This mouth watering vegan chicken salad is loaded big, bold flavour, a little crunch, sweetness and a lot of delicious! Smothered in a rich and creamy, oil free dressing.
Preheat your oven to 400℉/204℃ and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
Rinse your jackfruit very well to remove the brine and pull apart all the pieces to shred it. Add the shredded jackfruit to your tray along with the chickpeas and walnut pieces. Bake for 15 minutes and remove from the oven.
Meanwhile, add all the dressing ingredients, starting with ¾ cup of water to a high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy. Add the remaining two tablespoons of water if needed, to thin out your dressing and reblend.
Place your jackfruit, chickpeas, walnuts, celery, grapes, and green onion in a serving bowl and pour the dressing on top. Mix well and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.
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Notes
Use young green jackfruit canned in brine or water, only. Do not use fresh jackfruit, and do not use jackfruit that is canned in syrup.
If you do not have a high-speed blender, soak your cashews in cool water overnight, or in boiling hot water for 15-30 minutes, and then drain. The soaking time will swell and soften the cashews, making them easier to blend.
This salad tastes great when freshly made, but tastes best when chilled for 1 hour or longer.
For nut-free: Omit the walnuts or sub with pepitas for the salad. For the dressing use raw sunflower seeds instead of cashews with similar results.
For a mayo-style dressing, use store-bought vegan mayo or my homemade oil-free pepita mayo.
Leftovers will keep refrigerated in a sealed container for 2-3 days.