The end of August is hot outside in my new home of Las Vegas. Like crazy hot. Dare I say, it feels like the surface of the sun out there. So, some quick and cool lunches and dinners is where it’s at right now. This Dill Pickle Vegan “Chicken” Salad is truly what we all probably need now. As much as I want to will it to be fall, I still have about a month until it starts to get cool out. Putting this “chicken” salad on crackers or making a sandwich, or even a delicious wrap with it is the perfect end of summer meal. You can serve with fruit or chips on the side!
What You Need To Make This Dill Pickle Treat:
- Soy Curls: I use Butler’s Soy Curls.
- Dill Pickles: I get whole pickles, they are easier to dice.
- Red Onion: Adds a lovely crunch and onion flavor to the salad.
- Fresh Dill and Chives: Chopped and added to the salad.
- Vegan Mayonnaise: Helman’s Vegan Mayo is my favorite.
- Sweet Relish and Agave: To add a bit of sweetness to the salad.
- Dijon Mustard: I love adding Dijon to my mayo based salads.
- Vegan Crackers or Bread: You can make a “chicken” salad sandwich or just put it on crackers.
I’ll be honest here, I love dill pickle anything, so it’s possible I’m a little biased when it comes to this “chicken” salad. However, I honestly feel like this might be the best vegan chicken salad recipe I have ever had! It’s so good you may just want to eat all of it straight out of the bowl right after making it. And these ease in which this “chicken” salad recipe is made, will have you throwing it together constantly.
Why Should You Make This Yummy “Chicken” Salad?
- It takes, no time to throw together and is so easy.
- If you are a dill pickle lover, you will fall head over heels for this salad.
- You can serve it as a sandwich or with crackers for a quick healthy(ish) snack or meal.
- Soy curls. My gosh, soy curls! They are the best.
- Great for meal prepping lunch for the week!
Dill Pickle Vegan “Chicken” Salad
Ingredients
- 4 Ounces Soy curls, I used Butler's(soaked/drained according to pkg. directions.
- 2 Tablespoons Olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Vegan chicken seasoning, I used Trader Joe's chickenless seasoning
- 1 Cup Dill pickles, diced
- 1/2 a Red onion, diced
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh dill, chopped
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh chives, chopped
- 1/2 Cup Vegan mayo, I used Hellman's
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Sweet relish
- Pinch of Salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon Agave syrup(optional)
- Crackers or bread for serving
Instructions
- Once you have soaked and drained your soy curls, squeeze as much water out of them as possible, then put them on a cutting board and roughly chop them so you have small chunks instead of strips.
- Heat the olive oil on medium high in a large non-stick skillet. Add the soy curls and sauté, reducing heat as needed until they begin to brown. About 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the vegan chicken seasoning over the soy curls and then toss to coat. Continue sautéing for another 3-5 minutes or until the soy curls are brown and crispy.
- Let the soy curls cool for a few minutes, you want them to be room temperature,
- While you cool the soy curls, in a large mixing bowl, add the dill pickles, red onion, dill, chives, mayo, mustard, relish, salt, pepper and agave.
- Stir to combine everything.
- Once the soy curls have cooled, add them to the mixing bowl. Then toss to combine everything. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Serve immediately or chill and serve later with crackers or bread.
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Nutrition
Made tonight! Can’t wait to have it tomorrow for lunch in some lettuce boats. Every time you post a new recipe it’s like Christmas!
The salad looks delicious. Did you make that bread? I’d love to know more about that bread. I’m having trouble finding a good vegan sandwich roll recipe or store-bought bread, and this looks wonderful.
That really looks awesome! Thank you so much for sharing! Is there a sub for the chickenless seasoning the closest Trader Joe’s is almost 3 hours away.
You can use any vegan chicken bouillon cubes or just poultry seasoning that usually has thyme, rosemary, sage and make sure to season with salt then too.
Welcome to Vegas! I’m a native here, hope you’ll enjoy all of our vegan offerings and adjust to these outrageous summer temps. The chicken salad looks great.
Thank you so much!
I went to Trader Joe’s today to pick up the vegan non-chicken seasoning and they said it was discontinued. Do you have any recommendations for a substitute?
Oh no! I’m so sorry to hear that. I thought I just saw it, but maybe it was longer ago than I thought. You can use any vegan chicken bouillon or vegan chicken broth base. There is some that comes in a tube and a jar. Or, if that’s something you can’t fine, just good old fashion poultry seasoning should work!
I’ve made this so many times and it’s incredible. The only problem is how fast we devour it. Popping the soy curls in the air fryer works well here too
This is so damn good! I’ve made it twice now. The only thing I had to sub was dried chives and dill, as I forgot to grab fresh at the store. Otherwise I made it as-is and it gets devoured in no time. It really is good straight out of the bowl, but we’ve had it on bread, buns, and crackers – all delicious! Thank you for such a great recipe and thank you the reviewer suggesting putting the curls in the air fryer. I’ve never thought of that and will be giving it a whirl next time!
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made this recipe since I discovered it. It is one of my ultimate favorites. Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful creation!
Just made this for the first time last night. Wish I could post pics here because it is as beautiful as it is delicious. I served it as sandwiches for my wife and me. But I can see this going in several directions: salad topper, side dish on a plate, in a pita or a wrap… Man, just give me a spoon, I want to eat this right out of the bowl! This is the first time I have used soy curls. Have seen a lot of recipes for many vegan food dishes using them, but have not tried them in my own kitchen until now. I’m sold! For a meaty texture with myriad flavor possibilities, soy curls rule!
One thing different I will do with the next batch is pull back a little on the onion. It was not clear from the recipe as to how much onion “1/2 a red onion” yields. Your onion could be the size of a golf ball. My onion might be the size of a billiard ball, or a baseball. In fact the red onion I had in pantry weighed in at 10.7 oz, which is a “large” onion. in most kitchens. Chopped in half it yielded about 5 oz, which is what I used to make the salad. Next batch I will scale the onion back to under 4 oz and shore up any taste difference with onion powder. This is not a neg about the recipe, just a “food for thought” consideration for anyone intending to make this salad and wondering, as I did, exactly how to interpret how much onion should “1/2 a red onion”. yield.
Bottom line: I’ve been making a vegan “chicken” salad now for a few years using garbonzos; which makes an excellent salad, too. These soy curls, though… THIS recipe is KING! Thank you so much for sharing it, and the pics will soon appear on my IG.
We LOVE this recipe! I double it every time. Next time I’m going to use my chickwheat shreds instead of soy curls just for fun.
Just made this for lunch on a whim…I was not prepared for how addictive this would be. Holy crap it’s good. I ate half the batch already – couldn’t help myself!!! Another home run Lauren! Well done!
Just ordered soy curls so I can try it! My daughter loves the dill pickle dip we make, so I’m sure this will be a hit!