Jackfruit “Chicken” Salad
“Lunch hour is the best hour of the day!”
I love lunch but lately I’ve been sick of my go-to salad and have been trying to get more creative with sandwich ideas. The last few weeks I’ve been testing a new ingredient that I’d never heard of but absolutely love now. Jackfruit!
You might be asking “what the hell is jackfruit?” I did, but now I’m really into the jackfruit fad. Jackfruit is a weird tropical fruit that has a mild flavor and spiky green skin and sweet flesh. It can be used to make a wide variety of dishes and is very nutritious with several health benefits. Fun fact: jackfruit is the largest tree fruit in the world and can reach up to 100 pounds!
Jackfruit contains a moderate amount of calories and lots of fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It contains some of almost every vitamin and mineral that you need including Vitamins A and C and promotes better blood sugar control. Not bad, right?
Jackfruit is super versatile and can be eaten raw or cooked in both sweet and savory dishes. My favorite thing about jackfruit is that it can be used as a perfect meat substitute due to the texture, which is similar to shredded meat. Lately I’ve been using jackfruit to make this vegan “chicken” salad and it is so good over lettuce or as a sandwich.
I’m really excited to share this new go-to sandwich recipe with you because the mild taste in canned jackfruit takes on all the incredible flavors you add to it. It’s tangy, creamy, savory, and smoky – all the best food descriptions.
How to Make Jackfruit “Chicken” Salad
For this recipe, I use Native Forest Organic Young Jackfruit which comes in a 14-ounce can. I prefer to use canned jackfruit that is in brine vs. in syrup. Some brands do recommend cooking it before to soften the jackfruit. Which I have done with this recipe. To do this, just boil for about 15 minutes and then drain and rinse with cold water.
Take the can and drain and rinse the jackfruit. You want to use the stringy parts of the fruit and toss aside the fibrous core. I use my hands to simply shred the jackfruit pieces into a bowl. The texture should resemble shredded chicken.
Once your fruit is shredded, add your celery, shallots, peppers, mayo, and garlic in bowl and stir until well combined. Then add in the dill, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Because I like mine a little spicy, I add a dash of siracha to give it a little kick. Be sure to taste your salad and adjust seasoning as needed.
Serve over lettuce, in a sandwich or wrap, or with crackers. Delicious.
Ingredients
1 14-ounce can jackfruit
2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
1 small shallot, chopped
1/2 cup chopped sweet peppers
2 tablespoons vegan mayo
1 small garlic clove, minced
3 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
3 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Salt & pepper to taste
1-2 teaspoons siracha (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Instructions
Drain and rinse canned jackfruit. Using your hands, shred the jackfruit pieces into a bowl and toss the fibrous core. You can also use a knife to cut off the core of each piece. The texture should resemble shredded chicken.
Add celery, shallots, peppers, mayo, and garlic to bowl and stir until well combined.
Stir in dill, lemon juice, paprika, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste.
If desired, add siracha.
Serve on bread or a tortilla with avocado, or top over lettuce.
TIPS:
Some brands do recommend cooking jackfruit before using to soften the fruit. To do this, boil for about 15 minutes then drain and rinse with cold water. This is not required for the brand I recommend here.
This salad tastes even better the next day after everything has had time to sit together.
I hope you try it. Peace & Love
Nikki
Did you make this recipe?
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