan soup, easy vegan stew, plant based stew, soy curl recipe, vegan chicken, vegan chicken soup, vegan chicken stew, vegan soup, vegan stew, vegan stew recipe, vegetarian chicken stew

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Vegan Chicken Stew - an easy, flavorful dinner recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do they make vegan chicken taste like chicken? ›

Vegan chicken matches up the taste of real chicken because of the substitutes used in preparing it without many health and environmental risks compared to traditional chicken. Some substitutes used to prepare vegan chicken include; Soy protein, vital wheat gluten, textured vegetable protein, and pea protein.

What ingredients can be added to provide flavor when stewing poultry? ›

Poultry
QuestionAnswer
What ingredients can be added to flavor poultry during stewing?carrots, celery & seasoning for flavor
How might stewed poultry be used?cooled stewed meat from the bone for use in soups and casseroles
23 more rows

Is vegan chicken healthier than real chicken? ›

Given all this, it may be time to consider plant-based versions to replace the chicken in your diet. With similar flavor and texture profiles, vegan chicken will also be full of protein but free of cholesterol, antibiotics, E. coli, and other health menaces.

How do you make plant-based chicken taste better? ›

To get the most flavour out of your vegan chicken, use herbs and spices like garlic, onion powder, and thyme, or paprika and cumin for Tex-Mex dishes. Add more water if needed.

What makes stew more flavorful? ›

Tips To Give Your Beef Stew A Flavour Punch
  • Five Tips To Make Your Beef Stew The Best.
  • Add A Little Heat.
  • Good Quality Stock Goes A Long Way.
  • Add Vegetables For More Flavour.
  • Soup Mixes Are An Ideal Seasoning And Thickening Aid.
  • Serve Your Beef Stew In A New Way.

What can I add to my stew to make it tastier? ›

I almost always add some beef bouillon crystals to my stew, it helps oomph (yes, a technical term) the beefiness of the stock. Sometimes also use a few shots of worcestershire sauce or soy sauce - both will also add some oomph to the flavor.

How can I make my stew tastier? ›

If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

How do they make vegan meat taste like meat? ›

Soy protein concentrate and pea protein are common ingredients used to mimic the true taste and texture of real meat. Editor's note: Some plant-based meat options, notably Impossible Foods products, contain GMO soy.

How do they get vegan food to taste like meat? ›

Vegan meat flavour can be generated by thermally treating raw materials such as yeast extract or hydrolysed vegetable protein (Lin et al., 2014; Wu and Cadwallader, 2002a). Flavour is a crucial sensory attribute of food products, just like texture and aroma (Kumar et al., 2017).

How do they make vegan food taste like meat? ›

This often means the use of copious seasonings and spices, yeast extracts, enhancers like nut-based sauces and mushrooms, and coconut oil. Due to various ingredients and processes used, some brands of plant-based meat have actually accomplished the flavor of real meat…

How is artificial chicken flavor made? ›

The artificial chicken flavor composition of the invention is a combination of a hexose, a bland protein hydrolysate, an arachidonic acid compound, such as arachidonic acid, or methyl and/or ethyl arachidonate, or a mixture of any thereof, and cysteine and/or cystine, or a nontoxic acid addition salt thereof.

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