Vegan Chicken Philly Cheesesteak

I used to work at Chili’s. Yeah the baby back rib place with the song.

This was back in college and I was extra broke and one of the perks was being able to eat after my shift for half price.

At the time Chili’s had a sandwich which I ate almost every day before it was taken of the menu. It was a chicken tejas sandwich and it was basically a chicken philly. I honestly could not tell you today what was in it. It has been 20 years ago…but I remember how much I loved it.

I remember the heartbreak I felt when they announced it was coming off the menu and eating the very last one our location had because one of the cooks and I were friends and they saved it for me.

Clearly I have a real attachment to that sandwich, enough so to retell my pretty uninteresting story. But, I told it because that is why I decided to make this sandwich. I was thinking about the Tejas sandwich the other day and how a local food truck here has a vegan philly that I like but the “meat” is more of a mock beef. And at the end of the day, I really just wanted a vegan chicken philly. So I made one!!

Our easy vegan baked chicken is well, actually really easy to make, and since it makes 8 breasts, you can can really get a few meals out of it. The seitan freezes really well, so I normally cook up a batch on the weekend and pop it into the freezer or fridge to use throughout the week.

And lets talk about he cheese!!! The easy vegan cheese sauce that you will want to eat on EVERYTHING!! I say to use half a batch and that means you can easily just make half a batch OR make a whole batch, use half, and save the other half for alllllllll kinds of things. Pizza cheese, lasagna , dipping chips, making quesadillas or enchiladas, dip your fries in it, put it on a burger, on some nachos, in a casserole. So many ways to use it up!

So in conclusion, if you love a chicken philly too, and want a solid vegan chicken philly, this might just be the recipe for you! Pretty easy, super delicious, gooey, cheesy, chicken-y, sandwich magic!

And if you ever had the joy of eating a Chilis Tejas sandwich (that would require you being over 25 years old, sooooooooo yeah, now I feel extra old) let me know!! Because if you ever did get to eat one then you know exactly what Im talking about!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 batch Easy Vegan Baked Chicken

• 1/2 batch Vegan All Purpose Cheese Sauce

• 1-2 bell peppers (any color you like0

• 1 small yellow onion

• 8 oz button mushrooms, sliced

• 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or liquid aminos

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2-1 teaspoon smoked paprika

• 4-6 hoagie sandwich rolls

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Prepare vegan chicken breast as instructed. You will need to allow the chicken to rest. So prepare it in the morning or the day before. You willl use half a batch and can freeze refrigerate the other half for another quick meal, later!

2. Once chicken has rested thinly cut 4 breast length wise.

3. Thinly slice the onion and pepper. I used 2 peppers but I like peppers. One would work fine as well.

4. Prepare the cheese sauce as instructed but wait to cook it until the sandwiches are made.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a few teaspoons of vegan butter or oil. Add the onions, garlic, and peppers and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the mushrooms, chicken strips, spices, and soy sauce. Cook until the mushrooms are nice and soft.

6. You can slice and heat the buns in the oven or slice and toast them up, open side down, in a buttered skillet. Or leave the bread not toasted, if you prefer.

7. Evenly divide the vegan chicken Philly mixture between the buns. I was able to make 6 sandwiches with my filling.

8. Add the cheese sauce to a pan and heat over medium heat, whisking continuously until the sauce has thickened to the consistency of queso. Drizzle cheese sauce over the sandwiches to serve. You can also add some diced green onions if you like.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Dry Rubbed Vegan Brisket

Vegan Chicken Parmesan Sandwich

Vegan Beer Battered Fish Fillets

Vegan Philly Cheese Steak Roll-Ups

I am a big fan of a vegan Philly Cheese Steak, but sometimes all that seitan and all that bread doesn’t make my stomach as happy as it makes my brain.

So the simple solution was to just make Vegan Seitan Philly roll ups, no bread required.

Just perfectly seasoned seitan, veggies, and the best vegan cheese sauce, hands down.

This way I feel like I can eat more of all good stuff, and a nice big side of fries with a little less guilt.

And let me tell you that cheese sauce makes some dang good cheese fries while you are at it….you might just want to go ahead and double that recipe.

This seitan recipe is easy and comes together quickly, and bake up pretty fast too. Since the pieces are thin, they really don’t need to rest like a big piece of setian would. So This recipe is perfect for a fairly quick weeknight dinner.

But by all means, you could bake them the night before, and reheat them the following day for a super quick supper.

We use jackfruit in this recipe for a nice meaty texture, plus its low fat and full of fiber so a nice healthy bonus to bulk up the recipe and use less vital wheat gluten.

So if you are into Philly cheese steaks, then I can not recommend trying this recipe enough! Its easy, filling, and super delicious!

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 bell peppers

• 1 medium yellow or white onion

Cheese Sauce:

• 1/2 cup cashews or sunflower seeds (plus water for soaking)

• 1 cup fresh water

• 2 tablespoons tapioca starch

• 3 tablespoon nutritional yeast

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• 1/2-1 teaspoons salt

• 1 teaspoon turmeric

• 1/2 -1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Setian:

• 1 can jackfruit in brine, drained and rinsed (20 oz can)

• 1 and 2/3 cups vital wheat gluten

• 1/4 cup tapioca or corn starch

• 1/4 cup nutritional yeast

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce or coconut aminos

• 3 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 2 teaspoons vegetable Better Than Bouillon

• 1/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Cut the peppers into matchstick, long pieces. Cut the onion into rings, then cut the rings in half. Set aside.

2. Drain and rinse the jackfruit. Chop the jackfruit in your food processor by pulsing a few times.

3. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and mix for a minute, until a sort of dough forms.

4. If you do not have a food processor, finely chop the jackfruit using a sharp knife. In a medium bowl add the jackfruit and remaining ingredients. Using your hands, (I promise its just easier) mix all of the ingredients together until a dough forms. Knead the dough by hand for a few minutes.

5. Flatten the dough into a disc shape. Divide the dough into 14-16 equal pieces. Flatten and stretch each piece into a flat rectangular shape (see picture, just do the best you can.)

6. Lay 4 pepper pieces and 2 or 3 onion pieces in the middle of each flattened piece of seitan. Roll each piece up and pinch the seam closed.

7. Line 2 baking sheets with foil. Spray or brush some oil on the foil and place the rolled seitan pieces on the pan spaced out an inch or so apart. Give each roll up piece a spray with oil as well. You can sprinkle the rolls with an all purpose seasoning or more garlic and onion powder if you like or give them a brush of soy and Worcestershire sauce. Take a piece of foil bigger than the pan and place on top of the rolls, pinching and tucking the foil around the pan so it is sealed up best you can. We want the seitan to steam inside the pan so try and not leave any gaps or holes when covering the pan.

8. Bake the seitan Philly rolls for 20 to 25 minutes covered. Uncover the rolls, and allow to bake for 10 more minutes.

9. While the the rolls are cooking prepare the cheese sauce. Place the cashews or sunflower seeds in a microwave safe container and cover in water. Heat on high for 3 minutes. You can do this in a small pot on the stove if you do not have a microwave. Just let them boil about 3 minutes. Drain. Add the nuts or seeds and remaining cheese sauce ingredients to a high speed blender or food processor. Blend until there are no more pieces of cashews or seeds and the mixture its totally smooth. Add the mix to a medium sauce pan. Whisk continuously over medium heat until the sauce is a thick queso consistency. If the sauces gets too thick you can whisk in more water and thin it back out.

10. Once the Philly rolls come out of the oven you can serve them by drizzling the cheese sauce over them. We eat our with a side of fries. You can garnish with some chives or diced green onions if you like.

If you like this recipe, then try these:

Vegan Philly Cheese Fries with Vegan Beer Cheese Sauce

Dry Rubbed Vegan Brisket

Vegan Pulled Jackfruit Torta