Last updated on December 24th, 2022 at 08:46 am
This vegan "chicken" salad is such an easy and fresh lunch option. Made with young jackfruit, chickpeas and a killer dressing, this classic salad made vegan is simple, quick and completely delicious. Make it for lunch today and pile it on bread, stuff it in a wrap or eat it straight from the bowl.
You might be asking, "if you're a vegan why are you making chicken sandwiches?" The answer is simple. I am vegan because I love animals. Not for my health or the environment although those things are great side effects of a plant-based diet. I am not vegan because I hate the taste of meat; truth be told I quite like it. So, I recreate the flavours without the animal.
My vegan shawarma, vegan reuben sandwich, vegan Wellington and vegan pot pie recipes were all created to re-create traditional meat flavours. This vegan chicken salad is my latest meaty but meatless recipe.
Things to Love About This Recipe
If you are after a verstile salad recipe you've come to the right place. This salad is:
- super versatile! It is great on bread, in a wrap or straight from the bowl
- packed with traditional chicken salad flavours that will have you thinking you're eating the real thing
- made with jackfruit not faux meat
- so easy to pull together
- abundant! You'll get 4 or 5 sandwiches from this one recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Jackfruit: Canned young jackfruit is the perfect meat substitute here. You are going to need the canned variety in brine, not fresh jackfruit - it can be found in Asian grocers and many traditional supermarket chains.
Chickpeas: While I love chickpeas in this salad, you could swap them out for white beans. I always add beans for the protein and texture.
Yoghurt: I like to use yoghurt in the dressing to lighten it a little but if you don't have it, you could swap out the yoghurt portion for more mayo. I always use my vegan mayonnaise but store-bought is totally fine.
Celery, shallots and parsley: Don't skip these! These 3 ingredients - combined with the jackfruit texture - kind of trick the tongue in to believing you really are eating a traditional chicken salad. Trust me.
How To Make Vegan Chicken Salad?
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Steps 1 & 2: Drain the young jackfruit and slice it thinly lengthways.
Step 3: Combine the sliced jackfruit in a bowl with the chickpeas, nutritional yeast, soy sauce and sugar and stir well. Heat a little oil in a large pan and add the jackfruit mixture. Cook for around 5-minutes, breaking the jackfruit up as you go. Remove from the heat to cool.
Step 4 & 5: Combine the dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until creamy.
Step 6: Add the cooled jackfruit/chickpea mixture and stir well.
And that's it! On bread or in a bowl, this vegan chicken salad is just so tasty and easy to make. However, you serve it, it's the perfect little lunchtime nosh. Enjoy, x.
Recipe FAQs
Stored in the fridge in a sealed container, the salad will last up to 4 days. Any longer and things get a big juicy and separated.
Totally. A few sliced red grapes and a smattering of walnuts is delicious.
You can swap the soy sauce for tamari for a gluten-free version. If you are making it in to a sandwich, just use gluten-free bread or wraps.
More jackfruit and chickpea recipes:
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If you like this recipe, please check out my cookbook. Great Vegan Meals for the Carnivorous Family is full of simple, carnivore-approved family recipes.
Vegan Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the "Chicken"
- 550 grams young canned jackfruit approx 2 x 565g cans, drained
- 250 grams / 1 and ½ cups cooked chickpeas 1 x 400g can drained
- 2 teaspoon nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoon soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon raw sugar
- 1 tbsp neutral flavoured oil
For the Dressing
- 1 French shallot peeled and finely diced
- ¼ cup capers drained and chopped
- ¼ cup vegan yoghurt
- ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- ½ tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoon chopped parsley
- ½ cup celery finely diced
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the "Chicken"
- To prepare the jackfruit, drain the brine and thinly slice each triangle lengthways and pop the pieces in a large bowl. Add the chickpeas, nutritional yeast, soy sauce and sugar and stir well to combine.
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot add the jackfruit and chickpea mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. While cooking, break up the jackfruit with a fork to resembled shredded chicken. Remove from the heat to cool.
For the Dressing
- To a large bowl add the French shallot, capers, yoghurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, parsley, and celery. Stir to combine well
- Add the cooled jackfruit/chickpea mixture and mix well to combine before seasoning with salt and pepper.
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