Vegan Chicken and Dumplings

Step 1

Season the vegan chicken chunks with salt, ground black pepper, and half a teaspoon each of sage and oregano. Toss to mix. Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the seitan chunks to it in a single layer. You might need to do this in batches to prevent overcrowding the pot.

Step 2

Brown the seitan on all sides - it should take 3-4 minutes on each side to get a nice, golden sear. Remove the browned chunks to a bowl and set aside.

Step 3

In the same Dutch oven, heat another tablespoon of olive oil. Add onions, carrots and celery and season with with salt and ground black pepper. Saute the vegetables for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften, then stir in the crushed or minced garlic. Saute for a minute.

Step 4

Add the flour to the pot. Mix it in until it is coating all the veggies, then add in ½ cup of red wine (4 oz) or ¼ cup vodka (2 ounces) or ½ a bottle of beer (about 6 ounces). Saute the veggies until all moisture has evaporated.

Step 5

Add 3 cups mushroom broth, if using, or water and vegan broth powder or bouillon. Add Worcestershire sauce, tamari and hot sauce. Mix well and bring to a boil.

Step 6

Add the rosemary and the remaining oregano and sage, Stir them in. Add the browned seitan chunks and mushrooms to the pot. Mix them in, cover, and cook five minutes until the mushrooms are almost tender. Check seasoning and add more salt and ground black pepper if needed.

Step 7

While the stew is cooking, make the dumpling batter. Place flour, sage and oregano, garlic powder, if using, salt and ground black pepper in bowl.

Step 8

Add ¼ cup vegan yogurt and ¼ cup vegan cream. Mix with a fork until evenly dispersed, then slowly pour in the non-dairy milk, mixing with a fork all the time. The batter should be looser than a biscuit dough and more like a cookie batter that you can scoop up. Use a spoon or cookie scoop to drop the dumplings into the stew. You can make the dumplings as big or as small as you like.

Step 9

Once all the dumplings are in the pot, return the stew to a boil, then lower heat and cover the pot with a tight lid. Let the dumplings cook for 15 minutes. Don't peek or remove the lid at any point. After 15 minutes, use a knife or fork to pierce one dumpling in the center. If it comes out dry the dumplings are cooked and you can turn off heat. If not, let them cook for a few more minutes.

Step 10

Garnish the vegan chicken and dumplings with fresh parsley before serving.