Your classic chicken salad, but made with nutrient dense, whole foods ingredients including homemade olive oil mayonnaise and fresh red grapes.
This recipe is gluten-free, dairy free, soy free, paleo, and low carb. Below I also provide ingredient substitutions, dietary modifications, and storage tips.
Recipe ingredient substitutions
Boneless skinless chicken breast substitutions: you can also use chicken tenders, rotisserie chicken meat, chicken thighs, and really any cooked leftover chicken you have.
Red grape substitutions: instead of red, use green grapes. Or alternatively, any fresh fruit of your choice.
Fresh green onions substitutions: you can also use 1 tbsp freeze-dried chives or green onions.
Red onions substitutions: you can also use fresh white onion or shallots.
Homemade olive oil mayonnaise substitutions: if you don’t have the time or motivation to make your manes from scratch, swap it out for store-bought mayonnaise.
Iceberg lettuce substitutions: I usually eat this chicken salad on lettuce wraps, but you can also use a regular gluten-free wrap or bread.
Dietary modifications
Make this recipe lower calorie: Instead of adding ½ cup of mayonnaise to this chicken salad, reduce it to ⅓ cup or ¼ cup.
Make this recipe candida diet friendly: Make sure you use fresh squeezed lemon juice instead of vinegar in your mayonnaise. Omit the red grapes.
Make this recipe low FODMAP: Omit the red onion from the chicken salad, and the garlic from the mayonnaise.
Want more gluten free recipes & meal plans?
I offer a premade 1 month gluten free dairy free meal plan, as well as an additional gluten free dairy free recipe book which comes with 140 recipes in total (35 breakfast recipes, 35 lunch recipes, 35 dinner recipes, and 35 snack/dessert recipes).
Recipe variations:
Make it a Chinese chicken salad: omit the red grapes and add 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon sesame seeds.
Omit the grapes if it feels weird!: grapes in chicken salad aren’t for everyone! If you prefer a classic chicken salad, remove the grapes and add a couple diced stalks of celery.
Add all the things!: there are about 1,000,001 things that you could add into a chicken salad, but some examples are fresh herbs, bell peppers, red wine vinegar, dried cranberries, lime juice, dijon mustard, or fresh dill. Get creative! Then report back in the comments about how it goes 😉
Recipe pairings
Eat it in lettuce cups or lettuce wraps: I like the butter lettuce varieties, or even romaine and iceberg work well too!
Make chicken salad sandwiches: a great way to eat this chicken salad is with your favorite gluten-free bread. Your classic chicken salad sandwich.
Wrap it up: Eat it inside of a gluten-free wrap.
Add it to a salad: top your salad with it. A good way to add additional protein and flavour to your salad.
Storage tips
Store in an airtight container in the fridge and eat it within 3 to 5 days. This dish does not freeze well.
Tried my delicious chicken salad?
Please leave me a rating and review below, and post a picture of the dish to Instagram and tag me at @foodsnfeels 🙌
You might also like:
If you liked this recipe, check out my other chicken recipes:
- Chicken Pot Pie
- Chinese Five Spice Chicken Wings
- Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Thighs
- Crockpot Whole Chicken Soup
- Paleo Fried Chicken
- Low Carb Chicken Alfredo
- Keto Chicken Bacon Soup
If you are looking for more healthy recipes, download one of my free seven day meal plans!
Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe (Dairy & Gluten Free)
Equipment
Ingredients
Chicken salad ingredients
- 1.5 lbs frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts (roughly 5 breasts)
- 1/2 bunch green onions
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup red grapes
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 head lettuce cups (or your favorite bread)
- 1/2 cup homemade olive oil mayonnaise (or store-bought)
Mayonnaise dressing ingredients
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tsp white vinegar (for candida diet, omit vinegar and use fresh squeezed lemon juice)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup light olive oil
- 1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
Instructions
Chicken salad
- Preheat your oven to 350 Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place all of your frozen chicken breasts (roughly 5) spread apart on the pan.
- Bake your chicken breasts for 30 minutes or until cooked completely through.
- While your chicken is cooking, dice up your green onion, red onion, and red grapes.
- Make your homemade olive oil mayonnaise (instructions below). If you are using store-bought mayonnaise, skip this step.
- Once your chicken is done cooking, leave it to cool down completely on the counter. Ideally you could even throw it in the fridge to make sure it's nice and cold because warm chicken will melt your mayonnaise when you mix it in.
- Once your chicken is completely cooled, dice it up into small cubes and add it to a large bowl.
- Then add in 1/2 cup of your homemade olive oil mayonnaise (or store-bought mayonnaise).
- Mix your chicken and mayonnaise together thoroughly.
- Then add all of the rest of your ingredients including diced green onion, red onion, red grapes as well as your salt and pepper.
- Give everything a thorough mix and serve with lettuce cups or as a classic sandwich or wrap.
Mayonnaise
- In a food processor, add 2 egg yolks, 2 teaspoon vinegar or lemon juice, ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder and blend on low for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- While still blending, slowly (and I mean ever so slowly!) start drizzling your 1 cup light tasting olive oil into the food processor. Once your mayonnaise has started to thicken, you can speed up the olive oil drizzle a little bit until it’s all in. Be patient, this is not a super fast process. If you don’t go slow enough, sometimes the mayonnaise won’t thicken!
- You will end up with leftover mayonnaise. Store in an airtight container in your fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclaimer: This recipe post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you). This helps support me so that I can continue to put out high quality, free recipes for you guys! Thank you 😁🙌
Tara Klippert is a Registered Health and Nutrition Counselor and holds a diploma in Holistic Nutrition and Health Coaching. She shares her gluten free, dairy free & allergy friendly recipes.
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