I tried Subway’s new vegan chicken tikka sandwich — and I’d order it over the meat-based alternative anytime

Subway recently unveiled two new vegan sandwiches in the UK that it’s trialing during Veganuary. One is a fake steak sandwich, sold exclusively in southern England, while the other is a plant-based chicken tikka sandwich, available elsewhere throughout the UK.

Source: Vegan Food & Living

When I visited Subway on Friday, I actually had a different plant-based sandwich in mind, but it wasn’t available. Like other restaurants across the UK, Subway has been hit by supply-chain disruptions. However, a staff member recommended the new Tastes Like Chicken (TLC) Tikka sandwich, though it wasn’t advertised on the menu.

The new sandwich uses the same fake chicken Subway developed for its original TLC sub. I’d really enjoyed the TLC when I visited Subway for my first time ever in October.

Source: Insider

So I decided to order the new sandwich, which cost around £3.70 ($5.00) for a six-inch sub.

The sandwich both looked and smelled really good.

I wasn’t really thinking when I ordered it, and asked to top the fake chicken with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, mixed peppers, olives, and garlic alioli. These all tasted delicious when I got them alongside the original TLC, but the alioli and olives perhaps weren’t the most intuitive accompaniments to chicken tikka.

Source: Insider

The sandwich tasted delicious. Although the photos don’t really show it, it was packed full of the fake chicken. I was surprised by how realistic the soy-based chicken looked.

When I tried the TLC for the first time, I was equally surprised by how realistic the soy-based fake chicken looked. With the TLC Tikka, I was just as impressed.

Source: Insider

Subway seasons the fake chicken to mimic its own roast chicken, but it also adds tikka spices for the TLC Tikka, making it even harder to tell it isn’t actually real meat coated in the marinade. I’ve never actually tried Subway’s original Chicken Tikka sandwich, but I wouldn’t hesitate to order the TLC Tikka over the real deal because of the great taste combined with the ethical and environmental benefits of going plant-based.

I’m a bit of a wuss when it comes to spices, but the TLC Tikka was only very lightly spiced. While this was great for me, I can imagine that some fans expecting a bit more kick may be disappointed.

I thought it was great to see Subway offering the TLC Tikka. In the UK, tikka is most commonly served with chicken, and Subway was the first place I’d seen offering a plant-based substitute for this. The Subway I visited offered five different vegetarian sandwiches, Including the TLC Tikka, which I thought was pretty good for a fast-food chain.

Other chains have been unveiling more and more vegan offerings, particularly in Europe, which has become a hub for plant-based food. McDonald’s UK, for example, recently started selling the McPlant, a vegan cheeseburger with a Beyond Meat patty, while Domino’s launched a pizza with vegan cheese. Though plant-based burgers and pizzas are becoming more common, Subway’s plant-based chicken tikka really stands out from the market.

Sources: Insider, Insider

Ultimately, I felt like Subway really made an effort to create a more exciting option for vegans and vegetarians, while also developing a sandwich packed with flavor that might even tempt ardent meat-eaters.