Sonoma Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad
Sonoma Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad features protein-rich chickpeas, juicy grapes, celery, and pecans tossed with a healthy maple-tahini poppy seed dressing – it’s customizable, easy to make, and delicious!
A new chickpea salad flavor sensation is coming your way!
You may already be familiar with the Mashed Chickpea Salad Sandwich, Curried Chickpea Salad, Cranberry Walnut Vegan ‘Chicken’ Salad, and ‘Chickpea of the Sea’ Tuna Salad Sandwich. All of which are healthy and satisfyingly delicious!
Why We Love This Recipe!
For starters, because it’s so quick, easy, and healthy. And you can never have too many chickpea salads in your recipe box!
I wanted to create a vegan copycat version of Trader Joe’s classic Sonoma Chicken Salad. Chickpeas work great as a replacement for chicken in this recipe – you won’t miss a thing, trust me!
It makes a great sandwich or wraps filling, or if you prefer, simply serve over the top a bed of leafy greens. However you choose, it’s flavorful, filling, and tastes AMAZING!
Ingredient Notes
The salad itself is very simple, with only four ingredients, and the dressing is just as simple. Feel free to use more or less of any ingredients to suit your taste.
Here is everything you will need, including ingredient variations:
- Chickpeas – I used canned garbanzo beans for ease, but fresh cooked is great too.
- Grapes – Feel free to add more grapes for extra juiciness. They are delicious here!
- Celery – Adds crunch and coolness but can be omitted if you’re not a fan.
- Pecans -Because of their rich flavor profile I highly recommend using the pecans here, but walnuts are great too.
- Tahini or vegan mayo – They work great, so use your preferred.
- Apple cider vinegar – I used ACV, but you can substitute with white wine vinegar or TJ’s Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar.
- Pure maple syrup – Coconut nectar is a great sub for maple syrup.
- Dijon – Can be optional – I’ve made this without and it’s still delish!
- Poppy seeds – These can be optional as well.
- Salt + pepper – As always, use to taste.
How To Make Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad
(Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)
- Make the creamy poppy seed dressing. In a small bowl, combine the tahini or vegan mayo, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, dijon, garlic & onion powder, and poppy seeds (above left). If you find the dressing is too thick, add 2 – 3 tablespoons of water to thin.
- Slice the celery and grapes. Use as much, or little, as you like.
- Chop the pecans. Roughly chop the pecans.
- Mash the chickpeas. When making these types of chickpea salads, I like to roughly mash 1/2 – 3/4 of the chickpeas using the back of a sturdy fork (shown above right), potato masher, or pastry blender. This can be optional.
- Assemble the salad. Once your ingredients are prepped, add them to the chickpeas, grapes, celery, and pecans. Pour the dressing over top and mix to combine.
And now you’re ready to enjoy this amazing salad!
Top Tips
- To mash or not to mash. Depending on how you will serve this chickpea chicken salad will depend on whether you should mash the chickpeas or not. If making for a sandwich filler, it’s a good idea to mash them so they hold together better.
- Make it creamier. If you prefer a very creamy salad, make a little extra dressing.
- The recipe can easily be cut in half. Feel free to cut this recipe in half, but I think you’ll be more than happy to have some leftovers (unless you’re like me and finish it within the day).
How To Store + Meal Prep
- Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days, in a covered container.
- Meal prep: For meal prep, make the salad as directed and store in the refrigerator. Meal prep with leafy greens, or make sandwiches or wraps. See below for more serving suggestions.
Serving Suggestions
Here are a few of our favorite ways to serve this versatile Sonoma chickpea chicken salad:
- Salad: Serve on a bed of fresh leafy greens as a salad. Use chopped romaine, or keep it simple with a salad spring mix.
- Wraps: Make lettuce wraps, roll them into tortilla wraps, or tuck into pita bread.
- Sandwiches: Of course, it’s great as a sandwich filler or open-faced sandwich. Try pairing it with homemade Artisan Bread or a good fruit and nut bread.
- Mashed or unmashed: Either way, mashed or un-mashed, can be eaten as is straight from the bowl!
- Fruit: Serve with a side of fresh fruit (grapes, cantaloupe, watermelon, apple slices, etc.) for a healthy lunch or dinner.
More Easy Chickpea Recipes!
- Mediterranean Smashed Chickpea Salad
- Smashed Chickpea Avocado Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
- Quick + Easy Chickpea Tacos
- Chickpea ‘Egg’ Salad
If you try this healthy chickpea recipe, please let us know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I’d love to hear what you think or make any changes.
Sonoma Chickpea ‘Chicken’ Salad
This quick and easy, vegan chickpea ‘chicken’ salad can be partially mashed for a sandwich/wrap filler or un-mashed and served alongside fresh leafy greens. Either way it’s healthy and delicious!
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 min
- Yield: Serves 4 – 6
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Vegan
Ingredients
- 2 cans (14 oz.) chickpeas, drained and rinsed or 3 cups cooked
- 1 1/2 cups of seedless grapes, sliced in half
- 1/2 heaping cup celery ribs, diced
- 1/2 – 2/3 cup pecans, roughly chopped
Creamy Poppy Seed Dressing
- 4 tablespoons tahini (1/4 cup) or vegan mayo
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons dijon
- 2 teaspoons poppy seeds
- dash or two of garlic & onion powder
- pinch of salt & pepper
to serve, optional
- salad greens of choice
- slices of your favorite bread
- chopped chives, to garnish (not shown)
Instructions
Dressing: Place ingredients in a small bowl and mix to combine. Add 1 – 2 tablespoons of water as needed to thin. Set aside.
Un-mashed Salad: Add chickpeas, grapes, pecans, and celery to a medium-sized mixing/serving bowl. Top with dressing and mix to coat. Season with mineral salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Mashed Salad (perfect for sandwiches): Add chickpeas to a medium-sized mixing bowl, roughly mash 2/3 – 3/4 of the chickpeas using the back of a fork or spoon. Add in the grapes, pecans, and celery, top with dressing and mix to combine. Season with mineral salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.
Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Make sandwiches, wraps, or simply serve with leafy greens.
Serves 4 – 6
Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Add more grapes for extra juiciness.
If you prefer a very creamy salad, make a little extra dressing.
Because of their rich flavor profile I highly recommend using the pecans here, but if you don’t care for them walnuts will be just fine.
Feel free to cut this recipe in half, but I think you’ll be more than happy to have some leftovers!
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Looks amazing!! Love that it’s so colourful and super easy to make. I’m planning on taking this to a friend’s BBQ. Would it be best to take fresh or to make it the night before and let it marinate in the fridge overnight?
Thanks!
Hi Kathryn,
Either way works well. So do whatever is easiest for you.
As for adding pasta, the salad itself is pretty filling. Personally, I don’t think it needs any. There is plenty of carbs and fiber as is, and it’s delicious! But, if you do try adding pasta, I’d love to know how it goes.
I hope everyone enjoys the salad! Cheers :)
Just made this! I upped the amount of celery and chopped the grapes into rounds so they stretch further. I had some slivered almonds to use up that I swapped for pecans, and they’re a great crunch without overwhelming flavor! I ran out of tahini so use cashew butter. Cashew butter took more water to thin out, so in hindsight I could have used half the amount of nut butter. I upped the garlic, onion, salt, vinegar, and poppy seeds a little to account for the added volume of water and dressing (which is great on other things or as a dip). I also swapped maple syrup for raw honey since that’s the sweetener in my cabinet right now.
It’s delicious! I wish I had tahini because I think that would taste better. I think I’ll use less syrup/honey in the future because it’s a tad sweet for my taste. This is definitely being bookmarked and added to my repertoire!
This sounds really good! Is there a recipe for the bread?
Yes, you can make my homemade Artisan Bread. It’s delicious!
Love the simplicity of this dish. It’s almost too good to be true! Definitely going to make this for our BBQ Friday night this week. Thanks Julie! :-)
Hi Paula! Glad you loved this recipe, and I agree with everything you say! I hope everyone else enjoys it as much as we do. Yum, making me crave it as I type. Cheers :)
This was delicious, my husband and I both loved this as well as the curried chickpea salad! I just made some of that to share in a Dept luncheon and it’s a hit! Thank you!!!
Awesome, makes my day!! Thank you for sharing. Cheers :)
I made this and it was pretty good but I would prefer if the dressing was less liquid-y! It mostly just collected in the bottom of the bowl.
I might suggest next time using a little less water in the dressing, dressing should be somewhat on the thicker side. Hopefully that will help it cling better to the ingredients and not accumulate at the bottom of the bowl. I’ll add that to the notes too. Thank you so much for the feedback. Cheers :)
Just made this for lunch served on leafy greens. Really good! This is definitely a winner and i will certainly be making this on a regular basis!
What is “mineral salt”?
Mineral salts contain beneficial trace minerals that are absent in other salts. Another benefit to mineral salts is they tend to have less sodium. The two mineral salts I’m familiar with are Himilayan Pink Salt and Celtic Salt. My favorite is the himilayan “pink” salt. It can be expensive so I suggest doing a little research to find the best price for you. I buy it in bulk from my local grocery store which is very reasonably priced. The amounts of minerals are very small so this may not make a big difference in your diet, but I simply love the flavor of my pink salt. Hope this helps!
I just made this and the grapes make it refreshing. I really like the recipe. It was easy to make.
This looks so good! I love the idea of serving on raisin bread. Definitely making this for a lunch get together!
It was a delicious! The loaf was so fresh and paired perfectly. Enjoy!