Okay guys, this is one of those recipes that is an absolute GAME CHANGER. I made this recipe when my brother, who is the biggest Tofu skeptic around, was in town visiting and he loved it. It is 100% based on a dish that my mom normally makes with either salmon or boneless chicken breasts. When I lived at home, this was one on of my favorites of my mom’s recipes. The combination of flavor from the artichokes, capers and lemon juice is absolutely perfect.
My first time making this was when my brother was in town about two years ago. I wanted to make something that he, as a meat lover, would still enjoy so I figured what better than to almost directly copy one of my mom’s best recipes! I just substituted tofu for chicken and veggie stock for chicken stock. It turned out to be a real crowd pleasing recipe and ever since then, has been a frequent rotation in the Mahar/DeSana household. I swear you won’t even miss the chicken here. Simmering the tofu in the lemony sauce allows it to soak up all the flavors and it is amazing.
With this recipe you, only have to lightly roll the tofu in the flour rather than giving it a thick batter and you really don’t even need to use the egg at all but it does help stick the flour to the tofu. This dish can also easily be made vegan by using a flax egg instead of a regular egg. I just usually use eggs since I always have them around. Check out the recipe notes for directions on making a flax egg. It’s really easy and works just as well.
In the directions here I say to serve with either mashed potatoes or rice pilaf, I strongly encourage the rice pilaf. The creamy rice is a great contrast with the sauce and does a great job of soaking up all the lemony flavor of the sauce. I really hope you love this recipe as much as 15 year old Jackie loved it with chicken and as much as 27 year old Jackie loves it now with tofu (and a large glass of the leftover white wine).
Until Next Time,
Jackie
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Extra Lemony Tofu “Chicken” Picatta
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian, Vegetarian
Description
This is a vegetarian take on a classic Italian recipe, usually made with chicken. The lemony white wine sauce is rich, tart and delicious. Serve with Rice Pilaf or Potatoes.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 14oz Brick Tofu
- 2 lemons, zest and juice one, slice the other
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped (reserve some for garnish)
- 1 can quartered artichoke hearts
- 2 tbs capers
- 1/2 cup dry white wine*
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1 egg, beaten**
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, more if you like it spicy
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the tofu into 1/2 inch wide rectangles and heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Take two small, shallow bowls, place the beaten egg in one and the flour in the other. One by one, take the slices of tofu, dip them into the egg, then the flour and place them gently into the heated oil. Cook the tofu until golden brown, this takes about 4 minutes on each side. Remove the tofu from the oil and cover with paper towel. Take your time with this and don’t jam all the tofu into the pan at once because it makes the pieces harder to flip over.
- Add a little more oil to the pan and then put in the garlic, parsley and red pepper flakes. Cook until the garlic is just beginning to brown. At this point, add in the the white wine. Stir the wine continuously for about 3 minutes or until it’s been reduced by about half. After add in the lemon zest, lemon juice, vegetable stock, artichoke hearts and capers. Mix all the ingredients together and bring to a boil.
- Once the sauce is boiling, turn down the heat and add the tofu back into the pan along with the lemon slices. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Serve on top of mashed potatoes or your favorite rice pilaf and garnish with fresh parsley! My mom’s rice pilaf recipe will be coming soon to the blog so remember to come back!
Notes
*If you don’t have wine just use more stock or you can try rice vinegar
**Make Vegan using a Flax Egg. Take 2 tbs of flax seed and place it into 6tbs of water. Let sit about 10 minutes until it thickens up.
