Healthy Chicken Salad – a sweet and delicious chicken salad that is perfect for meal prep! (Whole30, Paleo, DF, GF)
This Healthy Chicken Salad is a sweet and delicious make-ahead meal that you guys are going to love!
Healthy Chicken Salad
I am so excited to share this recipe with you guys! Perfect for a cookout or an amazing make-ahead meal. I either make it on a Friday so our family has it to graze on over the weekend OR I make it on Sunday so we can eat it for lunches throughout the week. It has become a new household favorite and I am excited for you guys to try it!
FAQs and Tips for making Healthy Chicken Salad
- Cranberries: It can be hard to find Whole30 compliant cranberries. I found some compliant ones at the store made by Patience Fruit and Co – if you can’t find any of these, I would simply sub raisins (just read your ingredients).
- Mayo: You can use any mayo that you prefer but if you are looking for a delicious and simple recipe to make your own – check this one out (that is whole30/paleo).
- The Easiest Way to Shred Chicken: the recipe calls for shredded chicken. The easiest way to do this is to simply place the boneless chicken breasts in boiling water and cook for 10-15 minutes (or until cooked thoroughly). Remove from the water and let drain. After the chicken has cooled slightly, shred. Even if you don’t use it for this particular recipe, it is a really easy way to prep chicken to store to use for salads, etc. throughout the week. Check out my post on 3 easy ways to shred chicken breast!!
How to Store Healthy Chicken Salad
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days!
What to serve with Healthy Chicken Salad
This recipe is perfect on its own as a simple meal, but it is also great for a cookout! Here are some suggestions on what to serve with it:
More Leftover/Shredded Chicken Recipes:
Need more shredded chicken recipe ideas? Here is a great round-up of some healthy shredded chicken recipes!!
Other recipes you might like:
- Fresh and Easy Lemon Pasta
- Italian Summer Pasta Salad
- Delicious Grilled Eggplant Bruschetta
- Smoked Pork Shoulder
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Make Ahead Apple Chicken Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6
- Category: Salad
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
The perfect meal-prep salad for weekday lunches or to bring to your next summer cookout!
Ingredients
- 3 large boneless chicken breasts cooked and shredded
- 2 stalks of celery, sliced
- 1 large apple, cubed
- 1 cup mayo (this homemade one is paleo/Whole30)
- 1/4 Teaspoon salt
- 1 Teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 3 Tablespoons chopped red onion
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 2–3 Tablespoons orange juice concentrate
- 2 Tablespoons chopped green onion
- 1 Teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 Teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 Teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl.
- Mix well to combine.
- Taste and add any additional orange juice concentrate (1 Tablespoon at a time) or salt or pepper, as desired.
- Serve with butter lettuce, if desired, or eat as is.
Notes
- Shredded Chicken: I recommend boiling the chicken breasts in water for 10-15 minutes (or until fully cooked), let cool slightly and then shred when still warm.
- Mayo: I recommend using this homemade mayo (paleo/Whole30) otherwise this store-bought mayo is really good too.
- Cranberries: if you can’t find Whole30 compliant cranberries, you can sub raisins – just read your labels)
- Serving: Serve as-is or on a piece of butter lettuce!
- Storage: Store in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
Keywords: apple chicken salad, healthy chicken salad
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Bridget Montag says
So good!!!
★★★★★
Diane says
I just made this for lunches for the week and it is so delicious. Definitely an elevated chicken salad! I used Thompson raisins from Trader Joes in place of the cranberries and they worked great.
★★★★★
Erin says
Yay! So happy to hear that, Diane! This is truly one of my favorite recipes 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review + feedback – I really appreciate it!
Catie says
This is my favorite chicken salad! I love the touch of sweetness from the apple and the almond is the perfect addition. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Catie! And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review – I really appreciate it!
Nicole says
So good! Definitely a keeper for quick and easy lunches!
★★★★★
Erin says
Hi Nicole! yay!! So glad you liked it! It is honestly one of my favorite recipes on the blog – sooo good! Thank you for taking the time to leave feedback, I really appreciate it!
Amyjo says
Why do you use orange juice from concentrate?
Erin says
Hi! Good question! I use orange juice from concentrate because it is a great way to lightly sweeten the chicken salad that is also Paleo + Whole30 compliant (plus its just a great refined-sugar-free way to sweeten things). Plus, if I used actual orange juice it would make the salad too watery. Finally, I love the combo of the orange/citrus flavor with the chicken!). Hope that answered your question! This is one of my all-time favorite recipes! 🙂
Cortnee says
Where do you find compliant orange juice concentrate?
Erin says
Hi, Cortnee! So a lot of the orange juice concentrate I have found is actually compliant – as long as the ingredients are simple “orange juice concentrate” without any added sugars you should be good. I found the one I used here at Aldi!