One of my favorite recipes to veganize is a coronation chicken salad recipe. It's chickpeas, but tastes as fabulous as the royal recipe implies! So dig into this vegan coronation 'chicken' salad and eat like vegan royalty.
My grandma used to make coronation chicken salad and boast about the recipe the Queen of England herself ate for lunch. Of course, she served us tea sandwiches with cups of tea in her best china cups. And we felt like princesses! So, today, I created a vegan coronation chicken salad recipe, ate lunch and sipped tea from my grandmother's china.
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In Arizona, we are fortunate to have a bakery that not only bakes vegan bread, but most of the bread is oil-free. Although Noble Bread delivers locally and provides bread to many local restaurants, I buy their bread at the farmer's market on Saturdays. The Royal Muffins I purchased today are perfect for serving with my vegan coronation chicken salad recipe!
What is Coronation Chicken Salad?
According to Melissa Clark of the New York Times, this coronation chicken-inspired sandwich is served weeknight-ready, whether crowning a monarch or not.
Regardless of how you feel about King Charles III and Queen Camilla’s recently revealed signature quiche, it seems unlikely to eclipse the most famous coronation dish of all — coronation chicken.
Created for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, the posh, delicately flavored chicken has, like Britain itself, changed a bit since. What originally represented an aristocratic paragon of classic French technique turned into a weeknight-easy chicken salad.
Salad Ingredients
As with all my recipes, veganzing this dish was royally fun!
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas are the perfect hearty substitute for chicken in making vegan chicken salad.
- Green Onions: Green onions are light in flavor and provide a crunch to the salad recipe.
- Red Grapes: Red grapes are traditionally added to coronation chicken salad. They ae sweet and add a lovely flavor.
- Celery: Celery add crunch and freshness to the salad.
- Lemon Juice: I prefer fresh lemon juice whenever possible.
- Poultry Seasoning: Despite its name, poultry seasoning is vegan. The main spices are sage, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, nutmeg, and onion powder. Together, these dried herbs make the best poultry seasoning.
- Dry Mustard Powder: Dry mustard, or mustard powder, is a common ingredient in savory dishes, spice rubs, salad dressings, and marinades. It's made from ground mustard seeds and readily available in most grocery stores in the spice aisle.
- Curry Powder: Curry powder's main ingredient is turmeric, which gives it that signature yellow tint but little taste. The blend's mild flavor is credited to spices such as fenugreek, cumin, and coriander.
- Apricot Jam: Imparting a sweet fruity flavor, the jam is made from purees of apricots,.
- Mango Chutney: Mango Chutney is a condiment made of mango, spices, distilled vinegar, and sugar. It has a sweet and sour taste with a spicy tinge.
- Cashew Mayo: I make homemade cashew mayo, but if you need a nut-free option, please look at the substitutes in the recipe.
Salad Ingredient Substitutions
- Instead of chickpeas, try white beans such as Navy beans or Great Northern Beans.
- If you enjoy mock meat substitutes, choose your favorite mock chicken.
- Shallots are similar to green onions.
- Fennel or jicama are similar to celery; however, fennel has a back licorice flavor that is more pronounced when eaten raw.
- Use bottled lemon juice when fresh isn't available.
- For the best poultry seasoning substitute, swap 1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning for 2 teaspoon sage and 1 teaspoon dried thyme or marjoram.
- The best substitute for dry mustard is prepared Dijon mustard! Use 1 teaspoon dry mustard = 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard. This substitution works for most types of recipes.
- Cumin and Allspice are a good blend that offers curry powder's warmth and sweetness.
- Apple or fig jam would be suitable substitutes in dishes where the apricot flavor isn't as important.
- Melon chutney is a delicious condiment from ripe melons, vinegar, sugar, and spices. It is typically used as a topping for curries or rice dishes but can also be enjoyed on its own as a sweet and tangy snack.
- Substitute hemp hearts, sunflower seeds, silken tofu, or white beans for the nuts in the cashew mayo for nut-free options. Or, choose your favorite vegan mayo.
How to Make Coronation Chicken Salad Vegan
- Begin by draining and rinsing the chickpeas.
- Pulse the chickpeas in a food processor with a large blade.
- Do not over-pulse; the chickpeas should be mashed with chunks of chickpeas not a puree.
- If you don't have a food processor, mash the chickpeas with a fork of potato masher.
- Transfer the mashed chickpeas to a bowl.
- Add the grapes, celery, onions, and almonds.
Making the Dressing
- Combine the cashew mayo, spices, apricot jam, and mango chutney in a bowl.
- Whisk the ingredients together and pour into the bowl with the salad ingredients.
- Stir to combine.
- Refrigerate until ready to serve the vegan coronation chicken salad recipe.
Serving Suggestions
- Serve as a sandwich or open-faced sandwich.
- Or, serve on top of lettuce as a salad without any bread.
- This salad also tastes fabulous inside a tomato or red pepper.
- Try serving small tea sandwiches or serving on cucumber slices.
- It also tastes fabulous in a wrap or flatbreads or with crackers as a dip.
Recipe FAQs
Curry rice, baked potatoes, Bombay potatoes, green salad, and cucumber sandwiches are suggested side dishes.
Based on the classic Coronation chicken, my vegan version includes melt-in-your-mouth sweet and savory flavors, and just a hint of spiced curry goodness in the creamy vegan mayo sauce.
I like to use jackfruit as another substitute for chicken in vegan dishes.
Tips
- Dice the onions and celery small for the best texture and flavors.
- Do not over-pulse the chickpeas; mash them instead, leaving some whole and half pieces.
- If you don't prefer less fancy vegan chicken salad, try this vegan chicken salad recipe, or curried chickpea salad.
- Try lettuce wraps, corn tortillas, or a stuffed tomato or bell pepper for those who avoid bread.
- Vegan coronation chicken salad lasts 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
- I do not recommend freezing this salad.
Try this vegan version of a coronation chicken salad recipe. Eat like a royal vegan!
Vegan Salad Suggestions
If you love this vegan coronation chicken salad recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you!
📖 Recipe
Coronation Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Salad
- 2 15 ounce cans Chickpeas mashed
- ½ cup Red Grapes cut in half
- ½ cup Celery diced
- ½ cup Green Onions chopped
- ½ cup Sliced Almonds roughly chopped
Dressing
- ½ cup Cashew Mayo
- 2 ½ teaspoons Curry Powder
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 3 Tablespoons Apricot Jam
- 2 Tablespoons Mango Chutney
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Poultry Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons Dry Mustard Powder
Instructions
Salad
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas.
- Add the chickpeas to a food processor with a large blade and pulse.
- Transfer mashed chickpeas to a bowl and add diced celery, green onions, grapes, and roughly chopped almonds.
Dressing
- Add all the dressing ingredients to a bowl or large measuring cup.
- Whisk together.
- Pour the dressing into the chickpeas salad mixture.
- Stir to combine.
- Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
- Dice the onions and celery small for the best texture and flavors.
- Do not over-pulse the chickpeas; mash them instead, leaving some whole and half pieces.
- If you don't prefer less fancy vegan chicken salad, try this vegan chicken salad recipe or curried chickpea salad.
- Try lettuce wraps, corn tortillas, or a stuffed tomato or bell pepper for those who avoid bread.
- Vegan coronation chicken salad lasts 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
- I do not recommend freezing this salad.
Nutrition
Hi! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher & vegan enthusiast and blogger. My entire blog is fully plant-based vegan. I truly believe what we eat & how we live determines our health & the preservation of our planet! 🙂
Amelia
Thank you for this recipe! I tried it with cannellini beans since you suggested white beans as a substitute and it worked well. What do you think of using red kidney beans?
Kathy Carmichael
Hi Amelia, I'm glad you liked the recipe. Red kidney beans are a bit heartier, which may make the dressing a little thicker or grainier. You may need to add more water. However, you can also use plant-based, unsweetened, unflavored yogurt or silken tofu (don't add water) or substitute the nuts with hemp hearts/seeds or sunflower seeds.