As a tribute to my former non-keto self, I created this Low-Carb Chicken Salad. In college, my favorite chicken salad came, unexpectedly, from a sushi place that also had a deli counter. What made this chicken salad so special was the addition of grapes, pecans and the perfect mayo to chicken ratio. The chicken wasn’t too big in size, but also not shredded like some places do it (wrong).Â
The Secret Ingredient To The Best Chicken Salad!
Chicken salad is my go-to at any place that serves it, from Wawa to your reliable corner deli. I’ve tried my fair share.
What makes this chicken salad recipe so different (in all the best ways possible) is the addition of sour cream. Yes, creamy, smooth, subtle in flavor, sour cream! If you haven’t tried it yet, I suggest adding it to everything! Ok, maybe not everything, but it really takes this chicken salad to another level of deliciousness.
What Makes For An Easy Chicken Salad Recipe?
Making chicken salad can be as easy as you want to make it! You can use canned chicken, buy a whole roast chicken from the hot section of the grocery, boil a chicken in water in the microwave or on the stove, or sear it in a pan with some coconut oil/ghee.
It really depends on how much time and patience you have. Personally, I would go any route you see best fit. For this recipe, I pan seared the chicken thighs because I like my chicken a little crispy, but traditionally you’d boil it in hot water. However, it’s really all about what you add to the chicken that brings it all together!
Low Carb Chicken Salad
We don’t shy away from bringing you delicious chicken recipes here in the KetoConnect kitchen. If your family is keen on chicken just like ours, you should feed them our easy cashew chicken and low carb chicken meatballs on any given night! If those don’t satisfy them quick enough try using this low carb chicken salad to make sandwiches with our keto bread!
Recipe can be quickly added to MyFitnessPal – Search “KetoConnect – Low Carb Chicken Salad
Low Carb Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
- 1.5 lb Boneless/Skinless Chicke Thighs
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 lemon juice
- 2 stalks celery
- 1/4 cup Raw Pecans
- 1.5 tbsp parsley
- 1.5 tbsp chives
- 1/4 tsp Pink Himalayan Salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions:
Cooking Chicken
- 1. Cut chicken into bite sized chunks. Add 1 tbsp coconut oil to a medium heat pan and add the chicken. Cook fully through.
- 2. Add chicken thighs to a microwave safe dish and submerge chicken with water. Cook 6-8 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked through. Cut up into bit sized chunks
Chicken Salad
- Combine all the ingredients above except the pecans and cooked chicken into a bowl.
- Once fully combined add the chicken and toss. Add the pecans and toss again.
- Store in fridge and serve cold!
Notes
Written by
Megha Barot
Megha has always been a passionate cook, but she took this to a new level after starting her keo journey in 2015. She loves creating new recipes and producing educational content for KetoConnect, which she co-founded in 2016 with Matt. Her passion for healthy eating and personal development continues to thrive. She's the proud mom of two awesome kids.
What are the nutrition facts on the chicken salad? I don’t see them.
Sorry about that! We were doing updates on the site. The nutrition info is there now 🙂
hi any good mayonnaise that I can use
We really like the avocado oil mayos from Primal Kitchen! But you can use any mayonnaise.
More proteine than fat. That’s not exactly Keto. I made it, it’s good, but it’s going to be HELL to get my fat macro up after a bowl of this.
I used cream cheese soften to replace the sour cream!
How can the carb count be this low if there is 3 carbs in a tablespoon of lemon?
It makes 4 servings.
This. Recipe. Is. EVERYTHING!!! So easy for meal-prepping lunches. The hardest part?? Waiting to eat it!! I literally want to lick the bowl every time I make it.
Thanks for the feedback!!! This is such a great chicken salad, but we might just be biased, haha.
Made this tonight using left over turkey breast. It was delicious! Thanks for this yummy recipe.
I am thinking of making this with a diced apricot for a low net carb fruit kick.
Question about Mayo. Which do you guys prefer… regular mayo (more fat, less carbs, but made with soybean oil) or olive oil mayo (less fat, 1g carb, but made with olive oil). I’ve been using the olive oil kind, because I thought I read somewhere that soybean/vegetable oils were a nono, but the no carbs, extra fat would be nice. Thanks!
Definitely olive oil mayo
What type of mayo do you guys like? We use olive oil mayo because I thought soybean oil was no good on keto, but my macros would appreciate the higher fat and no carb regular mayo. Thanks guys!
We often settle for traditional mayo which is made with soybean oil but we really like the avocado oil mayos from Primal Kitchen!
Yum!!! Thanks guys!
Missing the grapes! I am wondering if a modest amount of finely diced apple might fill that gap as long as we are not on the strictest keto (20 g). 1/2 golden delicious is 14 g carb, maybe use half? Just a thought. I am on the strictest form now but may try it at some point.
Ya, feel free to throw in whatever you’d like as long as it fits your dietary goals! Apple would be great.
Can I use Greek yogurt in place of the sour cream?
If that is something you like the taste of it could probably work.
What amount do you consider 1 serving? 1/2 cup, 1/3 cup?
Probably closer to 1/3 cup!
I love this chicken salad recipe! I add a little bit of curry powder to mine. I make this on Sundays as a meal prep to bring to work for lunch. Delish.
We are best friends! Curry chicken salad is my FAVORITE food!! Thanks for trying and sharing 🙂
what exactly is the serving size?
The serving size is one whole recipe split into 4.
Just to be clear you take the nutrition facts and divide by 4?
Thank you!
I just made this last night and I want to be sure. It is sooooooooo good, btw.
Hey! No, the nutrition facts are already divided amongst four. They are per serving.
This looks wonderful! I think I would bake the chicken thighs, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. It takes about 22 minutes at 350.
Now this sounds delicious!
Soooooo good! Just made some up (without the parsley) and can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!
Yummy
I am allergic to Pecans/walnuts, what nut would you use to substitute to retain the flavor
Are you allergic to all tree nuts? You can leave them out and replace them with onion for added crunch or if you can eat other nuts i think almonds would be good!