Keto Chicken Salad

This keto chicken salad recipe is a simple, delicious low carb lunch that is on the table in just 10 minutes. Serve it in a lettuce wrap, on cucumber slices or low carb bread.

This creamy low carb chicken salad is one of my go-to easy lunch recipes. In fact, it also works well as a light dinner, or take it along to a potluck party!

Just like my keto egg salad and keto tuna salad, it is filling, satisfying and high in protein. And you'll be glad to know that it is just 1.5g net carbs per portion.

Jump to:

• Why This Recipe Works
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Recipe Variations
• Serving Suggestion
• Recipe FAQs
• More Keto Salad Recipes
• Recipe

Why This Recipe Works

It's so simple. The salad is ready to eat in only 10 minutes. I prepared a double batch at the beginning of this week, which means we had salad ready for 3 days in a row. We thought it tasted even better on the second day, once the flavors had mingled a little.

It's family-friendly. This salad tastes just like a classic chicken salad since all the ingredients are naturally low in carbs anyway. It is perfect family comfort food and my kids love it. Of course, the recipe does not contain fruit such as grapes or mandarin slices (my grandma's secret ingredient). But I have listed plenty of ideas on how you can customize the recipe further down in the post.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need:

• Shredded cooked chicken - I used chicken breasts. Chicken thighs work well too. More options are using leftover meat from a roasted chicken or simply buy a rotisserie chicken. Just don't use the skin.
• Mayonnaise - This can be a shop-bought mayonnaise, ideally with avocado oil or olive oil. I made a quick homemade keto mayonnaise.
• Mustard - My go-to is Dijon mustard.
• Lemon - Fresh lemon juice gives a nice lift.
• Salt and black pepper - to taste
• Parsley - Either curly or flat leaf parsley.
• Garlic powder - Or use 1 finely chopped garlic clove.
• Green onions - I prefer using only the green parts of the spring onions (scallions). They are milder in taste.
• Celery - Be sure to chop this very finely. I enjoy the crunch it adds.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Instructions

It is surprisingly easy to make a keto chicken salad. Here are the basic steps.

For detailed instructions, scroll down to the recipe card.

Step 1: Stir together all ingredients for the dressing in a large mixing bowl: mayonnaise, garlic powder, lemon, mustard, salt and pepper.

Step 2: Mix in the vegetables and herbs - chopped parsley, scallions and celery.

Step 3: Fold in the shredded chicken.

Step 4: Eat!

Recipe Variations

There are so many tweaks to change up the recipe. Here are a few tried and tested variations that we enjoy:

Coronation chicken: Omit the mustard and parsley. Add 2 teaspoons mild curry powder and a pinch of cinnamon plus 2-3 sun-dried tomatoes instead of the traditional mango chutney for sweetness. My sugar-free dried cranberries could work well in place of raisins or the grapes that classic chicken salad often contains.

Soft and creamy: Omit the celery and add chopped hard-boiled eggs or avocado.

Crunchy: Chopped bacon, pickles or nuts such as pecans, almonds or walnuts.

Mediterranean: Add mozzarella or feta cheese, black olives and fresh basil.

Herby: Add fresh dill or cilantro (coriander).

Vegetables: Finely chopped bell peppers, red onions, fennel or cucumbers (scrape out the soft inside part of the cucumber so the salad does not get watery).

Serving Suggestion

I like to put low carb chicken salad on a salad leaf and eat it like a sandwich. This is also called a lettuce wrap. Romaine works well because it is sturdy. 

It is equally delicious spooned on cucumber slices or in hollowed out tomatoes or in a bell pepper sandwich.

Of course, you can also spread it on keto bread or eat it with keto crackers. Here are more ideas: 

• 90 second keto bread
• Egg white wraps
• Ccoconut flour tortillas
• Keto tortilla chips
• Tahini bread

Recipe FAQs

More Keto Salad Recipes

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