This sandwich will ruin you for all other sandwiches.
I may have said this before, but this is the best sandwich I have ever had. These vegan chicken Caesar sandwiches are some next level s&*#%. So, if I have said that before, know that it was simply because I had not tried these sandwiches yet. Crispy baked chickpea “chicken” patties, the BEST vegan Caesar dressing, romaine lettuce all on your favorite bun. Super easy, healthy and packed with protein.
I could eat a vegan crispy chicken Caesar sandwich everyday for the rest of my life and never get tired of them. I have been tinkering with different “chicken” patty recipes, and this one is perfect. After baking it, it is so crispy on the outside you can hear the crunch, and the perfect firmness in the center while still being moist.
This recipe will make about 3 large or 4 small crispy chicken patties, and I recommend making them all. The leftovers are amazing, and you can even cut some up and make delicious salads if lower carb things are your thing.
Let us not forget the Caesar dressing, it is tangy, well balanced perfection. Slathered on these crispy chicken Caesar sandwiches is the best home for it. I love it all so much, and so does my whole family. My daughter is obsessed with the chickpea chicken patties, but usually wants a different topping. I live for meals that can be adapted to everyone’s liking. These sandwiches are definitely winners!
Super crispy baked chickpea "chicken", the best vegan Caesar dressing and romaine lettuce on your favorite bun. This is the best sandwich of all time!
- 15 oz. Can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
- 1 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 1/3 C. Vegetable broth
- 2 Tbsp. Soy sauce
- 1/2 C. Vital wheat gluten
- 1/3 C. Panko bread crumbs
- 1 tsp. Poultry seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- Pinch of Black pepper
- 1 C. Bread crumbs, for coating the outside
- 1/4 C. Vegan mayo
- 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
- 1 Tbsp. Capers
- 1 Tbsp. Nutritional yeast
- Juice of 1 Lemon
- 1/4 tsp. Garlic powder
- Pinch of Salt and pepper
- Buns
- Romaine lettuce
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Next, drain the chickpeas and add them to a large mixing bowl. Smash all of the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher. Make sure they are all mashed.
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Now add the olive oil, veggie broth, soy sauce, vital wheat gluten, panko, and seasonings to the mixing bowl with the smashed chickpeas. Leave the extra bread crumbs out, this will be used for coating.
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Mix everything together with a spoon, and then once everything starts to come together, begin to mix with your hands and then knead the mixture for about 2 minutes. It should become firm and hold together very well.
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Now place the 1 cup of bread crumbs into a bowl. You can use whatever kind of bread crumbs you want, I used half panko and half regular.
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Then, divide the chickpea mixture into 3-4 parts, depending on how large you want your patties. Roll each part into a ball, then press out flat.
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Next, press the patties down into the bread crumbs on each side, coating the patties in the bread crumbs. You may need to press down hard to get them to stick.
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Place each patty on a baking sheet sprayed with non stick spray. Then spray the tops of the chickpea patties with non stick spray as well.
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Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Flipping the patties after 15 minutes. Bake until the patties are firm, crispy and brown.
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While the patties are baking, make the dressing. Add all the ingredients to a blender and pulse for a minute, scraping down sides as needed. Until it is creamy and smooth. Set aside.
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When the chickpea patties are done, take a bun, spread with Caesar dressing, then place a patty on that, then lettuce, then spread the top bun with more Caesar dressing. Serve!
Alissia
September 8, 2018 at 12:49 pmCan’t wait to try these! Do you think that they can be frozen? And if so would you freeze before cooking or after? Love make ahead recipes for busy weeknights
Amberlii
September 8, 2018 at 4:41 pmI made this 3 days ago and my family loved it so much that I made it again last night for dinner! This is truly one of my favorite recipes! Do you recommend heating any left overs in the microwave or should it only be in the oven? THANK YOU! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Lauren Hartmann
September 9, 2018 at 11:09 amYou just totally made my day! I have only been reheating leftovers in the oven, just so they are still crispy. However, I bet they would still taste delicious reheated in the microwave. They probably just won’t be as crispy.
Daniela
September 8, 2018 at 5:32 pmIs there any way to make these gluten free? They sound soooo good!
Lauren Hartmann
September 9, 2018 at 11:16 amI’m not 100% sure, since I have not tested a gluten free recipe. However, I think you could skip the vital wheat gluten and use double the bread crumbs using gluten free ones instead. Then using an egg replacer as a binder. I like to use flax eggs. The texture would not be the same, but I would bake until they are firm. They would have the same flavor, but maybe more like a veggie burger consistency. I hope that is kinda helpful!
Susan
October 10, 2018 at 11:08 pmHi Daniela, I just made these gluten-free and I used Bob’s Red Mill gf flour in place of the vital wheat gluten, gluten-free bread crumbs, and tamari. I added an additional two tablespoons of breadcrumbs to the patty mix for stability. They came out well!
daniela
October 10, 2018 at 11:41 pmThanks Susan! I’ll give it a try! Did you use any eggs/egg replacement?
Susan
October 11, 2018 at 4:38 pmI didn’t but you could try it if you want, maybe instead of the extra breadcrumbs? I might aso try these again with a little extra flour instead of the extra breadcrumbs just to play around 😀
Rachel
September 9, 2018 at 1:57 pmHow big are the patties? Like 3 inches? 4 inches? I’m wondering how many small “slider” sized patties these would make – thinking of doing like an English muffin size for lunches 🙂
Lauren Hartmann
September 9, 2018 at 10:15 pmMaybe about 4 inches. I bet you could make 6-8 sliders!
Michelle
September 9, 2018 at 5:35 pmMmm mmm! This was amazing! It made 4 BIG patties for me. Crunchy coating right out of the oven. Topped with fresh lettuce, juicy tomato and lots of your Cesar dressing…PERFECT! Thanks for a great recipe
Tanna M Dean
September 19, 2018 at 2:11 pmI made this and it was fabulous. My husband ate two, I took the last one for lunch the next day. (Shared on IG)
Lauren Hartmann
September 20, 2018 at 2:08 pmWoot woot!
Jaimie H
September 21, 2018 at 7:12 pmSaw this recipe posted in a vegetarian Facebook group and on a whim I decided to try them. They’re amazing!! I did add a bit more spice but the patty itself is so delicious. I am blown away!!
Lauren Hartmann
September 23, 2018 at 8:13 pmYay! This make me incredibly happy!
Kody
October 24, 2018 at 12:46 amNeed some good side recommendations to go with these?? Trying the crack broccoli tacos tomorrow!
Lauren Hartmann
October 24, 2018 at 1:35 pmI love to just serve these with veggie chips or veggie fries. Sweet potato fries are great! Or sometimes I do a side salad or pasta salad!
Kirsten
October 27, 2018 at 9:43 pmNot going to pick a rating as I tried only the patty part of the recipe. I had pretty much none of the ingredients for the rest — not even lettuce. Guess it’s time for a grocery shop. 😲
The patties are a solid 5 stars, though. At least as good as store bought “chicken” burgers, and I’d say they are better. Super easy, too.
Thanks for another excellent recipe!
Cheers.
Alejandra
November 8, 2018 at 12:26 amI made this today and they were so delicious! I’m so happy I found your blog, your recipes are amazing. 🖤🌱
Charlene
December 27, 2018 at 9:21 pmI’ve recently decided to try and get healthy! I’m easing into removing most meat from my diet – maybe eventually all. Don’t judge. I’m learning and trying to find ways to make it work. As such, I’ve just begun and this was one of the first recipes I tried as a meat substitute. I only made the patties and used a yogurt caesar dressing I had on hand. If I was really being picky, I could tell it wasn’t meat, but really, it so made me feel like I was eating a chicken sandwich (which is a good thing – taste wise). Thanks for opening up the possibilities. Yay. Also, so happy that the patty ingredients are pantry friendly. Thanks so much. I’d be interested to know if you can freeze these too and how that would work.
Alissa
January 8, 2019 at 8:09 pmThank you so much for this incredible recipe! My boyfriend told me about 5x how much he loved it and even “felt bad finishing it” because he didnt want the sandwich to end 😂 Will be in solid rotation! Thanks again!!!
Alejandra
January 9, 2019 at 1:40 pmlooks so good!! what bun do you use? Thank you for the recipe!!
Lauren Hartmann
January 9, 2019 at 2:21 pmI usually use the organic ones from Trader Joe’s.
Alejandra
January 9, 2019 at 2:39 pmTHANK YOU!!
Alejandra
January 9, 2019 at 6:00 pmWow! I made them and wow! Is my reaction
Thank you!
Lauren Hartmann
January 9, 2019 at 6:03 pmYay! You are so welcome!
Carolyn sloboda
January 19, 2019 at 7:26 pmI been experimenting for years making different veggie burgers. Most of the recipes were quite good, but always seem to miss some texture. I came across this recipe and can’t get over how much I love them! Texture and taste is unbelievable. I can’t make enough of of these! Thank you for all your recipes!
Rob R
April 24, 2019 at 7:45 pmI started eating plant based about 18 months ago and this is the best recipe I have tried. This is going to be something I make weekly from here on out. I had never heard of or used vital wheat gluten before and it’s game changer for me. I added it to a black bean burger recipe I use frequently and they were really just so much better. Thanks for the recipe!
Tam
April 27, 2019 at 4:49 amI’m not vegan, or even vegetarian, but I’ve just made these and they are incredible!
Kristin
April 30, 2019 at 10:28 amThese are amazing. Ever since I found the recipe a few months ago I’ve been making them every week. So easy & very quick to make! I’ve been mixing everything together in my food processor and that seems to be working well.
I also tried freezing one to see how that would work & they freeze very well! The texture might have changed a bit but they’re still crunchy & delicious.
Rose Robles
May 15, 2019 at 6:41 pmMan these are fantastic my husband said there better than the vegan restaurants we’ve tried, they heat up great in the microwave for leftovers. Thank you for the recipe
Kay
May 16, 2019 at 11:39 pmI am wondering if I could use flour instead of gluten?
Lauren Hartmann
May 19, 2019 at 10:05 amRegular flour will not work the same way. Vital wheat gluten is the protein from regular flour, and it makes it firm and meaty. I haven’t tried it with flour, but it won’t have the same texture, and I’m not sure if the “chicken” patties would hold together. You can try it out, I just don’t want to steer you in the wrong direction!
Linda
May 20, 2019 at 1:39 amDo you peel the chickpeas first? It didn’t say so I did the recipe with peel intake but I think next time I will peel them. Loved the taste!
Lauren Hartmann
May 20, 2019 at 2:09 pmI don’t peel the chickpeas, but you definitely can if you prefer! I’m so glad you liked them!!