This five ingredient vegan chicken salad recipe will surprise you with delicious flavors! a great meal prep recipe to enjoy all week long.
recipe originally published January 6, 2012
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How to make this easy meal prep recipe
This vegan chicken salad has been a long time favorite at our house, as a sandwich or wrap filling, over crisp salad greens, or even over warm quinoa or cauliflower rice. A double batch added to your meal prep will make several great lunches for the week.
The cashews and celery add a great crunch and the currants are a sweet contrast to the savory flavors.
Recipe Variations
To enhance the basic recipe / original flavor:
- curry - add 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- red curry! add 1 teaspoon red curry paste - this is an unexpected favorite
- garlic onion - use garlic mayo, and one teaspoon each onion powder, roasted garlic powder
- buffalo sauce - add by the teaspoon to reach your heat preference
- bbq sauce - add 1-2 tablespoons of your favorite
In place of cranberries:
- currants
- raisins
- chopped dried apricots
- chopped apples
Main protein options:
- soy curls
- jackfruit
- chickpeas
See recipe instructions for preparation.
How to serve vegan chicken salad
We serve this vegan chicken salad in many forms:
- sandwich or wrap
- on salad greens
- quinoa bowls – warm or cold
- standing in front of the fridge, fork directly in container...
Does canned jackfruit need to be cooked?
A common question I get is, can you eat jackfruit straight from the can? Yes, you can!
I wouldn't recommend eating the jackfruit plain, though - it is bland as is. So yes, although you do not have to cook jackfruit before eating, you should definitely add flavor first.
See our Jackfruit Recipes for more recipe ideas.
Storage suggestion - how long with this last?
My rule of leftovers is 3-4 days for maximum flavor and freshness. This vegan chicken salad recipe will last a week in the fridge, in a container with a sealing lid.
More vegan jackfruit recipes
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Vegan Chicken Salad
This tasty vegan chicken salad will be a standard on your meal prep plan! Great for sandwiches, wraps, bowls, and over crisp greens.
Ingredients
- 1 can jackfruit, drained (or ½ package soy curls, can of chickpeas)
- ⅓ to ½ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 -2 stalks celery, cleaned and trimmed
- ¼ cup cashews
- â…“ cup dried cranberries (or currants, raisins)
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt
- optional seasonings: smoked paprika, "chicken" flavoring
Instructions
- If using soy curls: Before rehydrating the soy curls, break them into smaller pieces (see video). Soak them in warm water to rehydrate, 10 minutes. Once rehydrated, drain soy curls. Squeeze soy curls to remove excess water.
- If using jackfruit: Drain jackfruit, place in large bowl. Using two forks, shred jack fruit into smaller pieces (or chop with knife).
- If using chickpeas: Drain canned chickpeas (or cook dried chickpeas beforehand). Save chickpea aquafaba for another use. Add to bowl (or directly to skillet) and mash with fork or potato masher.
- Add soy curls / jackfruit / chickpeas to dry skillet over medium heat.
- Season with salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning, and sauté until slightly toasted and browned, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Chop cashews and celery. In a mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise / cashew cream and curry powder or whatever seasoning you are using. To this, add cashews, celery, and cranberries, stirring to combine.
- When soy curls are cooled, add them to the salad and stir to coat and combine.
- Transfer to covered container and chill in refrigerator at least one hour.
Notes
dairy, egg, and gluten free, vegan recipe, soy free option
Recipe Variations
To enhance the basic recipe / original flavor:
- curry - add 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- red curry! add 1 teaspoon red curry paste - this is an unexpected favorite
- garlic onion - use garlic mayo, and one teaspoon each onion powder, roasted garlic powder
- buffalo sauce - add by the teaspoon to reach your heat preference
- bbq sauce - add 1-2 tablespoons of your favoriteÂ
In place of cranberries:
- currants
- raisins
- chopped dried apricots
- chopped apples
Main protein options:
- soy curls
- jackfruit
- chickpeas
See recipe instructions for preparation.
How to serve vegan chicken salad
We serve chicken salad in many forms:
- sandwich or wrap
- on salad greens
- quinoa bowls – warm or cold
- standing in front of the fridge, fork directly in container...
Does canned jackfruit need to be cooked?
A common question I get is, can you eat jackfruit straight from the can? Yes, you can!Â
I wouldn't recommend eating the jackfruit plain, though - it is bland as is. But yes, you do not have to cook it before eating, but you should definitely add flavor first.
See our Jackfruit Recipes for more recipe ideas.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 301mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 6g
nutrition calculations results vary by calculator, are for informational purposes only, and are not intended to replace medical advice or treatment.
about Kristina:
Kristina is spabettie! She found cooking at an early age, and created spabettie in 2010 to share vegan recipes. Kristina turned her culinary training into sharing vibrant vegan food! Read more...
spabettie / Kristina Sloggett is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Roz@weightingfor50 says
Hi K, oooh...this looks amazing. I've never seen soy curls. I've seen vegetarian "chicken" strips though. Would that be the same? Your photos always look so great!!! Have a wonderful Friday.
Kalinda says
Love the flavor combos going on here, especially the addition of the cashews. I have never heard of soy curls before. They sound like fun though, perhaps I'll order some from the internets.
Nichole says
You are now free to move about the cabin:)
Curry is HUGE over here. I need more recipes like this, I am such a wimp when it comes to curry. This is something I could definitely sink my chompers into.
spabettie says
free to move about the cabin - I almost said that 🙂
I understand the curry wimpiness - while I have been partial to green curries and more Thai flavors, this type of curry I have stayed away from for years. Jason loved that sandwich on the airplane so much that I had to recreate this for him - and guess what, I loved it too! 😀
Allie says
Have you ever been to an Earth Fare grocery store? They have a vegan curry chik'n salad that is SO MUCH like this, and it is amazing, I used to buy it all the time. And then I moved away from a location with an Earth Fare, and I missed that salad--only to learn I can now make it again!
spabettie says
I have not been to Earth Fare - we don't have those here. Do they make theirs with soy curls? Apparently Whole Foods has one similar to this also, which I now need to go find! This is so easy to make - when I was finished writing this post last night, I went into the kitchen and made some, to put in the fridge overnight for today's lunch. Mmm 🙂
Allie says
I'm not sure, their base may be more of a fake chicken-chunk product--but it's been at least a year since I've had it, and I don't know that I've used soy curls so that I'd know to compare. But I love anything that doubles as dinner AND lunch the next day, regardless! And I might have to check out the whole foods version, but I KNOW this one would be cheaper, and I'm sure tastier too!
Lacey says
This is basically the whole foods recipe, lol. They used to make it with turkey instead of chicken,and tofu of course 🙂
spabettie says
I'm going to have to look for the Whole Foods version next time I'm there!
Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) says
I always shy away from curry. I need to get over my fear. I LOVE turmeric, so I should love curries. Looks delicious...of course!
spabettie says
me too, well, at least this flavor. I cook with Thai flavors all the time, green being my favorite. I consider this kind of curry flavor more of a... "casserole" flavor I grew up with?? (my mom used to make a curry chicken and rice...)
I made this for Jason, and am happy to say I like it too!
Lindsay @ Lindsay's List says
Gotta say - I've never seen or heard of soy curls. Are these near the regular blocks of soy??
spabettie says
Soy curls are dehydrated... if you can find them they are probably not near soy blocks (do you mean tofu?) I am lucky enough to have a store here that sells them in bulk, but they come in small bags, the size of a Bob's Red Mill product, and honestly I am not sure where they'd be in a normal store. you can get them online if you are interested... you rehydrate them before using, and they take on any flavor you rehydrate and or cook them with - pretty awesome.
Curt says
This sounds very good. I love the curry chicken flavor!
spabettie says
thank you, Curt! I was happy with the result. happy Friday!
Heather (Where's the Beach) says
Oh this is totally up my alley. Love curry flavors. Loving the textures in this recipe too from the currants and cashews.
spabettie says
yes - the currants, cashews and celery make for great texture and flavor... I'm happy with how this turned out! have a great weekend, Heather!
JL goes Vegan says
I've never seen them in the store around here (metro NYC) I buy Butler's soy curls (usually three bags at a time; I freeze them) online from Vegan Essentials. I get the Butler's Chik'n seasoning, too. Holy yum.
JL goes Vegan says
Um, oops, I replied in the wrong place! LOL
JL goes Vegan says
Oh, baby, you know I love me some soy curls! Soooo going to make this!
spabettie says
hey JL, are you able to find soy curls in stores where you are? if so, what section are they in? 😀 (I buy online or get them in bulk from Food Fight)
JL goes Vegan says
(replying in the right place...) I’ve never seen them in the store around here (metro NYC) I buy Butler’s soy curls (usually three bags at a time; I freeze them) online from Vegan Essentials. I get the Butler’s Chik’n seasoning, too. Holy yum.