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5 from 1 vote

Vegan Italian "Chicken" Sandwiches

Olive spread, easy chickpea "chicken", marinara sauce and vegan mozzarella on a roll and baked.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Main Course
Servings: 4
Calories: 557kcal
Author: Lauren Boehme

Ingredients

Italian "Chicken" Cutlets

  • 1 Can(15oz.) Chickpeas, drained
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
  • 2/3 Cup Vegetable broth
  • 1 Cup Vital wheat gluten
  • 1 1/3 Cup Panko bread crumbs, vegan
  • 1 teaspoon Basil, dried
  • 1 teaspoon Oregano, dried
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • Pinch of Black pepper
  • 1/4 Cup Water

Coating For The Cutlets

  • 3/4 Cup Panko
  • 1/2 teaspoon Basil, dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon Oregano, dried
  • Pinch of Salt and pepper

Olive Spread

For The Rest of The Sandwiches

  • 4 Hoagie rolls, vegan
  • 1/2 Cup Marinara sauce, I used Trader Joe's brand
  • 1/2 Cup Vegan Mozzarella, I used Miyoko's
  • Fresh basil,(optional)

Instructions

  • Make the "chicken" first. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees(F).
  • Drain the chickpeas and add them to a food processor. Then add the olive oil, broth, vital wheat gluten, panko, basil, oregano, salt and pepper.
  • Start to process the mixture, letting the chickpeas break down and let the mixture start coming together. This may take 1-2 minutes.
  • Then as the food processor is running, start to stream the water through the hole in the top of the processor. And continue to process until the mixture starts to form a ball. Another 2-3 minutes.
  • Make sure the mixture is stretchy and sticks together and the chickpeas are mostly broken down and there are no huge chunks.
  • Form the "chicken" mixture into 4 or 5 cutlets. Taking about 1/3-1/2 a cup of the mixture and rolling it and flattening it. Repeat with all of the mixture.
  • Now, coat the cutlets. In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir all of the coating ingredients together. Then take each cutlet and press it into the coating mixture on each side. Press down as hard as need to get a good coating.
  • Put each cutlet on a sheet pan, sprayed with non-stick spray. Spray the tops of the cutlets with a little more non-stick spray to help them brown.
  • Bake them for 15 minutes, flip and bake another 12-15 minutes or until they are brown and firm.
  • While the "chicken" bakes, make the olive spread. Wipe out your food processor and then add all the olive spread ingredients to the food processor. Process for about 1 minute or so. You want to leave a little texture to the olives, but make sure everything is nicely combined and chopped up well.
  • Once the "chicken" is done, make the sandwiches. Leave the oven on 450 degrees. Take one roll, slice it open, spread each side with the olive spread. Then cut a cutlet in half. Lay it on the roll, then top with a few tablespoons of marinara, then top that with vegan mozzarella, and fresh basil if desired.
  • Close the sandwich, repeat, you should get 4-5 sandwiches. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 6-8 minutes or until nice and melty. Serve!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 557kcal | Carbohydrates: 69g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Sodium: 2403mg | Potassium: 243mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 734IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 15mg