When I was a kid, the only meat my mom would let us eat was chicken. She was never a huge fan of meat, and we grew up eating very little of it. I think it had to do with her growing up in Germany with relatives that survived the war. That meant nothing was wasted, everything was eaten, and for my mom, complaining wasn’t an option. She always had a soft spot for animals, and so as often as she could, she would choose the vegetarian options for us. Obviously this was 20 years a go or more, and “meatless” wasn’t really a thing, and as far as she was concerned, chicken was the lesser evil.
So, I have fond memories of eating chicken salad sandwiches growing up. It was one of the first meals I learned how to make for my sisters when I was babysitting and wanted to do something different than grilled cheese or spaghetti. It was also the meal my mom would go to Tim Hortons (a Canadian coffee shop) to get us for lunch if she didn’t have time or leftovers to pack us for lunch. I based this version of the sandwich on the one I used to have at Tim Hortons- but it’s a pretty traditional recipe. My two favourite vegan chicken strip brands to use are Tofurky, or Beyond Meat (not sponsored BTW). You can buy both of these at your well stocked large chain grocery store, or at the health food or healthy grocery store.
In a medium mixing bowl combine onions, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper and a pinch of salt. Add the vegan chicken and toss to coat. Marinate this for 15-30 mins to allow flavours to mix, or if you don’t have time- skip this step, it’s not 100% crucial. In another large mixing bowl combine vegan mayo, mustard, garlic powder, thyme, dill, parsley and chives. Place the dressing in fridge until ready vegan chicken has marinated. Then when they are, remove both mixtures from the fridge and add marinated chicken pieces and celery to the herbed mayo mixture, and mix to coat. You can use this in a sandwich with lettuce, tomato and cucumber on toasted bread or buns and wrap in eco-friendly sandwich wrap for a delicious school or work lunch. Or, spoon vegan chicken mixture onto a fresh garden salad for some added protein! I hope you enjoy this easy go-to lunch as much as I do!
- 1 package vegan chicken strips of choice, chopped
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- ½ tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- pinch salt
- 1 stalk celery, small dice
- ¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
- 1 tsp dijon or yellow mustard
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 Tbsp dried dill
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped
- 4 sandwich buns, cut in half
- 8 leaves boston lettuce
- 1 tomato, sliced
- 16 cucumber slices
- In a medium mixing bowl combine onions, lemon juice, olive oil, black pepper and a pinch of salt.
- Add vegan chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for 15-30 mins to allow flavours to mix.
- In a large mixing bowl combine vegan mayo, mustard, garlic powder, thyme, dill, parsley and chives. Place in fridge until ready vegan chicken has marinated.
- Remove both mixtures from the fridge and add marinated chicken pieces and celery to the herbed mayo mixture, mix to coat.
- Place lettuce, tomato and cucumber onto each sandwich bun.
- Spoon vegan chicken mixture onto each dressed bun and Slice in half and serve, or wrap in eco-friendly sandwich wrap for a delicious school or work lunch.
Ruth Rich-Hogan says:
Drain and rinse a can of garbanzo beans and mash, add diced onion and celery, pickle relish, chopped HB eggs or leave out.
Dill weed chopped fine.
Lemon 🍋 zest and Mayo
Combine all ingredients together and chill.
Delicious in a sandwich or as a salad with tomato 🍅 wedges, cucumber, etc.
Enjoy