This Vegan Cordon Bleu features tender seitan chicken stuffed with vegan ham and cheese, then coated in breadcrumbs, and cooked until crispy perfection! It's easy to make and ready in 35 minutes!
Cordon bleu is a retro classic dish that I wanted to veganize for as long as I can remember. It's a delicious protein-packed recipe you can make for a weeknight dinner or serve at family gatherings and celebrations.
This homemade seitan cordon bleu uses two methods of cooking- pan frying, and baking. This gives it the crispiest exterior, as well as a cheesy and melty interior.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy to make! This recipe may sound fancy, but it's super easy to put together, even for people who are beginners at vegan cooking.
- Made with homemade seitan chicken. I like making my own fake meat at home so I know what's in it, and control how salty or seasoned it is. Even if you've never made seitan before, trust me, it's SO EASY to make, especially with my step-by-step photos and instructions.
- Texture heaven. This recipe has it all - a chewy vegan chicken, creamy dairy-free cheese inside, and super crispy breadcrumbs on the outside. What's not to love?
- A real crowd-pleaser! This vegan cordon bleu will satisfy even the hungriest meat-eaters, and will leave everybody wanting more! I love serving it at a family dinner, or party.
What is Cordon Bleu?
Traditional chicken cordon bleu is made with chicken breast stuffed with cheese and ham, then coated with breadcrumbs and pan-fried or deep-fried.
In this vegan version, we're using homemade seitan as a substitute for chicken and filling it with vegan ham and vegan cheese slices.
Ingredients You'll Need
- Vital wheat gluten: This will be the base of the fake chicken and is what makes the seitan chewy.
- Vegan ham and cheese: Traditionally chicken cordon bleu is made with Swiss cheese, but you can use any non-dairy cheese you like. I like to use VioLife's Vegan Cheddar Slices or Chao's Original Slices.
- Breadcrumbs: You'll need Panko breadcrumbs for coating the vegan chicken.
- Silken tofu: This will make the seitan more tender and will provide a better texture. It's important to use silken tofu, not firm or extra-firm! For more recipes featuring silken tofu, check out my 40 best silken tofu recipes roundup.
- Vegan mayo and dijon mustard: For spreading on the vegan chicken before coating it with the breadcrumbs. This is what will help them stick!
- Spices: Since seitan can be quite bland, adding the right spices is super important for giving the vegan chicken flavor. You'll need smoked paprika, vegan poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Adds moisture to the seitan. You can use any oil you have on hand including canola oil or sunflower oil.
- Water (or vegetable broth): For binding everything together.
- Bouillon cube: For adding even more flavor. I like to use a vegan "chicken" bouillon cube, but any flavor works fine.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make Vegan Cordon Bleu
Step 1: Make seitan chicken
To a high-speed blender or a food processor, add silken tofu, olive oil, water, and the bouillon cube. Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy.
To a mixing bowl, add the vital wheat gluten, and the spices. Mix to combine. Then, add the blended tofu mixture.
Mix with a rubber spatula or a fork until it becomes so sticky that you can't continue mixing anymore. Then, use your hands to mix the dough until it forms into a ball, around 1 minute. Don't overmix!
Step 2: Roll into fillets
Use a sharp knife or a bench scrapper and divide the ball into 4 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin or a glass cup, roll the pieces into equal-sized seitan slices.
Step 3: Fill with ham and cheese
Cut your cheese slices in half if necessary. Start by placing a slice of vegan cheese, then layer a slice of vegan ham on top of it. Follow by a second piece of cheese and a second piece of ham. And finally, add one last piece of cheese to finish.
To close the chicken, add another piece of seitan on top and completely seal the edges using damp fingers.
Step 3: Brush with mayo and mustard
In a small bowl, mix mayo and mustard until creamy and smooth. Using a pastry brush, spread the mixture all over the vegan chicken, making sure to brush on both sides as well as the edges.
Step 4: Coat with breadcrumbs
Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and add the seitan. Coat on both sides, pressing down so that the breadcrumbs stick.
Step 5: Shallow fry, then bake
Heat a cast-iron skillet or a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, heat vegetable oil until it starts to smoke slightly. Add the seitan to the hot pan, and cook for a couple of minutes on each side, until golden brown.
Either place the fillets on a baking sheet or transfer the cast-iron skilled to a pre-heated oven to 390ºF (200ºC). Bake the vegan cordon bleu for 15 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes, until cooked through.
Hint: Use a cast-iron skillet for the best crispy crust, and so you can put it directly in the oven after frying!
Expert Tips
- Don't overmix the seitan dough! Some recipes on the internet suggest you knead the dough. Don't do that! Overmixing the dough can make the seitan tough and hard to chewy. Vital wheat gluten doesn't need kneading because it's already super high in gluten and protein.
- Pat dry the silken tofu before blending. It's important to get rid of some of the moisture so you don't add more liquid than needed. By that, I don't mean pressing the tofu for hours as we do in my teriyaki tofu stir fry, but rather pat it dry on the outside with a paper towel.
- Use a digital scale to measure accurately. it's very important to measure the ingredients as accurately as possible in order to make the best vegan chicken cordon bleu. For example, measuring the tofu with cups won't be as accurate, since silken tofu has a lot of moisture.
- Use a vegan cheese that melts well! It's essential to use a high-quality vegan cheese that you love so that it melts properly. Biting into a piece of vegan cordon bleu with melty cheese inside is the best part!
- Don't skip the frying! I highly suggest you shallow fry the seitan first to give it moisture, and to help it crisp up well. In my testing, I've found that only baking makes it dry and not as flavorful and crispy.
FAQ
Yes! Follow the instruction up until the point where you have to cook the fillets. Then, wrap each piece in plastic foil and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
No. Unfortunately, this recipe cannot be made gluten-free since vital wheat gluten is the main ingredient and cannot be substituted with anything else.
However, you can get a store-bought vegan chicken that is gluten-free, and use it to make this recipe.
Many people make seitan without tofu, but from testing, I've found that adding silken tofu to seitan makes it much softer and results in a tender vegan chicken.
No, they don't have the same protein content and won't give you the same texture as vital wheat flour does.
Yes! The best way to freeze it is before baking, right after you coat it with the breadcrumbs. Wrap each piece in plastic foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on the counter before cooking.
Variations
- Use store-bought chicken: If you want to make this recipe faster and easier, use store-bought vegan chicken such as Gardein Chicken Fillets or any other brand you like. You may need to cut the fillets in half if they're too thick, otherwise, follow the recipe as written.
- No mayo method: If you don't want to use mayo and want to make a lighter version of this vegan cordon bleu, use this method: Prepare three bowls. In the first one, whisk ⅓ cup of milk with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, in the second one, add ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour, and in the third one, add the breadcrumbs. Start by dredging the seitan first in the flour, then in the milk, and lastly, in the breadcrumbs.
- No silken tofu method: To make this recipe soy-free, you can follow this recipe for vegan chicken made with chickpeas.
- Deep fry it: In a Dutch oven or another heavy-bottomed pot, add enough oil to fill at least 3-4 inches high. Heat the oil until it reaches 180°C/355°F. Carefully drop the seitan and deep fry it for 7-8 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through inside.
Serving
I love serving this vegan cordon bleu with a squeeze of lemon juice, and some greens on the side like broccolini, green peas, or crispy roasted Brussels sprouts.
It's also delicious served over a bed of curried mashed potatoes, or with a side of air fryer smashed potatoes or our oven-baked Five Guys cajun fries.
For even more flavor, serve it with some kind of creamy sauce like this vegan white sauce or this dairy-free mustard sauce.
Storage
Vegan cordon bleu is best served fresh, while the seitan is still warm on the inside and crispy on the outside.
However, if you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Similar Recipes
📖 Recipe
Vegan Cordon Bleu (with Seitan Chicken)
Equipment
- Blender or a food processor
- Cast-irons skillet
- Digital scale
- Mixing bowls
- Rolling Pin or a glass cup
Ingredients
- 160g (¾ cup) silken tofu drained and pat dry to remove excess moisture
- 2 tablespoon water or vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 bouillon cube use vegan chicken flavored if possible
- 120g (1 cup) vital wheat gluten
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon vegan poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 slices vegan ham
- 2-3 slices vegan cheese
- 3 tablespoon vegan mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1-2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup vegetable oil, for frying
Instructions
Vegan Chicken
- To a high-speed blender or a food processor, add silken tofu, olive oil, water, and the bouillon cube. Blend on high until completely smooth and creamy.160g (¾ cup) silken tofu, 2 tablespoon water or vegetable broth, 2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 bouillon cube
- To a mixing bowl, add the vital wheat gluten, and the spices- smoked paprika, poultry seasoning, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Mix to combine. Then, add the blended tofu mixture.120g (1 cup) vital wheat gluten, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon vegan poultry seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Mix with a rubber spatula or a fork until it becomes so sticky that you can't continue mixing anymore. Then, use your hands to mix the dough until it forms into a ball, around 1 minute. Don't overmix! Stop mixing the moment the ball forms.
- Use a sharp knife or a bench scrapper and divide the ball into 4 equal pieces. Using a rolling pin or a glass cup, roll the pieces into equal-sized seitan slices, around 5-6 inches long and 4 inches wide.
- Cut your cheese slices in half if necessary. Start by placing a slice of vegan cheese, then layer a slice of vegan ham on top of it. Follow by a second piece of cheese and a second piece of ham. And finally, add one last piece of cheese to finish.4 slices vegan ham, 2-3 slices vegan cheese
- To close the chicken, add another piece of seitan fillet on top and completely seal the edges using damp fingers.
- In a small bowl, mix mayo and mustard until creamy and smooth. Using a pastry brush, spread the mixture all over the vegan chicken, making sure to brush on both sides as well as the edges.3 tablespoon vegan mayo, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl and add the seitan. Coat on both sides, pressing down so that the breadcrumbs stick.1-2 cups Panko breadcrumbs
Cooking process
- Heat a cast-iron skillet or a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, heat ¼ cup of vegetable oil until it starts to smoke slightly. Add the seitan fillets to the hot pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown.
- Either place them on a baking sheet or transfer the cast-iron skillet directly to the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping after 10 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve right away with a squeeze of lemon!
Notes
- Don't overmix the seitan dough! Some recipes on the internet suggest you knead the dough. Don't do that! Overmixing the dough can make the seitan tough and hard to chewy. Vital wheat gluten doesn't need kneading because it's already super high in gluten and protein.
- Pat dry the silken tofu before blending. It's important to get rid of some of the moisture so you don't add more liquid than needed. By that, I don't mean pressing the tofu for hours as we do in my teriyaki tofu stir fry, but rather pat it dry on the outside with a paper towel.
- Use a digital scale to measure accurately. it's very important to measure the ingredients as accurately as possible in order to make the best vegan chicken cordon bleu. For example, measuring the tofu with cups won't be as accurate, since silken tofu has a lot of moisture.
- Use a vegan cheese that melts well! It's essential to use a high-quality vegan cheese that you love so that it melts properly. Biting into a piece of vegan cordon bleu with melty cheese inside is the best part!
- Don't skip the frying! I highly suggest you shallow fry the seitan first to give it moisture, and to help it crisp up well. In my testing, I've found that only baking makes it dry and not as flavorful and crispy.
- Fridge: If you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: The best way to freeze it is before baking, right after you coat it with the breadcrumbs. Wrap each piece in plastic foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the fridge or for a few hours on the counter before cooking.
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
Food safety
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with a high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
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