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    You are here: Home / Sandwiches / Vegan Chicken Salad

    LAST UPDATED: March 27, 2019 • FIRST PUBLISHED: March 27, 2019

    Vegan Chicken Salad

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Vegan Chicken Salad

    This vegan chicken salad is amazing piled on a sandwich, stuffed in a wrap, or on top of a crunchy salad! Made with protein-packed seitan, hearty chickpeas, and creamy vegan mayo seasoned with fresh dill and scallions. Whip up a batch for lunch today!

    Vegan Chicken Salad on a Plate

    My husband and I recently added a new member to our family. He's a cat! Well, a kitten that's almost a cat, at eight months old. And he's really bad. I mean, we love him. We're completely obsessed with our new furbaby, but he's SO BAD!

    I've always had cats but it's been a while since I lived with a kitten, and I forgot how much trouble they can get into. He keeps us up all night while he runs around the house like a maniac (sometimes chasing our older cat). He tries to eat my hair. And clothes. And furniture.

    And lately, he is relentless about getting into the kitchen and onto the counter while I work.

    That last thing didn't start happening until the last time I made this vegan chicken salad. He was pretty good until the day I started shooting the video (which you can view at the bottom of this post) and during the 15 seconds while I had my back turned to get some dill out of the fridge, he made his way onto the counter and started stuffing his little face with chickpeas.

    Oh well. At least chickpeas are the cheapest and easiest to replace of all the ingredients in this recipe.

    Hands Holding a Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwich

    My husband and I have since installed an extra high baby gate in the doorway leading to the kitchen, which our little guy has already defeated by jumping, squeezing through the (2-inch spaced apart!) bars, and climbing the molding in the doorway. He's resourceful, that guy.

    Vegan Chicken Salad Ingredients

    So, what else goes into this recipe, aside from those chickpeas my cat loves so much? Seitan is the main ingredient that I've used to replace chicken.

    Some recipes for vegan salady sandwich fillings use chickpeas on their own (like this one), and while chickpeas are great, they're not fooling anyone. Seitan on its own is quite chickeny, but it's a little too firm for chicken salad by itself. Mix it with some smashed chickpeas and you've got the perfect texture.

    You can use homemade seitan or store-bought. If you use store-bought, you'll need exactly one eight ounce package. If you make it yourself using my recipe, go with the chicken flavor (I guess that's kind of obvious!), and you'll need about a half of a batch, or one slightly scant cup once it's diced.

    I used vegan mayo for the dressing, along with some celery and almonds for crunch, and garlic, dill and scallions for flavor.

    How It's Made

    It's so easy! Grab a bowl and lightly mash your chickpeas. I used a potato masher, but a fork will work too. Add in the rest of your ingredients and stir everything together. Give it a taste-test, and make any adjustments you think are needed.

    Collage Showing Steps for Making Vegan Chicken Salad: Smash Chickpeas, Add Remaining Ingredients, and Mix

    That's it! Pile it on a sandwich, stuff it in a wrap, or use it to top a salad.

    Vegan Chicken Salad Sandwich Topped with Lettuce, Tomato and Onion

    FAQ & Tips for Making Amazing Vegan Chicken Salad

    • Can this recipe be made gluten-free? I haven't tried making a gluten-free version, but soy curls may work as a substitute for the seitan. You could also probably omit the seitan and double the chickpeas, which will give you something that isn't quite as chickeny, but should still be tasty.
    • Where do I get vegan mayo? Lots of regular supermarkets sell vegan mayo — check near the regular mayo or in the natural foods section. Just Mayo is my preferred brand.
    • This vegan chicken salad will keep in the fridge for about 4 days once mixed.

    Check out my video to see just how easy this vegan chicken salad is to make!

    Like this recipe? If so, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram, or subscribe to my newsletter. And please stop back and leave me a review and rating below if you make it!

    Vegan Chicken Salad on a Plate
    5 from 6 votes
    Print

    Vegan Chicken Salad

    This vegan chicken salad is amazing piled on a sandwich, stuffed in a wrap, or on top of a crunchy salad! Made with protein-packed seitan, hearty chickpeas, and creamy vegan mayo seasoned with fresh dill and scallions. Whip up a batch for lunch today!

    Course Sandwich
    Cuisine American
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Total Time 10 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 315 kcal
    Author Alissa

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and lightly mashed
    • 8 ounces seitan (about ½ batch if using homemade), finely diced
    • ½ cup slivered or sliced roasted almonds
    • 1 cup diced celery (about 2 stalks)
    • ⅓ cup chopped fresh dill
    • ¼ cup chopped scallions (about 2 medium scallions)
    • 1 garlic clove, minced
    • ¼ cup vegan mayo (or more if you’d like a creamier salad)
    • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    1. Place the chickpeas into a medium bowl and roughly mash them with a fork or potato masher.

    2. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until fully mixed.

    3. Taste-test and adjust any seasonings to your liking.

    4. Chill or serve immediately.

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Chicken Salad
    Amount Per Serving (0.75 cup (approximately))
    Calories 315 Calories from Fat 158
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 17.6g27%
    Saturated Fat 1.5g8%
    Sodium 574mg24%
    Potassium 411mg12%
    Carbohydrates 21.9g7%
    Fiber 6g24%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 20.1g40%
    Calcium 110mg11%
    Iron 4.1mg23%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

     

    « Vegan Bigos (Polish Hunter's Stew)
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    About Alissa Saenz

    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors! You can read more about me here.

    I'd love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ana @ Ana's RocketShip says

      April 10, 2015 at 6:03 pm

      Easy dinners are so good for stressful weeks!

      Reply
    2. Daen says

      April 12, 2015 at 6:16 pm

      I haven't done much with seitan because of the wheat and my little one can't have wheat, but I've always been curious about it. It sounds like it has a great texture. I will have to try this one out!

      Reply
    3. Laura says

      April 15, 2015 at 11:57 am

      I've been whipping up homemade seitan a lot lately and I feel this would be a great way to use it! So many possibilities. Thanks for the inspiration!

      Reply
    4. Elisa Hernandez says

      June 15, 2015 at 4:56 pm

      This looks so tasty and stress free, i'm so excited to make this!

      Reply
    5. Colleen says

      March 31, 2019 at 4:03 pm

      5 stars
      I'm so tired of peanut butter or avocado on bread, so hurray for vegan sandwich filling! I've been making the same tofu "egg" salad for years, and this is such a welcome departure. The texture of this is meaty and substantial--yay! I was concerned about using so much raw garlic, but I minced it very fine, and it tasted great. Loved the toasted almonds too.

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        March 31, 2019 at 4:53 pm

        Yay! I make a lot of tofu egg salad too, and this is one of my favorites for switching things up. I'm glad you like it!

        Reply
    6. Mimi says

      May 20, 2019 at 12:52 pm

      5 stars
      The best (mock) chicken salad I ever had was from a farm stand in Hawaii. This recipe produced a chicken salad that was close, but I really need to go back to Hawaii to be sure. Haha!
      Seriously, it was delicious and I am running my fork around the empty bowl as I write this. I bragged to my vegan sister about it, but she thinks her torn pre-frozen tofu recipe is wonderful, so I challenged her to a chicken salad smack-down at the next family get-together. I know who is going to win!!! :-)

      Reply
      • Alissa Saenz says

        May 27, 2019 at 8:52 pm

        Ha! I really don't blame you for going back to compare. :) I'm glad you're enjoying this one though! Thanks Mimi!

        Reply
        • Mimi says

          June 26, 2019 at 12:05 pm

          5 stars
          Love this chicken salad recipe. For variety, today I omitted the dill and added (oriental) curry powder to the mayo, some dried cranberries and the tiniest pinch of cayenne (to balance the sweetness of the cranberries). OMG!!! Best curried chicken salad ever. Thanks for all of your great recipes. I am loving them!

          Reply
          • Alissa Saenz says

            June 30, 2019 at 2:31 pm

            That sounds delicious! I've been making something similar with tofu!

            Reply
    7. Barbara says

      March 27, 2021 at 4:15 pm

      5 stars
      This is delicious! SO happy to have this addition to my vegan repertoire. I used tarragon instead of dill and walnuts instead of almonds (what I had on hand) plus added raisins. Yummy! Thank you!!!

      Reply
    8. Lizzy says

      January 27, 2022 at 2:52 pm

      5 stars
      I just bought some vital wheat gluten; can't wait to try this.
      We all want to see a picture of your wild kitty. :-) <3

      Reply

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    Hi, I'm Alissa! I'm a former attorney turned professional food blogger. I love creating vegan recipes with bold flavors!

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