This tasty keto chicken salad is so simple to make for a quick low-carb meal! You can easily add onions, peppers, or pickles for extra flavor and crunch.
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Looking for a quick keto meal that’s tasty and satisfying? Homemade chicken salad is one of my go to easy recipes!
You only need 3 ingredients plus salt and pepper, and there’s less than 1 net carb per serving. That’s why it’s a low-carb staple in our household.
This recipe is as simple as shredding cooked chicken, mixing in your chopped celery, then stirring in the mayonnaise until all the chicken is coated. It’s so simple!
I like to make a big batch over the weekend for easy meals during the week. Cold salads like this one are so convenient because you don’t have to heat them up. They’re most popular in the summer, but I eat them all year round.
How to make a basic chicken salad
The recipe uses very keto friendly ingredients. Here’s how to make the this simple dish:
- Cook chicken. Poach chicken in covered pot with simmering water or broth for about 30 minutes. Remove the chicken from the liquid and allow it to cool.
- Shred chicken. Use two forks to shred chicken into small pieces.
- Combine chicken and celery. In a bowl, mix together the shredded chicken and chopped celery.
- Prepare dressing. In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, salt, and pepper until well blended.
- Add dressing to salad. Spoon the dressing over the chicken and celery, then stir until everything is well coated.
Your dish is ready to enjoy! Be sure to store in the refrigerator and serve chilled.
Serving suggestions for keto
Low-carb chicken salad makes a quick lunch or dinner. You can eat it by itself, or enjoy it as a sandwich or wrap.
I like to eat it on a almond flour wrap or coconut flour wraps with cheese, lettuce and tomato. But it’s also great served between two slices of fluffy almond bread.
To lower the carbs, you could use lettuce to make a boat or wrap. Fresh, crispy romaine adds a wonderful crunch and will hold up the weight of the salad. Keto cheese wraps work well too!
Low-carb chicken salad variations
For extra convenience, canned chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken can be used in this keto chicken salad recipe. However, I like to use freshly shredded chicken.
I’ve also made this recipe with shredded turkey after Thanksgiving. It’s a great way to use up some of those leftovers!
When I want more flavor or crunch, I’ve added things like onion, peppers, and pickles. Toasted nuts are another way to add healthy fat and crunch. Pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, and pecans are all great options.
For a “pasta-like” salad, you could stir in some Miracle Noodles.
You can also make a low-carb chicken salad without mayo if you prefer. I have a recipe for cranberry walnut chicken salad made with mashed avocados that is delicious.
There are a lot of options for this simple recipe. So, feel free to customize it with your favorite add-ins!
Other recipes to try
Looking for more keto chicken recipes that are easy to make for a quick bite? Check out a few of these favorites:
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole comes together quickly for a satisfying dinner that’s full of delicious flavor!
- Keto Cobb Salad is made with chicken for a low carb meal that’s perfect for one or two people.
- Low Carb Chicken Nuggets are so tasty, they’re even kid-approved! Plus, they’re gluten free and easy to make.
- Chicken Pesto Wrap whips up quickly and can be made ahead for an easy lunch or snack anytime.
- Asian Canned Chicken Salad uses easy, budget friendly ingredients but packs in incredible flavor!
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Basic Keto Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 3-4 stalks celery finely chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pepper to taste
Optional:
- onion
- peppers
- pickles
Instructions
- Poach chicken breasts in water or broth by covering for 30 minutes after liquid boils. Remove chicken and allow to cool.
- Shred chicken into small pieces.
- Mix chicken and celery.
- Stir together mayonnaise, salt and pepper until well blended.
- Spoon mayonnaise mixture over chicken mixture and stir to coat.
- Store in refrigerator. Serve chilled.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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Originally Published: June 2, 2012… Last Updated: June 9, 2020
Karen
I have already shredded chicken breast in the freezer, how do I properly measure out from an already large (1 qt) container in order to prepare your chicken salad. Another way to ask this question is: how much shredded chicken comes from 2 pounds of chicken? – Thanks! (I used lots of your recipes and enjoy them all!)
Lisa MarcAurele
I’d say about 3 to 4 cups is needed. You can add half than add more as needed.
Katie Jewell
How much is a serving?
Lisa
It’s about a cup or so.
Melanie
Is there a certain brand of mayonaise that you use? I used Kroger Classic Mayonaise and that seemed to have a lot of calories. You have each serving of the chicken salad as 210 calories. One cup of mayo itself has 1600 calories, so the mayonaise itself has 267 calories per serving. Should it be low calorie mayonaise instead of regular? Just trying to make this low calorie and low carb as possible.
Lisa
I may need to recalculate as the ingredient used is generic. I prefer using avocado oil based mayo.