This Sweet Pear Glazed Vegan Chicken Salad is a total game changer when it comes to easy, plant-based dinners. Make under 30 minutes. Delicious and healthy!
This post is sponsored by USA Pears, and as always, all opinions are my own.
The Ultimate Summer Salad With a Meat Alternative
This vegan chicken salad has all the wonderful flavours of summer without any of the guilt.
A sweet pear glaze made with sugar free sweetener satisfies cravings and really completes this sweet and savory dish.
Easy to make, done in under 30 minutes and unbelievably tasty.
You’re going to want to devour the whole thing!
Sweet Pear Glazed Vegan Chicken Salad
This is a homemade recipe that’s clean eating at its best. Wholesome ingredients, light and delicious for any occasion.
You’ll definitely impress your guests when hosting a dinner party. It’s also perfect for eating lightly on the patio and pairs terrifically well with a glass of wine!
A few ingredients go a long way. I hope you enjoy the vegan chicken meat substitute, cut into strips, and has a very realistic chicken-like texture.
How to Make a Sweet Pear Glaze
First thing’s first. Start making your sweet pear glaze using fresh and ripe green Anjou pears from your local grocer.
- You’ll need to chop two Anjou pears up into cubes, leaving out the core.
- In a heated frying pan, cook the pears in olive oil or coconut oil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add one cup of water and cook with the lid on until all the juices have seeped out and the pears are soft–about 20 minutes.
- Remove the pears from the pan, leaving only the liquid inside.
- Add to the liquid one tablespoon of 0-calorie sweetener like stevia or erythritol. Continue to cook on medium heat to reduce, with the lid off and stirring often so that it doesn’t burn.
- Once the liquid turns to a thick glaze, remove the pan from the heat.
How to Know When a Pear is Ripe
Pears should be left on the counter at room temperature to ripen.
You’ll want to use ripened pears to get away from that ‘tart’ taste, with very little sweetness. The more ripe they are, the sweeter they are.
You’ll know when your pears are ripe by gently pressing your thumb into the neck of the pear. If the pear gives slightly after pressing, then it’s nice and sweet and ready to eat.
Once your pears have ripened, you can store them in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Health Benefits of Pears
Anjou pears are the perfect sweet treat to add to any recipe, while providing many nutrients for the whole family.
Health benefits of pears include:
- Rich in antioxidants to fight off free radicals and protect against cancer
- High in fibre (Pectin) which aids digestion and improves overall gut health
- Low in calories, great for weight loss
- Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
How to Make Vegan Chicken
This is the fun part! My first time making vegan chicken was such a success, I couldn’t wait to share how I did it with all of you. And, it’s a lot easier than you’d think!
You’ll need a 170 gram package of Tempeh, which will make about three chicken breasts (prepared alternative meat substitutes will also work).
Unwrap the package of Tempeh and cut into cubes.
Vegan Chicken Ingredients and Seasoning
Place the cubed tempeh in a large bowl as well as one cup of almond flour and 1/8 cup of water.
Then add your seasonings.
I used one full cube of Not Chick’n Bouillon (vegan friendly), a teaspoon of garlic powder, onion powder, and a generous dash of salt and pepper.
Using your hands, knead the mixture until a dough-like ball forms. Be sure to squish the tempeh cubes with your fingers to combine well with the seasonings.
How to Cook Chicken Meat Substitute
- Grab a handful of the vegan chicken mixture and place it between two pieces of wax paper.
- Press down on the mixture with your hand, forming a 1-inch thick chicken breast patty. Use the wax paper to flatten evenly and tightly.
- You’ll have enough mixture to make about three vegan chicken pieces.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat with olive oil and add the three vegan chicken. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, flipping only once, and making sure the bottom side is golden before flipping.
- Be careful when flipping, make sure the patty stays intact by flipping it with a spatula.
How to Make a Summer Salad
In a large serving bowl, throw in either baby spinach, chopped romaine lettuce, or spring mix (I used spring mix with arugula).
Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of vinegar.
Add a generous handful of sugar free dried cranberries and pecans.
Place your vegan chicken on top and drizzle the sweet pear glaze on top. Done!
More Vegan Recipes You’ll Love
- Vegan Avocado and Chickpea Salad
- Baked Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
- Raw and Vegan Chickpea Cookie Dough
We hope this easy and healthy summer salad makes your day as it did ours!
Sweet Pear Glazed Vegan Chicken Salad (Gluten-Free, Sugar Free)
Ingredients
Sweet Pear Glaze
- 1 tbsp olive oil for frying
- 2 green Anjou pears cored and chopped into cubes
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp stevia you can also use erythritol or sweetener of choice
Vegan Chicken
- 1 170g package tempeh soy product, cut into cubes
- 1 cup almond flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 cube Not Chick'n Bouillon
- t tbsp olive oil for frying
Instructions
Sweet Pear Glaze
- Start making your glaze first. In a heated frying pan, cook the cubed pears in olive oil over medium heat and stirring constantly. Add one cup of water and cook with the lid on until all the juices have seeped out and the pears are soft--about 20 minutes
- Remove the pears from the pan, leaving only the liquid inside
- Add to the liquid one tablespoon of 0-calorie sweetener like stevia or erythritol. Continue to cook on medium heat to reduce, with the lid off and stirring often so that it doesn't burn
- Once the liquid turns to a thick glaze, remove pan from the heat
Homemade Vegan Chicken
- In a large bowl, combine cubed tempeh, almond flour, Not Chick'n bouillon cube, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper
- Using your hands, knead the mixture until a dough-like ball forms. Be sure to squish the tempeh cubes with your fingers to combine well with the seasonings
- Grab a handful of the mixture and place it between two pieces of wax paper. Press down on the mixture with your hand, forming a 1-inch thick chicken breast patty. Use the wax paper to flatten evenly and tightly. Makes 3-4 patties.
- Heat a frying pan over medium heat with olive oil and add the three vegan chicken pieces. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, flipping only once, and making sure the bottom side is golden before flipping. Be careful when flipping, make sure the patty stays intact by flipping it with a spatula.
Summer Salad
- In a large serving bowl, add enough spring mix for the amount of people eating. Ex: 4 people = 4 cups of spring mix.
- Drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil and two tablespoons of vinegar.
- Add a generous handful of sugar free dried cranberries and pecans.
- Place your vegan chicken on top and drizzle the sweet pear glaze on top. Done!
Nutrition
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