THE Chicken Salad
8 colors
THE WHY BEHIND THIS RECIPE
This is called THE Chicken Salad with a capital THE because it’s the only chicken salad recipe you’ll need after making it once. It’s also very easy to riff on if you want to add different fruit or nuts. I love chicken salad - always have, however most chicken salads are too mayo heavy for me or they have sneaky seed oils mixed in (like sunflower seed oil or canola oil). This recipe is easy to whip up with an organic rotisserie chicken, and it’s got fiber (flax seeds), omega-3s (walnuts) and tons of micronutrients from fresh herbs.
I love to meal prep this and then eat it one of the following ways:
On top of a bed of lettuce for a chicken salad, salad
On top of Ellas Flats or Flackers for a snack
In between a keto bread or heritage grain for a chicken salad sandwich
By the spoonful
Yields: 4-5 servings
Total time: ~15 minutes
Prep time = 15 minutes
No cook time!
WHAT YOU NEED
CHICKEN SALAD
6 cups of shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken)
1 cup of nuts (I love walnuts or slivered almonds)
1 cup of celery, finely diced
1 apple, finely diced
1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 cup of fresh herbs of choice, diced (my favorite for this recipe are mint, basil and parsley but pick your herbs!)
1/4 cup of green onions, finely diced
1/4 cup flax seeds
1/4 cup dried unsweetened cherries (omit if you can’t find at your local store or farmers market)
1/2 teaspoon salt (add more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Sprinkle some chia or zen basil seeds for serving (optional)
DRESSING
2-3 garlic gloves (or 1 tsp garlic powder)
1 tbsp of dijon mustard
1 full lemon zested and then squeezed
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup avocado oil mayo (I use Primal Kitchen)
1/2 cup greek yogurt
HOW TO DO IT
Combine all of the ingredients (aside from the dressing) into a bowl and mix until the larger pieces of chicken are broken up.
Mix the dressing together, whisk until combined. Pour over the ingredients and stir to combine.
Sprinkle some chia seeds or zen basil seeds on the top just before serving!
SWAPS, TIPS & TRICKS
Make it dairy free: This recipe can be made fully dairy-free by subbing an additional 1/2 cup of avocado oil mayo in place of the greek yogurt
Swap your fruits and nuts: If it’s peach season, try a peach instead of an apple! If you have pistachios on hand, use those for the nuts. Modify based on your preferences.
Nutritional Info
Per serving, makes about 5 servings,
Calories: 700
Carbohydrates: 22g
Fiber: 6g
Net carbs: 16g
Protein: 36g
Fat: 50g
Sodium: 563mg
Sugar: 8g