Are you sure this isn't chicken?
It looks like Chicken Waldorf Salad & tastes like Chicken Waldorf Salad. Are you sure this isn't chicken? Truly, this WFPB Soy Curl Waldorf Salad is my favorite whole food plant-based (WFPB) recipe right now. Before choosing to eat WFPB, my favorite dish of all time was Chicken Waldorf Salad. Now, I am absolutely thrilled to have recreated this dish with soy curls in place of the chicken and with an oil-free plant-based mayonnaise sauce base.
Making the soy curls taste like chicken is actually quite simple as you'll see below. So delicious! 😁
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Gather your ingredients
Gather your ingredients to be sure you have all that you need on hand. You'll see in the picture above that I chose to prep (measure out, & slice) all of the ingredients ahead of time (mise en place). I put the diced apples in a bath of water & lemon juice to prevent browning while I was moving on to the next steps.
Soak the soy curls
Begin by placing the soy curls in a large bowl. Soak the soy curls in oil-free vegetable broth and water. Allow to soak for 10 minutes, then drain using a colander. After soaking, you'll see that the soy curls become softer and plump up nicely. Using vegetable broth in the soaking liquid adds more flavor to the soy curls versus just soaking in water.
Slice or tear the longer soy curls
Some of the soy curls may be quite long (as seen in the photo above), which might be more difficult to eat. So, slice or tear the longer soy curls to make them into smaller bite-sized pieces.
Allow the soy curls to brown
Preheat a non-stick pan to medium heat and add the soy curls, poultry seasoning, salt (if using), and pepper. Stir well to combine. Keep uncovered and allow the soy curls to brown for about 6 minutes before stirring again. After 6 minutes, stir again and allow to brown for about 5 minutes more on other sides. This browning along with the seasonings really brings out the "chicken" flavor of this WFPB Soy Curl Waldorf Salad recipe.
Allow the soy curls to cool
After browning the soy curls on several sides, remove them from the heat and allow the soy curls to cool a bit while you move on to the next steps.
Prepare the sauce
While the soy curls are cooling a little, prepare the sauce by adding the oil-free plant-based mayonnaise, dill weed, and dijon mustard to a small bowl. Whisk together until well combined. Then, set aside briefly.
Prepare the salad
To prepare the salad, add the slightly cooled soy curls along with the other pre-sliced salad ingredients to a large bowl. If you would like, you can add in some chopped walnuts and/or golden raisins, too (optional). Next, add the oil-free mayonnaise-based sauce. Then, simply stir the ingredients together to combine & coat the salad ingredients with the sauce.
Next, place the WFPB Soy Curl Waldorf Salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator and allow to cool for at least 1 hour. If you allow it to chill even longer, the flavors will have even more chance to meld. Honestly though, I haven't ever made this without at least taste-testing a little of it before placing it in the fridge! It's so good! 😋 ...But I do try to hold back. It is even better when it's chilled.
This salad makes about ten ¾ cup servings. It's delicious served as is, over greens. It can also be served in a sandwich or in a whole-grain wrap. WFPB "Chicken" Salad wrap anyone? 🥰
Soy curls are a meat alternative made by boiling and dehydrating non-GMO soybeans. They're high in protein and are a good source of fiber as well.
📖 Recipe
WFPB Soy Curl Waldorf Salad
Equipment
- large bowl
- colander
- small bowl
- whisk
- Nonstick saute pan (I used a 12-inch)
Ingredients
Soy curl ingredients
- 8 oz soy curls
- 4 cups vegetable broth, oil-free
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp poultry seasoning
- ½ tsp salt or salt-free seasoning of your choice
- ⅛ tsp pepper
Sauce ingredients
- ¾ cup oil-free plant-based mayonnaise
- 1 tsp dill weed
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
Other salad ingredients
- 2 stalks celery, diced small
- 2 cups red grapes, sliced in quarters
- 1 green onion, sliced
- ¼ cup red onion, diced small
- 2 apples, cored and diced small
Optional add-ins
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- ¼ cup golden raisins (optional)
Instructions
Prepare the soy curls
- Place the soy curls in a large bowl and pour in the oil-free vegetable broth and water. Allow to soak for 10 minutes, then drain.
- Next, slice or tear the longer soy curls into bite-sized pieces.
- Then, preheat a non-stick saute pan to medium and add the drained and sliced soy curls. Also add the poultry seasoning, salt (if using), and pepper. Stir well to combine, then keep uncovered and allow the soy curls to cook on medium heat for about 6 minutes before stirring again. This will allow the bottom side of the soy curls to become nicely browned. Then, stir again and allow to cook for about 5 minutes more for further browning on other sides. When done, remove the soy curls from heat and allow to cool a bit.
Prepare the sauce
- Next, while the soy curls are cooling, place the oil-free plant-based mayonnaise, dill weed, and dijon mustard in a small bowl and whisk together until well combined.
Prepare the salad
- Add the slightly cooled cooked soy curls to a large bowl. Also add in the diced celery, sliced grapes, sliced green onion, diced red onion, and diced apples. Also add the optional chopped walnuts and/or golden raisins, if using.
- Add the oil-free plant-based mayonnaise based sauce to the other ingredients in the large bowl and stir together to combine.
Chill the salad and serve
- Place the salad in a sealed container and allow to chill in the refrigerator for an hour or more. The flavors of this salad really come together when allowed to chill. You can even allow it to chill and serve over the next several days. Delicious when served over greens or in a whole grain sandwich or wrap. Enjoy!
I like the versatility of this:
Good on bread, good on a bed of greens, good on its own.
So tasty!
Thank you for your comment, Nick! I agree! 😀