If you’re looking for a way to treat yourself to a meal you will love, while still satisfying your nutritious needs, look no more! With this salad, you are getting something healthier but full of taste and will fill you up! This hearty and delicious Plant-based Nugget Salad with Barbecue Sauce Vinaigrette is an excellent choice that is great for meatless days! Made with scrumptious green lettuce, juicy cherry tomatoes, onions, carrots, avocado, and is topped with plant-based nuggets for added flavor and texture!
Ready for a healthy Plant-based nugget salad recipe that will leave you wanting more?
This Plant-based Nugget Salad recipe comes together so quickly and easily, and is guaranteed to be one of your summertime go-to meals! It’s also perfect for those days when you have a lot of errands to do and need a nutritious meal on the table fast. It’s been known to be popular with the kiddos because they can’t tell the difference between a chicken nugget and this plant-based nugget!
Love in one bowl with this Vegan Chicken Salad!
Between the leafy green lettuce, cherry tomatoes, corn, avocado, colored peppers, onions, and barbecue sauce vinaigrette, you will be hooked at first bite.
Why are Raised & Rooted™ Nuggets a good choice for this recipe? ‘
These crispy golden nuggets are made entirely with plant-based ingredients. They have a nice texture and are not rubbery like some imitation meats. Add to that, they are a good source of fiber and have no soy protein appealing to those who want to make better food choices.
It’s hard to tell these aren’t chicken!
Barbeque Vinaigrette Dressing for Plant-Based Nugget Salad
This easy creamy barbecue vinaigrette is the perfect sauce to drizzle over salad. It is easy to make with no tools required beyond a bowl and a fork to whisk oil and emulsify it in the dressing. You can also use the jar-and-shake method to combine the ingredients.
Vinaigrette dressing is light, tangy, and healthy. It goes great with greens, vegetables and fruits. You can change up the flavor by using different types of vinegar. It also tastes way better than store-bought dressings and is much cheaper.
This BBQ vinaigrette dressing is versatile and can be used on different salads of choice
Here’s a list of the healthy ingredients in this Plant-based Chicken Salad:
Green leaf lettuce: Leaf lettuce is the perfect choice for salads and sandwiches. It has crisp leaves with a mildly sweet flavor. It’s rich in folate, manganese, and vitamins A and K.
Cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are full of vitamins and minerals and are considered immunity boosters. Their small size makes them the perfect choice for salads.
Corn: Corn contains a fair amount of fiber, and is a decent source of protein and vitamins.
Avocado: Avocado has amazing health benefits. It is loaded with healthy fats, fiber, and various important nutrients and can dramatically increase the number of antioxidants you take in. Moreover, Avocados are packed with high levels of beneficial fats which can help a person feel fuller between meals.
Carrots: Carrots are crunchy, tasty, and highly nutritious. They are an excellent source of vitamin A, B vitamins, as well as vitamin K and potassium.
Bell Pepper: Bell peppers are very high in vitamins and antioxidants. They are high in Vitamin C and include vitamin K1, vitamin E, vitamin A, folate, and potassium.
Onions: Onions are low in calories and high in nutrients, including vitamin C, B vitamins and potassium. They are loaded with antioxidants and may help reduce heart disease risk factors, such as high blood pressure, elevated triglyceride levels and inflammation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most people use iceberg lettuce in salads, but when looking for the healthiest salad greens, the last one you want to use is an iceberg. Iceberg is actually the least nutritious. For the healthiest salad greens, you can choose green leaf lettuce.
If you want to prepare this nugget salad ahead of time, you can make the salad and toss it together but do not add the dressing or the avocadoes (avocadoes go brown quickly). After making the salad, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Add the dressing, avocadoes, and the plant based nuggets when you are ready to serve.
This salad basically goes with everything. You can serve it along with some baked salmon or oven some grilled chicken.
Of course you can. You can cook them right in the oven on a tray or in the microwave.
If your using the oven: Preheat it to 400°F. Arrange nuggets on a baking sheet about 1-inch apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until hot.
If you’re using the microwave: Arrange 4 nuggets on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 55-65 seconds or until hot. Let stand for 1 minute, before serving. DO NOT put all the nuggets in the microwave at the same time.
Ingredients
Barbecue Sauce Vinaigrette
- BBQ sauce
- avocado oil or olive oil
- vinegar
- honey
- garlic powder
Salad
- Raised & Rooted™ Plant Based Nuggets
- leafy green lettuce
- cherry tomatoes
- corn
- avocado
- shredded carrots
- colored peppers
- red onions
- green onions
Why choose avocado oil?
- Avocado oil is delicious, nutritious, and easy to use. You can add it cold to salads or smoothies. It’s also great for grilling, cooking, and baking.
- It’s rich in oleic acid, polyunsaturated fats, carotenoids, and other antioxidant-rich nutrients that improve heart, skin, and eye health.
- You can simply add it to your diet in a salad, as part of a dip or marinade, or as a replacement for most other plant oils.
- If you wanna make some change, give avocado oil a try.
- Click here to learn more about avocado oil.
Here are a few ways to add avocado oil to your diet:
- Add some to a smoothie
- Use it in homemade mayo
- Add some to your salads and broiled veggies
- Use it in dressings and condiments
- Use it as a marinade for grilling meat or chicken
- Top hummus off with it
- Use it in baking as a butter substitute
Helpful Tips
Store the leftover salad in a sealed container and not a bowl in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Store the dressing in a container with a lid with as much air removed as possible.
Double your dressing batch so you can always have it on hand to conveniently add to your salad.
The Plant-based Nugget Salad with Barbecue Sauce Vinaigrette ingredients can be prepared ahead of time and kept separate in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. Just be sure not to add the vinaigrette sauce before serving.
How to assemble this Plant-based Chicken Salad with Barbecue Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl, add barbecue sauce, avocado oil/ olive oil, vinegar, honey, and garlic powder.
- Mix well using a small whisk.
- In the meantime, you can bake or microwave the Raised & Rooted™ Plant Based Nuggets! I chose to air fry them, which took 10 minutes at 375F. They were crispy on the outside and tasted so close to the real chicken nuggets!
- Prepare your veggies for the salad then add the air fried nuggets.
- Finally, drizzle over your nugget salad and enjoy.
When you finish assembling the salad, drizzle it with the vinaigrette BBQ sauce and enjoy!
A Few Salad Recipes You Must Try:
- Cajun Salmon Rice with Tahini Salad
- Healthy Pasta Salad and Dressing
- Mediterranean Salad Pita Wraps
- Roasted Eggplant Salad
- Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette Chef Salad
- Tuna Salad
- Lebanese Tabouli Salad
- Honey Mustard Harvest Salad
- Greek Salad on Naan Bread
- Tuna Pasta Salad
- Kale Salad with Caramelized Onions
- Satisfying Fruit Salad
Plant-based Chicken Salad with Bbq Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Bbq Sauce Vinaigrette
- ½ cup barbecue sauce
- ⅓ cup avocado oil or olive oil
- 4 tablespoons vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Raised& Rooted™ Nugget Salad
- 1 package Raised& Rooted™ Plant Based Nuggets
- 1 green leaf lettuce
- 1 Hass avocado sliced
- ½ cup cherry tomatoes sliced in half
- ¼ cup corn
- ½ cup carrots shredded
- ½ cup colored peppers sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 green onion sliced
Instructions
- In a small bowl, add barbeque sauce, avocado oil/ olive oil, vinegar, honey, and garlic powder.
- Mix well using a small whisk.
- In the meantime, you can bake or microwave the Raised & Rooted™ Plant Based Nuggets! I chose to air fry them, which took 10 minutes at 375F and they were crispy on the outside and tasted so close to the real chicken nuggets!
- Prepare your veggies for the salad.
- Then add the air fried nuggets.
- Finally, drizzle over your nugget salad and enjoy.
Notes
Ashley says
I love the colors of this salad. I also like the fact that it’s meatless!! I think my kiddos will love it. Will make it very soon.
Lama says
You will be surprised how good they are! 🙂
Samar says
This salad tastes wonderful. Tried these vegan nuggets and no one noticed that they are vegan. Will make it again!!
Heidi says
Quick, easy and delicious. A healthy dinner prepared in a very short time. My husband said this the best salad he’s ever eaten! Yum!