Keto Chicken Salad – Only 1.4g Net Carbs!

Last Updated on June 10, 2021 by Toya

This keto chicken salad is the easiest, creamiest chicken salad recipe that is packed with flavor. Made with only 10 easy to find ingredients and with only 1.4g net carbs per serving, this versatile low carb chicken salad recipe will become a favorite in your household! 

What Is A Keto Chicken Salad?

A keto chicken salad is exactly as the name describes. It is a keto salad made with chicken and some other ingredients. This is a recipe that is flavorful, satisfying and easy to make and is perfect for lunch, dinner, a quick snack or even served for breakfast on some keto toast.

Keto chicken salad

This chicken salad is truly one of the easiest meals you can make. The best part is that this keto chicken salad can be served in so many ways including, as a chicken salad served in a bowl, on lettuce leaves as a lettuce wrap or with low carb tortillas for a delicious chicken wrap.

Plus, it is something that almost everyone will enjoy as it is super delicious, yet satisfying. 

Low carb chicken salad FAQs

Is mayo okay on keto?

Yes, mayonnaise is okay on keto as it only has 0.1 grams of carbs per each tablespoon. Pay attention to the brands you use as some contain less carbs than others, but they’re generally fine for low carb and keto eating. 

Is chicken ok for keto?

Yes! All cuts of chicken are okay on keto. According to Food Central Data, there are 0 grams of carbs in chicken legs, chicken thighs, chicken drumsticks, chicken wings etc. 

Can I make keto chicken salad with no mayo?

While many people like using mayo in their chicken salad recipes, you can also choose to opt for cream cheese or greek yogurt if you prefer. 

How many net carbs are in chicken salad?

Typical chicken salad has roughly 4-5 grams of carbs per serving depending on the ingredients used. They’re not the highest in carbs as they’re mostly made of low carb ingredients. However, you still need to pay attention to the ingredients in each chicken salad as some do contain fruits like grapes and tomatoes which can increase the net carbs in the recipe.

Because this keto friendly chicken salad recipe was made with only low carb ingredients there are 1.4 grams of net carbs in every serving.

Best chicken for this easy chicken salad recipe

For this recipe, leftover shredded chicken breasts were used. However, you can choose any kind of chicken for this keto salad recipe. Some ideas are:

• Canned chicken
• Shredded chicken thighs or these instant pot chicken breasts
  
• Chicken drums

Once you’re able to shred or chop the chicken and it does not contain annoying bones, then it can work in this recipe. 

Tips for making the best keto chicken salad

1. The keto salad recipe is made with leftover grilled chicken, but cooked, baked or steamed chicken will be just fine. Choose the juiciest part of the chicken, like chicken thighs, for an absolutely flavorful chicken salad.
   
2. This recipe is made with fresh lime juice, but you can substitute with white wine vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar. These are both very low in carbs and will ensure that you have some acidity to balance the flavors of the salad.
   
3. As mentioned, the salad is made with pickles, but capers are a perfect option as well. Just make the swap if this is what you have on hand.
4. Also, if you’re not too excited about the dill in the salad, you can simply swap it with fresh chopped parsley.
5. Lastly, this chicken salad can be made with any kind of low carb nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or even macadamia nuts. Pecans are used here, but they are not mandatory.

Low carb chicken salad ingredients

The ingredients for making this super easy salad recipe are very simple and you may have them all in your kitchen. They are:

• 2 cups grilled shredded chicken
• 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• 3 pickles, chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, seeded, chopped
• ½ cup real mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon whole grain mustard
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon dried dill weed
• Salt and pepper, to taste

How to make keto chicken salad

Gather all of your ingredients in one place. Make sure everything is chopped up and ready to be mixed together.

 

Then in a mixing bowl, you will combine the mayonnaise, mustard, lime juice, and dill weed and combine everything well with your whisk.

 

Next, add your chopped or shredded chicken, eggs, pecans, and bell pepper into the mayo mixture and stir everything to combine.

 

Once everything is mixed, it should look like this creamy salad:

The last step is to refrigerate the salad 30 minutes before serving.

Tools to make this chicken salad recipe

This recipe is easy to make and you will only need a mixing bowl, a whisk and a spatula to make it. 

What to serve with this keto friendly chicken salad recipe

You can serve this recipe is many different ways including:

• As a chicken salad

Simply serve this mixture in a bowl for lunch and dinner.

• As a chicken salad sandwich:

This is a very popular way of enjoying chicken salad. Simply spread over a slice of keto bread and top with another slice of bread!

• As a chicken salad lettuce wrap:

Simply serve the low carb chicken salad mixture on lettuce leaves for a simple and delicious meal. Feel free to top with a few slices of tomatoes!

• As a chicken salad tortilla wrap:

Use these almond flour tortilla wraps to make some chicken wraps for a quick and easy low carb lunch!

Storing, freezing and reheating 

If you end up with leftovers, or you plan to make this recipe for a make ahead lunch option for days when you are in a hurry, please note that it can be stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator for 2-3 days for freshness.

Also note that this easy chicken salad MUST be placed in the refrigerator within 1 hour of preparation to avoid bacteria growth.

It is not recommended to freeze this chicken salad as the texture will be completely altered. Also, there is no need to reheat it. In fact, it is quite good when cold! 

Recipe variations

If you want to make adjustments to this recipe, you can feel free to do so. Here are some ideas you can try out:

• Keto chicken salad with Greek yogurt

Instead of making this chicken salad with mayo, you can opt for plain Greek yogurt to make a tasty Greek yogurt chicken salad. This will ensure you have that this recipe is high in protein and tastes good. However, keep in mind that adding Greek yogurt to this recipe will add a few extra carbs compared to the mayo.  1/2 a cup of low carb Greek yogurt contains anywhere from 3.5 to 4.5 grams of carbs.

The Greek yogurt I’ve come across with the least amount of carbs  is FAGE TOTAL, 2% Plain Greek Yogurt. It contains 7 grams of carbs per cup. You can get this on Amazon.

• Keto chicken salad with bacon

If you’re looking for some extra crunch, you can simply add some pieces of crispy, chopped bacon to the dish. Bacon pairs very well with eggs and chicken and will add some nice crunchiness and saltiness to this recipe. 

• Spicy keto chicken salad

If you enjoy a little kick, then you can add some spiciness to this recipe by adding some chopped jalapenos. Just a few slices will do the trick!

Nutritional information

For each serving of this low-carb chicken salad recipe, these are the nutrition facts:

• Calories 399
• Total Fat 32.1g
• Saturated Fat 5.6g
• Cholesterol 154mg
• Sodium 859mg
• Total Carbohydrate 3g
• Dietary Fiber 1.6g
• Net Carbs 1.4g
• Total Sugars 1.2g
• Protein 24.1g

What other keto salad can you eat?

One of the foods you can enjoy on keto are salads. If you’re looking for ideas of what kinds of salads you can eat that are keto friendly, here are some other ideas to try:

• Low Carb Taco Salad 
• Strawberry spinach salad
• Keto buffalo chicken salad
• Keto cucumber salad
• Keto deviled egg salad