Grounded Chow

Classic Chik’n Salad

by

When we were on vacation in Hawaii in the beginning of March, I bought the most amazing mock chicken salad from the Maui Farmer’s Market store that we brought to the beach as a picnic. I didn’t have that high of hopes, but was super excited to have found chicken salad with tofu and vegan mayo, so I went all in.

Fast forward, I’ve been craving that mock chicken salad since I’ve been home. It was really simple and delicious, and it reminded me so much of the Costco chicken salad my mom used to always buy. I know some people like grapes and nuts in their chicken salads, but you won’t find that here…

I made a batch of this last week and had the most delicious vegan chicken salad sandwiches for lunch everyday at work. A little massaged kale, a thick tomato slice, and you’re good to go. Dreams do come true…

If you try this recipe, let me know by commenting below or tagging me in your photos on Instagram, @groundedchow!

Print Pin

Classic Chik’n Salad

A classic, no frills, veganized chicken salad recipe. Perfect to prep in batches for weekday lunches, this salad gets better as it chills in the fridge. Simple ingredients, and amazingly delicious.
Course Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Vegan
Keyword chicken salad, chik’n salad, sandwich, vegan
Servings 4 people

Ingredients

For the chik'n salad:

  • 1 brick firm tofu, pressed
  • 2 T nutritional yeast
  • 2 T liquid aminos
  • 1/4 c vegan mayo
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 2 green onions, white and green parts diced

To serve:

  • 8 slices of sourdough
  • 4 curly kale leaves
  • 1 tomato sliced
  • 1/2 Tbs olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Make sure all excess water is pressed out of the tofu brick. Line a baking sheet with a silicon baking mat or parchment paper.
  • Using your hands, break tofu into bite sized pieces into a bowl.
  • Add liquid aminos, nutritional yeast, and pepper to the bowl with tofu, and mix well all tofu pieces are covered.
  • Bake tofu for 40 minutes, flipping the pieces halfway through the cooking time.
  • Remove tofu from the oven and let it cool.
  • Once tofu is no longer hot, add it to a bowl with vegan mayonnaise, celery, and green onion. Mix until well-combined.
  • Refrigerate chik’n salad for at least 1 hour before serving.
  • Massage kale leaves in olive oil for 3 minutes. If you’d rather add them raw, skip this step!
  • To serve, add a generous portion of chik’n salad to one slice of bread, top with tomato, kale, and second piece of bread. Enjoy!