This easy, throw it all together keto chicken salad recipe is packed with flavor. If you’ve ever wondered what kind of salad you can eat on the keto diet, this low carb chicken salad is definitely on the list!
This chicken salad is truly one of the easiest meals you can make and is made with leftover chicken on the keto diet.
Not only does this recipe call for leftover chicken, but it also includes refreshing bell peppers, crunchy pecans, and creamy mayonnaise.
The best part is that this keto salad can be served in so many ways. You can choose to serve it alone as a delicious chicken salad for lunch or dinner, or with lettuce as a lettuce wrap.
Plus, it is something that almost everyone will enjoy as it is light, healthy and delicious. This is a simple to-go-lunch or dinner option bursting with flavors and ready in just 5 minutes.
Is mayo okay on keto?
Mayo forms an important part of most salads as it is the base of some of the most delicious salad dressings which we have all grown accustomed to. But, if you’re new to making keto friendly salads, I know you may be wondering if you can have mayo with this new lifestyle, especially in this chicken salad recipe.
Yes, mayonnaise is fine on the keto diet. Of course you need to pay attention to all the ingredients in the brands you choose to use.
Best chicken for this easy chicken salad recipe
For this recipe, I used leftover shredded chicken breasts and it was great. However, you can choose to use any kind of chicken for this keto salad recipe. Some ideas are:
- Canned chicken
- Shredded chicken thighs our our instant pot chicken breasts
- Chicken drums
How many carbs in chicken salad
Generally a chicken salad contains roughly around 4 or 5 grams of carbs. 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 you plan to make or eat as there can be ingredients that can kick you out of ketosis.
For this particular low carb chicken salad recipe, you can expect it to contain 1.4g net carbs per serving.
Tips for making the best keto chicken salad
- The keto salad recipe is made with leftover grilled chicken, but cooked or steamed chicken will be just fine. Choose the juiciest part of the chicken, like chicken thighs for an absolutely flavorful chicken salad.
- This recipe is made with fresh lime juice, but instead of lime juice you can also use white wine vinegar or raw apple cider vinegar. These are both very low in carbs and will ensure that you have some acidity, besides the pickles, to balance the flavors of the salad.
- As mentioned, the salad is made with the pickles, but capers are perfect option as well. Just make the swap if this is what you have on hand.
- Also, if you’re not to excited about the dill in the salad, you can simply swap it with fresh chopped parsley.
- 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.
Keto chicken salad ingredients
The ingredients for making easy salad recipe are very simple and you may have them all in your kitchen. For this easy chicken salad recipe you will need:
- 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 used
This keto grilled chicken salad recipe is easy to make and you will only need a mixing bowl, a whisk and a spatula.
How to serve
You can serve this recipe is many different ways including:
- Chicken salad
Simply serve this mixture in a bowl for lunch and dinner.
- Chicken salad sandwich:
This is a very popular way of enjoying chicken salad. Simply spread your keto chicken salad mixture over a slice of keto bread and top with another slice of bread!
- 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!
How to store
If you end up with leftovers, or you plan to make this recipe for a make a head 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 keto chicken salad MUST be placed in the refrigerator within 1 hour of cooking to avoid bacteria growth.
But it must me placed in the fridge 1 hour after cooking due to bacteria growth.
Variations of this easy chicken salad recipe
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 a great sauce that 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 mayo as 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 by clicking here.
-
Keto chicken salad with bacon
If you’re looking for some extra crunch in your keto chicken salad, you can simply add some pieces of crispy, chopped bacon into it. 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 in your salads, then you can add some spiciness to this recipe by adding some chopped jalapeno’s. 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 kind of keto salad can you eat?
One of the foods you can have a lot of on the keto diet are salads. If you’re looking for ideas of what kinds of salads you can eat if you’re on the keto diet, here is another great keto salad you should try:
Keto Chicken Salad: Easy Low Carb Chicken Salad Recipe
This easy keto chicken salad recipe is packed with amazing flavors and make the perfect keto recipe that can be made in minutes!
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
- The last step is to refrigerate the salad 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4Amount Per Serving: Calories: 399Total Fat: 32.1gSaturated Fat: 5.6gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 859mgCarbohydrates: 3gNet Carbohydrates: 1.4gFiber: 1.6gSugar: 1.2gProtein: 24.1g
