The Art of Soups & Stews is a new monthly recipe column in which Best of Vegan contributor Devorah Bowen delves into her treasure trove of satisfying, comforting, cost-effective, and low-waste vegan soup and stew recipes. In today’s article, Devorah shares her recipe for vegan “chicken” cacciatore stew.
Vegan Chicken Cacciatore Stew
There are certain dishes that I can remember from my childhood, Chicken Cacciatore from this little Italian restaurant is one of them. It was a dish I often ordered fearing that if I strayed to another I’d miss out on all those familiar flavors that I loved. It wasn’t until recently that I thought of veganizing it. This recipe takes over and transforms the familiar veganized Chicken Cacciatore into a delicious and hearty stew. It’s easy to make and has all of those great flavors wrapped up in a comforting bowl.
What You’ll Need
- Soy Curls (you can sub any non breaded vegan chicken)
- Poultry Seasoning
- No Chicken Broth Seasoning
- Onion
- Garlic
- Green Bell Pepper
- Diced Tomatoes
- Tomato Sauce
- White Mushrooms
- Green Olives
- Red Chili Flakes
- Thyme
- Oregano
- Basil
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make this Vegan “Chicken” Cacciatore Stew
Step one: rehydrate the soy curls
Rehydrate the soy curls by adding them to a bowl along with 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning and cover with hot water. Allow them soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until rehydrated.
Step two: pan fry the soy curls
Drain the excess liquid from the bowl and pan fry the soy curls in a shallow pan with either 2 tsp of oil or oil spray. Cook flipping occasionally until they have browned on both sides. Season with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning while cooking. Set aside.
Step three: start cooking the vegetables
Cook the onion and green pepper on medium heat until the onions become translucent, about 4-6 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms begin to break down, about 4-5 minutes.
Step four: add the seasonings
Add in the no chicken seasoning, garlic, red chili flakes, thyme and oregano and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant. About 2-3 minutes.
Step five: add the olives and tomato sauce
Add in the olives, tomatoes and tomato sauce and mix well. Scrap up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Allow the mixture to simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
Step six: bring it all together
Add in the cooked soy curls and cover the pot. Simmer on low heat for 20- 25 minutes until heated through. Check for seasoning (salt & pepper) and adjust if necessary.
Step seven: serve the Vegan “Chicken” Cacciatore Stew & enjoy!
Serve with a nice crusted bread or over (vegan) buttered rice.
Vegan “Chicken” Cacciatore Stew – Recipe Card
Vegan “Chicken” Cacciatore Stew
Ingredients
- 8 oz 227 g of Soy Curls (you can sub any non breaded vegan chicken)
- 1 tsp Poultry Seasoning
- 1 tsp or 1 cube of No Chicken Broth Seasoning
- 1 small - 250 g Onion chopped
- 4 cloves of Garlic minced
- 1 small - 112 g Green Bell Pepper chopped
- 28 oz 794 g Diced Tomatoes
- 15 oz 425 ml Tomato Sauce
- 8 oz 227 g White Mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 cup Green Olives halved
- 1/2 tsp Red Chili Flakes
- 1 tsp Thyme
- 1 tsp Oregano
- 1 tsp Basil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1. Rehydrate the soy curls by adding them to a bowl along with 1/2 tsp of poultry seasoning and cover with hot water. Allow them soak for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until rehydrated.
- 2. Drain the excess liquid from the bowl and pan fry the soy curls in a shallow pan with either 2 tsp of oil or oil spray. Cook flipping occasionally until they have browned on both sides. Season with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning while cooking. Set aside.
- 3. Cook the onion and green pepper on medium heat until the onions become translucent, about 4-6 minutes. Add in the mushrooms and continue cooking until the mushrooms begin to break down, about 4-5 minutes.
- 4. Add in the no chicken seasoning, garlic, red chili flakes, thyme, basil, and oregano and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant. About 2-3 minutes.
- 5. Add in the olives, tomatoes and tomato sauce and mix well. Scrap up any bits that have formed on the bottom of the pot. Allow the mixture to simmer on low heat for 15 minutes.
- 6. Add in the cooked soy curls and cover the pot. Simmer on low heat for 20- 25 minutes until heated through. Check for seasoning (salt & pepper) and adjust if necessary.
- 7. Serve with a nice crusted bread or over (vegan) buttered rice.
PIN/SAVE/SHARE THIS RECIPE
Recipe, text, and photography by Devorah Bowen.
If you loved this Vegan “Chicken” Cacciatore Stew recipe, you might also like…
Or browse some more delicious savory vegan recipes here.
Basil is listed in the ingredients but not the recipe.
Hi Dustin! Thank you for catching that:) It’s added at the same time as the oregano and thyme. We just updated the recipe card.