California Avocado Chickpea Salad Croissants

Written by our friend Rachael of La Fuji Mama

Chicken salad croissants are a classic food choice served at events like baby showers. The combination of the flaky, buttery croissant and the creamy chicken salad with contrasting textures from ingredients like celery and grapes, makes a delicious finger food that is easy to make (and can be made ahead). But what should you do if you don’t eat meat? Enter the humble chickpea and you’ve got your answer. Lightly mashed chickpeas make an absolutely delicious substitute for the traditional shredded chicken, and will please non-meat and meat eaters alike!

Using chickpeas also simplifies this dish. Instead of having to cook then shred chicken, all that you have to do is go to your pantry, pull out a can of chickpeas, rinse and drain, then lightly mash them.

Then you add the rest of the ingredients and toss everything together. The salad is best if it is made ahead of time and put in the refrigerator for at least an hour to give all of the flavors time to develop. When it’s time to eat, just slice your croissants in half and spoon the salad in between the halves. But pssst, here’s a little confession (I will deny having told you this if you ever reveal me as your source), sometimes I make the salad, fill the croissants, then put the filled croissants on a plate covered with plastic wrap into the refrigerator until I am ready to serve them. Guess what? They’re still super fresh and delicious.

California Avocado Chickpea Salad Croissants Recipe

Serves: 6
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. coarsely ground Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1 (15.5 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 ripe, Fresh California Avocado, seeded, peeled, cut into chunks and sprinkled with lemon juice
2/3 cup red grapes, sliced in half
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 green onions, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper, to taste
6 croissant rolls

Directions

1. Whisk together the mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice in a small bowl, then set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, lightly mash the chickpeas with a potato masher or fork.  Make sure not to mash the chickpeas too much.  You should have a variety of sized pieces.
3. Add the avocado, red grapes, celery, and green onions to the chickpeas and toss lightly to combine.  Add the mayonnaise mixture and stir everything together.  Add salt and black pepper to taste.  Cover and chill the salad in the refrigerator for at least one hour to allow the flavors to develop.
4. When you are ready to serve the sandwiches, cut the croissants in half and fill them with the avocado chickpea salad. Serve!

*Recipe Notes: To make these sandwiches vegan, use a vegan mayonnaise and vegan croissants or rolls.  To make them gluten-free, use gluten-free rolls.