Crunchy veggies, crispy soy chicken and thick creamy mayo make this salad so scrumptious.
Delicious Vegan Chicken Salad is one of our favorite hearty ‘full meal’ salads. Prepare it for dinner and take leftovers for a lunch at work.
Why you will love this Vegan Chicken Salad?
- really crispy soy chicken
- cheap ingredients
- soy chunks are good source of protein
- it makes a nice party snack as well as work lunch
This Vegan Chicken Salad is filling and nutritious it makes a great lunch meal on its own.
Vegan Chicken Salad
Course: SaladsCuisine: VeganDifficulty: Easy4
servings40
minutesThere are two ways how to prepare the ‘chicken’ for this salad. I usually go for a healthier version prepared in air fryer. Pan fried version is just as delicious, but a little less ‘fit’.
Make sure to read notes under the main recipe.
Ingredients
- FOR SOY CHICKEN
100g / 3.5 oz soy TVP (textured vegetable protein – chunks or slices)
1 vegetable stock cube
400ml (about 1.5 cup hot water)
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
2 tsp garlic powder (divided)
3 tsp chicken seasoning (divided)
1/4 tsp salt
2tbsp olive oil (optional)
- FOR THE SALAD
1/2 can sweet corn
10 cherry tomatoes
lettuce
1 bell pepper red or yellow
bunch of spring onions with chives
4-6 tbsp vegan mayo
Directions
- We will start by preparing our soy chicken. In a big bowl dissolve stock cube in hot water. Add 1 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp chicken seasoning and soy sauce. Soak soy TVP. Cover the bowl and leave for 15-20 minutes.
- Use this time to wash and chop your veggies. Tear the lettuce, half tomatoes, chop bell peppers and spring onion.
- Your soy chicken should have doubled in size already. Take it out of stock and squeeze gently to get rid of excess liquid.
Do not throw the stock away. Use it later on to prepare soup or gravy.
- If you are using bigger pieces of soy meat cut them in smaller – bite size pieces. ***Jump to notes below for frying tips if you don’t have air fryer.***
- In a smaller bowl with cover mix bread crumbs with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp chicken seasoning and 1/4 tsp salt. Prepare another bowl with a bit of olive oil and a cooking brush.
- Brush soy chunks with a bit of olive oil and toss them into the bowl with breadcrumbs. You can omit the step with oil, but it gives better crispiness (I checked). Cover the bowl and shake it well, so that all chunks become evenly covered. Take them out and place in the air fryer. You may want to do this step in 2-3 batches.
- Fry in 180°C / 350°F for 5 minutes.
- Assemble your salad by placing layers in a bowl. Start with soy chicken, then bell peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and spring onions. Cover with corn, more lettuce and few pieces of soy chunks. Spread a layer of mayonnaise on top. If you are a mayo fan you can add one more layer in the middle of salad. More thick creaminess. Yum!
Notes
- You don’t have to prepare this salad as a layered version as I did here. I think it looks cool, especially as a party snack if you serve it in a nice glass bowl. If all you want is a quick lunch for yourself just mix all ingredients together like a regular salad.
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Serving suggestions
This vegan chicken salad can easily be treated as a full meal for a light lunch. You can serve it with slice of homemade bread or vegan dinner rolls.
Add a handful of fresh and crispy Lentils Sprouts to raise the nutritional value even more.
If you have some leftovers pack it in air tight box and take it for a lunch to work. It still tastes great next day.
You can serve it as a side dish too.
I’m sure you will also love:
*** If you don’t have air fryer***
You can fry your soy chicken in a traditional way. Skip brushing the chunks with oil, place them in bowl with breadcrumbs and spices. Cover the bowl and shake well.
Heat 2-3 teaspoons of oil in a frying pan. Shake excessive amount of breadcrumbs and place the chunks on a pan. Fry until golden brown for 2-3 minutes on each side.
Take them off the frying pan and place paper towel. It will soak the excess fat. Go back to step 8 to assemble salad.
Questions about Vegan Chicken Salad Recipe
WHAT TVP TYPE IS BEST FOR THIS RECIPE?
It’s best to use either soy chunks, swirls or nuggets (also called slices). Soy mince will not work in this recipe.
CAN I SWAP SOME OF THE VEGGIES?
Go ahead! If you’re not into bell peppers add other crunchy vegetables like cucumber or carrot. Try to use various colors and textures.
What else can you add?
- pickles
- roasted pumpkin seeds or nuts
- canned beans or sweet peas
- rocket salad
DRESSING FOR THIS SALAD
A thick creamy dressing in best choice for this salad. If you want something more fit you can make quick dressing using tahini, lemon juice, mustard and maple syrup.
I really encourage you to make your own homemade vegan mayo using this recipe. It’s easy, really cheap and so much better than the store bought.
How did you like Vegan Chicken Salad? Please feel free to share this recipe on Pinterest and Yummly.
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Love this flavorful healthy salad! Definitely a new favorite!
Thank you Katie. I’m glad you liked it.
the vegan chicken is perfect for a light and healthy lunch. perfect for meal prep
I just got new ideas on how to level up my salad. Thanks for the recipe!
First time using TVP and glad I used your recipe for it. This was a delicious salad and the soy chicken was nice and crispy!
I’ve been making this for my work lunch once a week. I totally look forward to this meal.
This vegan chicken salad tasted so delicious! It was such a great idea to use TVP and the stock cube added a lot of extra flavour.
I love adding veggie chicken to my salads! It’s a total game-changer, and this recipe turned out great 🙂
Lovely light and healthy salad. I’m adding your recipe to my lunch list. Yum, can’t wait to give it a try.