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This Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad is made of tender tofu, sweet red California grapes, crisp celery, and red onion tossed in a creamy vegan mayo striking the perfect balance between sweet, savory, and tangy. It is a light, refreshing, and nutrient-packed dish that will make the ideal quick lunch, side dish, or as part of your next meal prep.
Table of Contents
- An Easy, Healthy, and Versatile Salad
- Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad Ingredients
- Possible Add-ons
- How to Make Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad
- Frequently Asked Questions for Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad
- Pro Recipe Tips
- Storage and Serving Notes
- Vegan Chicken and Grape Salad Recipe
An Easy, Healthy, and Versatile Salad
With simple, accessible ingredients and minimal cooking required, this recipe can be whipped up in no time. This salad can be enjoyed in many ways—on its own, as a sandwich wrap filling, or as a side dish. It’s also highly customizable. Add your favorite herbs, extra veggies, or a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes for added flavor and heat.
We used California Red Grapes to give this salad a nice pop of color, sweetness, and a crispy, juicy texture, making it stand out from traditional salads while adding loads of vitamin K, some potassium, as well as antioxidants and other polyphenols to the dish. Grapes from California are cultivated, picked, packed, and transported with the greatest care, ensuring consistent quality and freshness. They are in season from May through January, so you can also enjoy these plump, juicy berries when making this Christmas wreath charcuterie board, berry smoothies, and your favorite salads.
Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad Ingredients
- California Red Grapes. These happy, healthy grapes from California come in three colors – green, red, and black. Red grapes give the salad a balance of sweetness and acidity. The green ones tend to be slightly tart, while the black ones are sweeter. Use what you prefer.
- Vegan mayo. Brings the entire salad together with its creamy and rich texture. It gives a touch of indulgence without being too heavy. If you want to make your own vegan mayo, check out this healthy vegan mayonnaise recipe.
Possible Add-ons
- Aside from grapes, onions, and celery, you can also use cucumber, bell peppers, avocado, cherry tomatoes, apples, dried cranberries, pomelo, and leafy greens to load up your salad with more nutritious vegetables and fruits.
- For added crunch and nutty flavor, sprinkle some walnuts, almonds, pumpkin, or sunflower seeds.
- You can also try adding tofu feta cheese or plant-based parmesan for some cheesy goodness.
- Play with herbs and spices like dill, cilantro, basil, and thyme to make it more interesting.
- Load them up with grains like quinoa or couscous for a heartier meal. Refer to this complete guide to quinoa to learn more.
How to Make Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad
Step 1: Prepare and Simmer the Tofu: Press the tofu and dice into small bite-sized pieces. Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat, and add the no-chicken stock (or vegetable stock). Arrange the diced tofu in a single layer in the pan and bring the stock to a boil.
Step 2: Cook the Tofu: Once there is no more water in the pan, add the oil and gently toss the tofu to coat it. Cook for 2 minutes or until a few pieces are lightly browned or charred. Set aside to cool.
Step 3: In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chopped parsley, finely diced red onion, halved California red grapes, finely diced celery and vegan Mayo.
Step 4: Mix everything until well combined. Taste the mixture and adjust the seasoning with black pepper to your liking. If you prefer a bit of heat, add crushed red pepper flakes at this stage.
Step 5: Once the tofu has cooled completely, add it to the bowl with the rest of the salad ingredients.
Step 6: Gently mix everything, ensuring that the tofu is evenly distributed and coated with the vegan mayo dressing.
Frequently Asked Questions for Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad
If you do not have super firm tofu, you can use tempeh or seitan as alternatives.
Absolutely! In fact, letting it sit in the refrigerator for an hour or more allows the
flavors to meld together, enhancing the overall taste.
Yes, it is.
Check out guide to tofu pressing for the best tips on how to do this.
Pro Recipe Tips
- Make sure the tofu is properly pressed and dried. This ensures they absorb more flavors and develop a firmer, chewier texture.
- When cooking the tofu, cook it in a single layer without overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding can cause the tofu to steam rather than brown.
- While you can serve this salad immediately, it is best eaten chilled for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend and settle. Plus, it will be more refreshing!
Storage and Serving Notes
Vegan Chicken and California Grape Salad can be kept fresh for up to 3 to 4 days.
Make sure to toss well before reserving. You might need to add more mayo or lemon juice to rehydrate the salad.
Vegan Chicken and Grape Salad
Ingredients
- 1 (1-pound) block of super firm tofu pressed and dried
- 2 cups of no-chicken stock (vegetable will work)
- 2 tablespoons of oil
- ¼ cup of fresh parsley chopped
- ½ cup red onion finely diced
- 1 ½ cups of California red grapes halved
- 1 cup of celery finely diced
- 5 to 6 tablespoons of vegan mayo
- Black pepper to taste
- Crush red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
- Lemon juice to taste (optional)
Instructions
- Dice the tofu into small pieces and set aside.
- Heat a large non-stick pan over medium heat, add the no-chicken stock. Add the tofu into a single layer. Bring to a boil and allow it to cook until all the water evaporates.
- Once there is no more water in the pan, add the oil and gently toss the tofu to coat it. Cook for 2 minutes or until a few pieces are lightly browned or charred. Remove them from the heat, put them on a plate, and allow them to cool fully.
- In a medium bowl, combine the parsley, onion, California grapes, celery, and vegan mayo. Mix well and set aside in the refrigerator until the tofu is cool.
- Once the tofu is completely cool, add it to the bowl with the rest of the ingredients. Mix well, taste, and black pepper. Optionally add crushed red pepper flakes and more lemon juice.
- Serve or place in the refrigerator for 1 hour for the flavors to integrate more.
Notes
- Make sure the tofu is properly pressed and dried. This ensures they absorb more flavors and develop a firmer, chewier texture.
- When cooking the tofu, cook it in a single layer without overcrowding the pan. Overcrowding can cause the tofu to steam rather than brown.
- While you can serve this salad immediately, it is best eaten chilled for at least an hour to allow the flavors to blend and settle. Plus, it will be more refreshing!
Nutrition
Disclaimer: Although plantbasedonabudget.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Plantbasedonabudget.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This is so good! I’ve always made recipes like this with chickpeas, and I’m not sure why it never occurred to me to use tofu. I tried shredding it instead of dicing, and the texture worked really well.
So glad you enjoyed it! Its the best salad!
So yummy!