Before I was vegan, one of my favorite foods was chicken cutlets. My mother made them all the time and later, when I was doing the cooking, I made them all the time. I loved them plain, on top of a salad, in a sandwich, turned into parmigiana, you name it.
Nine years ago this month, I watched the video “Meet Your Meat” and never ate another bite of meat. At that time, my freezer was filled with chicken cutlets. I didn’t want to waste them so I cooked them up to bring to a party at my job. When I cooked a huge stack of chicken cutlets and didn’t sneak one bite, Tom knew I was serious about living meat-free. Honestly, I surprised myself – I could never cook them without sneaking a few bites – but I resisted and have ever since.
Of course, I haven’t lived cutlet-free for the past nine years. I make them out of tofu, seitan, tempeh, and vegetables. Anyone who has ever chosen the meat-free path most likely has made some recipes from Isa Chandra Moskowitz. She’s a vegan legend and her cookbooks are usually among the first a new vegan buys. Veganomicon was my first vegan cookbook. Isa has probably helped thousands upon thousands of people go and stay vegan.
One of her most popular recipes is her Chickpea Cutlets. They’re fast and easy to make and delicious. I have made them too but one day, I wondered how they would taste if I switched out the chickpeas for cannellini beans. I use cannellini beans to make my Best Vegan Chicken Burgers and I really like the texture so I wanted to try it with cutlets. Turns out I like the cutlets even better with these beans.
When the cutlets are made using cannellini beans, I find they are lighter, smoother and taste closer to chicken cutlets, especially when you add poultry seasoning, “chicken” flavored broth, carrot and sage – all flavors we associate with chicken.
I make these cutlets all the time now, at least once a week. I usually double this recipe so I have leftovers for another meal or two. Everyone loves them. I cook them and cover them with mushroom gravy
put them on top of a salad or cover with vegan cheese for a tasty sandwich
I can’t take much credit for this recipe since all I did was take Isa’s recipe and change the beans, the seasonings and the order of how they go in the bowl. The genius is all hers – which I’m sure is no surprise to anyone.
Make these cutlets and if you’re gluten-free, you can still do it. My recipe for Best Vegan Chicken Burgers can be flattened into cutlets and is similar. Just swap out the gluten for some other binder like rice, millet or gluten-free flour. Once you make these cutlets, they will be part of your meal rotation for sure. Thanks Isa! Enjoy!
Cannellini Cutlets
Makes 4-6 cutlets, depending on how big you make them.
1-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
½ carrot, grated or chopped
¼ cup oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
1 tsp. sage
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 cup breadcrumbs
¼ cup tamari
1 cup vital wheat gluten
½ cup “chicken” flavored broth
Flour for dusting
Oil for pan-frying
Put the beans in a food processor with a bit of the oil and process until mostly smooth. Add in the carrot and process until it’s all combined. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the rest of the oil.
Mix in the seasonings and the breadcrumbs. Add in the tamari and mix well. Carefully add in the vital wheat gluten. Add in the broth, a little at a time, mixing with a rubber spatula, until it seems like you have a dough.
When the dough feels stretchy and elastic, you have enough liquid. If it’s too hard and ungiving, add more liquid. If it’s too soft, add more gluten a spoon at a time. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes until it springs back when you stretch it. Let the dough rest for five minutes.
Divide the dough into pieces for your cutlets. Flatten them and stretch them until you have the shape of a cutlet, the flatter the better. Let the cutlets rest a few minutes while you heat some oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
When you’re ready to cook them, sprinkle some flour on a plate. Lightly dust the cutlets with the flour on both sides and pan-fry them until they are golden brown on each side. Use your cutlets however you wish.
The “V” Word: Say it. Eat it. Live it.
Print Cannellini Cutlets Author: Rhea Parsons Recipe type: Entree Ingredients- Cannellini Cutlets
- 1-15 oz. can cannellini beans, drained
- ½ carrot, grated or chopped
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. poultry seasoning
- 1 tsp. sage
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup tamari
- 1 cup vital wheat gluten
- ½ cup “chicken” flavored broth
- Flour for dusting
- Oil for pan-frying
- Put the beans in a food processor with a bit of the oil and process until mostly smooth. Add in the carrot and process until it’s all combined. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the rest of the oil.
- Mix in the seasonings and the breadcrumbs. Add in the tamari and mix well. Carefully add in the vital wheat gluten. Add in the broth, a little at a time, mixing with a rubber spatula, until it seems like you have a dough.
- When the dough feels stretchy and elastic, you have enough liquid. If it’s too hard and ungiving, add more liquid. If it’s too soft, add more gluten a spoon at a time. Knead the dough for about 3 minutes until it springs back when you stretch it. Let the dough rest for five minutes.
- Divide the dough into pieces for your cutlets. Flatten them and stretch them until you have the shape of a cutlet, the flatter the better. Let the cutlets rest a few minutes while you heat some oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- When you’re ready to cook them, sprinkle some flour on a plate. Lightly dust the cutlets with the flour on both sides and pan-fry them until they are golden brown on each side. Use your cutlets however you wish.
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