Y'all, my family can't get enough of this Vegan Chicken Stew. It's packed with veggies, beans, and hearty potatoes and is so simple to make in the Instant Pot or on the stove.
Do you ever have one of those evenings where you just have no idea what's for supper? You were out all day, and you just did not plan. At all? This Vegan Chicken Stew recipe came out of one of those days.
And I can't believe how much my family loves it.
My kid is generally not a fan of soups or stews (with the exception of my Instant Pot Chili). But he kept eating huge spoonfuls of this stew and telling me that it was his favorite soup. I call that a super win!
I wasn't totally sure about sharing a stew recipe in the middle of summer like this, but a friend on Instagram pointed out that this stew is packed with summer veggies, like carrots and corn. And if you make it in the Instant Pot, you don't have to stand over a hot stove.
We had this on a stormy summer evening, and I hope that you will do the same!
How to Make Vegan Chicken Stew
The "chicken" for this recipe is chicken-style seitan. You can make your own seitan from scratch or use packaged.
If you want to make your own, I love the seitan recipe from Vegan Under Pressure. It's quick, easy, and delicious in this stew. Plus, then you get to use your Instant Pot TWICE to make this, and how fun is THAT?
For store-bought, just go with a brand you love. No Evil Foods, Herbivorous Butcher, and Tofurky all make great chicken-style seitan.
If you're making this recipe in the Instant Pot, it's a true set-it-and-forget-it situation. Toss in everything except the greens, cook at pressure, then stir in your spinach once you've done your natural release.
On the stove, it really isn't that much more difficult. Just add all of your ingredients and simmer, stirring, until everything is cooked through. Then add your spinach, just like in the IP version.
If you are cooking this on the stove, you'll need to add a bit more liquid than if you're using your Instant Pot.
Vegan Chicken Stew
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups water - (If you're cooking on the stove, use 3 1/2 cups.)
- 2 cubes Not-Chick'n Bouillon - (Use a third cube, for stovetop.)
- 1/2 cup minced celery
- 1 15 ounce can chickpeas
- 2 cups cubed red potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups carrots - (1/2" coins)
- 1 cup corn - fresh or frozen
- 8 ounces chicken-style seitan
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 4 packed cups baby spinach
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions
- Combine all of the ingredients, except for the spinach, in your instant pot. Cook at high pressure for 5 minutes, then let the pressure come down naturally for 10 minutes. You can quick release the pressure after that 10 minutes is up.
- Add the spinach to the pot, and stir. The heat from the stew should be enough to cook the spinach. If you feel like it's not cooking, though, you can turn on the saute function to cook the spinach fully.
Stovetop Directions
- Combine all of the ingredients, except for the spinach, in a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes. You're done cooking when the potato pieces are tender.
- Add the spinach to the pot, and stir until it fully wilts into the stew.
Cadry
I love soups that truly are a full meal. This sounds so substantive, healthy, and delicious!
Dianne
Meals like this where you just throw things together because you're not sure what to make tend to be the best kind! I'm like your son – I'm not a huge fan of soups, but this has so many things I like in it that I think I'd love it. That seitan looks so good!