Vegan Chicken Papaya Salad

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I am filled with nostalgia for Kalisa's Cannery Row whenever I make this fresh, gingery mock Chicken Papaya Salad. Can you believe the inspiration comes from a recipe I learned over 40 years ago?

Mock chicken papaya salad with water chestnuts and cilantro-lime dressing.

Even more astonishing is the flamboyant character who taught me how to make it. That larger-than-life person was none other than the Queen of Cannery Row herself, Kalisa Moore.

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🏆 Top Tip
⭐ Why it works
💃 Kalisa's restaurant
👩🏻‍🍳 Chef lessons
📋 Ingredient notes
🔪 Expert tips
💭 FAQ
🥗 More salad recipes
📖 Recipe

🏆 Top Tip

Select a ripe but still firm papaya for this Chicken Papaya Salad.

Four papayas in stages from green to yellow.

⭐ Why it works

Vegan chicken is a chewy, flavorful and healthy alternative.
Papaya is so good in a crunchy romaine salad.
Tart cilantro lime dressing compliments and brings out the sweetness in papaya.
Candied ginger adds a spicy finishing touch to the chicken papaya salad.
Signature dish inspired by a Cannery Row icon.

💃 Kalisa's restaurant

Kalisa opened her first restaurant on Cannery Row in the 1950s during the days of infamous author John Steinbeck. Back then, my grandmother lived a few blocks up the hill from Cannery Row. Thus, she could tell captivating stories about the live music and belly dancers at Kalisa's place. Artists and bohemians clomped across the wooden floors of her establishment, filling chairs and tables into the wee hours.

By the time I met Kalisa, the belly dancers were gone. The canning era and its remarkable people had all but faded away. But Kalisa was as colorful as ever. When I say colorful, I mean it literally. Not only did Kalisa drive a converted ambulance, but she had painted it bright orange. When she made the 3-mile drive from Cannery Row to Asilomar Beach, you couldn't miss her.

Perhaps you are wondering though why Kalisa regularly drove to Asilomar Beach? Well, to this day, people mention her name on Cannery Row. But in the shadow of that greatness, there is a back story I suspect few people know. You see, when I knew Kalisa, she had a second restaurant. It was nestled under the wings of the modest Beachcomber Inn that crowns Asilomar Beach.

👩🏻‍🍳 Chef lessons

It just so happens that the first job I held out of high school was cooking for Kalisa at her Asilomar Beach restaurant. Just like her orange ambulance, you knew when she had entered the building. I always felt a bit of nervousness when she came to check on us. However, she was never phased by my fear. Whether she was instructing me how to tend the 24-hour stockpot on the stove or ladle spoonfuls of homemade garlic oil for the remoulade, it was all done boldly and matter of factly.

Likewise, the chicken papaya salad I was schooled in seemed daring at the time. I certainly hadn't seen anything like it anywhere else. The juicy combination of sweet papaya, cool chicken, and candied ginger, all tossed in the greens, struck me from the start. How did she dream it up? It was utterly delicious, and I strove to make each order as much to her specifications as possible.

Sadly, Kalisa has passed away. I will never know what she might think of my plant-based version made with tofu mock chicken. However, somehow I suspect she would applaud me more than chastise the innovation. After all, I never once saw her give in to convention.

My cilantro lime dressing is insanely delicious. It compliments beautifully the crisp lettuce, crunchy water chestnuts, savory mock chicken, and sweet, juicy papaya. I know I love the salad as much as ever and will always thank Kalisa for taking me under her wing.

📋 Ingredient notes

Tofu mock chicken triangles on a baking sheet.

Chicken papaya salad

Lettuce - I like to use romaine for its crispness and spinach for its depth of flavor.
Water chestnuts - be sure to include these. The crunchy texture is awesome in the mix!
Vegan chicken - my tofu mock chicken has a surprisingly chicken-like taste, but feel free to use any cooked, unbreaded, plant-based chicken strips you like.
Candied ginger - this is essential and one of the brilliant additions I learned from Kalisa.

Salad dressing

Avocado oil - has a mild, plain flavor that doesn't compete with citrus and herbs. Other neutral-tasting oils include sunflower, grapeseed, and canola.
Lime juice - is the ideal citrus to pair with papaya. Ever notice those half-papaya boats in the gourmet market packaged with a slice of lime?
Cilantro - you can substitute mint or basil if you're not a fan of cilantro.

🔪 Expert tips

Wash and spin dry greens and chill for a few hours with other ingredients before making the salad.
Use unbreaded vegan chicken strips.
Pour dressing over the individually plated salads before serving. Not tossing the papaya salad with dressing prevents it from getting soggy and keeps flavors distinct.

💭 FAQ

When is papaya ripe?

Papayas are harvested green and ripen over a few days. A partially ripened papaya from the market may be ideal for eating in as little as 24 hours. Look for the yellow color to spread to the stem end and most of the green to have changed. The flesh will be significantly sweeter then. Papayas should yield to gentle pressure and leave a thumbprint when pressed, but you don't want them to be overly soft.

Is tofu vegan chicken a good source of protein?

One cup of homemade tofu vegan chicken contains about 18 grams of protein and has more calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and fiber than chicken. Other plant-based chicken alternatives made from soy, wheat, and/or pea protein are also good substitutes for meat.

🥗 More salad recipes

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