Mashed chickpeas replace chicken in this quick plant-based Curry “Tu-No” salad recipe. Delicious flavors and textures comes from a crunchy celery, roasted cashews, and sweet golden raisins. With an easy, oil-free dressing. This whole foods, vegan salad is a snap to make, and it gets even better the next day.
Mashed Chickpeas: Vegan Substitute for Shredded Chicken
The secret to this tu-no salad recipe is mashed chickpeas. You can use regular, canned chickpeas to replace shredded rotisserie chicken for a plant-based salad. All you have to do is drain and rinse the chickpeas. Then, use a fork to mash the chickpeas until they look like shredded chicken. This is a simple vegan trick that you can use in many recipes that call for shredded chicken.
A Helpful Video for Mashed Chickpeas:
Indian Curry Flavor
This recipe for Curry Chickpea “Tu-No” Salad is based off a curry chicken salad that was a favorite when I worked at Whole Foods. It is full of interesting flavors and textures. A good-quality curry powder combines sweet, savory, and spicy with spices like fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, cumin, cardamom, and cinnamon. Crunchy texture comes from celery. Plus, toasted cashews add richness. Natural sweetness from golden raisins balances it out.
Serve this simple salad in Bibb lettuce for a delicious plant-based lunch!
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips for Curry Chickpea Un-Chicken Salad
Canned Bean Tip: Always drain and thoroughly rinse canned beans before using. This removes any of the canned flavor and makes them more digestible.
Make a Day Ahead: This salad tastes even better after it sits for a day.
Nut Free: For a nut-free version of this recipe, swap out the cashews for toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.
What is Tahini? Tahini is ground sesame seed paste. It usually is made from roasted sesame seeds – the roasted adds more flavor so choose this over “raw”. Check for a tahini with no added oil and minimal added salt.
Quality Curry Powder: Curry powder is like Indian chili powder. It is a unique mix of spices that can differ between brands and households. Most curry powders will contain fenugreek, turmeric, ginger, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon, and pepper. A good quality curry powder will have no salt and smell incredibly fragrant (a good sign that it’s fresh).
Why Golden Raisins? Golden raisins have light color that compliment that other bright colors of this dish. They offer a burst of sweetness. You can substitute with other dried fruits like dried cherries, cranberries, or regular raisins. You can also diced apples or pears.
Add Fresh Herbs: You can add fresh cilantro, dill, or chives to add fresh flavor and green color.
Oil-Free: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, like those found in refined oils. This recipe skips oil and uses parchment paper to keep the bars from sticking to the pan. This makes a healthy, low-calorie recipe.
Why Beans Rule: Beans are a healthy source of fiber, plant-based protein, and long-lasting energy. Research shows eating 2 cans of beans a week can help you live a long, healthy life! Plus, beans are very budget-friendly. Beans Rule!
Canned chickpeas replace chicken for this plant-based recipe 
Use a fork to mash chickpeas until they resemble shredded chicken breast. You can use this trick for many plant-based recipes. 
Diced celery adds crisp, crunchy texture to this healthy plant-based recipe 
Roasted cashews add rich, nutty flavor and crunchy texture to this plant-based recipe 
A simple oil-free dressing comes together with curry powder, mustard, and tahini 
Golden raisins add natural sweetness to this easy plant-based salad recipe
Easy | Servings: 4 | Ready In: 10 minutes | Yield: 4 cups
Plant-Based Curry Chickpea Un-Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 15- ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 stalks Celery diced
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 2 tablespoons whole grain or brown mustard
- 2 teaspoons Curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup roasted cashews crushed or roughly chopped
Instructions
- To make the Plant-Based Curry Chickpea Un-Chicken Salad: Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Place into a medium bowl. Use a fork to mash the chickpeas into a consistency resembling chunks of chicken breast.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl: diced celery, golden raisins, tahini, mustard, curry powder, salt, and cashews. Stir well to combine. Enjoy!
- Everything comes together in under 10 minutes for this easy, healthy plant-based salad
- Serve on toasted bread or enjoy with lettuce and tomato.
Notes
Servings4
Nutrition Facts
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings 4.0 | |
| Amount Per Serving | |
| calories 264 | |
| % Daily Value * | |
| Total Fat 14 g | 22 % |
| Saturated Fat 1 g | 4 % |
| Monounsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g | |
| Trans Fat 0 g | |
| Cholesterol 0 mg | 0 % |
| Sodium 932 mg | 39 % |
| Potassium 356 mg | 10 % |
| Total Carbohydrate 24 g | 8 % |
| Dietary Fiber 7 g | 27 % |
| Sugars 5 g |  |
| Protein 9 g | 17 % |
| Vitamin A | 32Â % |
| Vitamin C | 26Â % |
| Calcium | 9Â % |
| Iron | 11Â % |
| * The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA. | |
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