Chicken salad is one of the best keto staples. With the right ingredients, it checks all the boxes for a perfect keto-friendly meal: satisfying, delicious, healthy, convenient, and versatile.
The only problem is that all chicken salads aren’t made the same. Some are too rich, some have too much vinegar, and others come with unnecessary high-carb ingredients.
Finding the right balance of flavors and textures is a challenge, so we decided to take chicken salad to the keto kitchen for a makeover. The result left me speechless (mostly because I couldn’t keep myself from taking another bite).
Is Chicken Salad Keto?
It depends on what kind of chicken salad you are having. Classic chicken salad — with mayo, celery, red onion, chicken, and a little dijon mustard — is keto-friendly.
However, as soon as you throw in any fresh or dried fruit, such as craisins, apples, or grapes, there will be too many carbs in your chicken salad for keto. This is why is best to stick with a keto-approved recipe for chicken salad that you know will hit the spot every time.
Top Tips for Making the Best Keto Chicken Salad
After experimenting with dozens of different chicken salad recipes over the years, I’ve found that these three tips to provide the most bang for the buck:
- Add avocado. The avocado gives it some extra creaminess without making it too rich. It also provides us with a great way to sneak in some extra healthy fats, fiber, minerals, and vitamins.
- Use chicken thigh, not breast. Chicken thighs have more fat and flavor, making them the perfect meat for keto chicken salad. Plus, they are much cheaper than chicken breasts.
- Don’t forget the hard-boiled eggs. The unique textures from the hard-boiled yolk and whites gives the chicken salad another dimension that keeps it satisfying through the last bite.
How To Store Your Keto Chicken Salad
If you’re looking to meal prep for the week or store any leftovers, put each chicken salad serving in an airtight container in the fridge.
By storing it in this way, you can have quick and delicious keto meals that’ll stay fresh for up to a week.
What Else Can I Add To My Keto Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is so versatile that you can make it a different way each time and never get bored of it.
If you’re looking to add another level of flavor or texture to your chicken salad, try these keto-friendly additions:
- Buffalo sauce and crumbled blue cheese (to make a Buffalo chicken salad)
- Chopped Fire and Ice Pickles
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Keto-approved ranch (replace some of the mayo with ranch)
- Chopped crisp bacon
- ⅛ – ¼ tsp of chili powder
- Chopped pecans (or other low carb nuts)
Or try switching up most of the recipe with our Keto Venezuelan Chicken Salad.
What to Serve with Your Keto Chicken Salad
Though it is super satisfying by the forkful, here are some other ways to upgrade your keto chicken salad meal:
- Make a chicken salad sandwich with keto cloud bread
- Try a chicken salad melt with cheddar cheese and 90-second keto bread
- Wrap it up with romaine or butter lettuce
- Turn it into a chicken salad wrap with keto tortillas
- Serve on top of your favorite low carb salad
- Spread it on keto crackers or cucumber slices
- Dip keto tortilla chips or cheese chips into it
What’s your favorite way to have a chicken salad? Let us know in the comments below.
Yields 4 servings of Keto Chicken Salad
The Preparation
- 8 ounce chicken thighs, cooked and cubed
- 2 large eggs, hard-boiled to your preference
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 medium avocado
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 medium red onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup cilantro, to garnish
- 4 low carb tortillas, store-bought or homemade [recipe here]
The Execution
1. Gather and prep all ingredients. Hard-boil the eggs and cook the chicken if needed.
2. In a food processor or blender, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, and half of the avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Cube the remaining half of the avocado and chop the hard-boiled eggs.
4. In a bowl, combine the chicken, onion, celery, avocado, egg, and mayonnaise dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
5. Mix together until combined and dressing is coating all ingredients evenly. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
6. Toast tortilla up in a pan, then serve the cold chicken salad over the top. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
This makes a total of 4 servings of Keto Chicken Salad. Each serving comes out to be 539 calories, 46.4g fat, 6.5g net carbs, and 21.1g protein.
| NUTRITION | CALORIES | FAT | CARBS | FIBER | NET CARBS | PROTEIN |
| 8 ounce chicken thighs | 485 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
| 2 large eggs | 143 | 9.5 | 0.7 | 0 | 0.7 | 13 |
| 2/3 cup mayonnaise | 1002 | 110 | 0.8 | 0 | 0.8 | 1.4 |
| 1 medium avocado | 322 | 29 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 4 |
| 1 tablespoon lime juice | 3.8 | 0 | 1.3 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 0.1 |
| 1/4 medium red onion | 10 | 0 | 2.4 | 0.3 | 2.1 | 0.3 |
| 1 stalk celery | 6.8 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| salt and pepper | 1.6 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
| 1/4 cup cilantro | 0.9 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0.1 |
| 4 low carb tortillas | 180 | 6 | 40 | 24 | 16 | 12 |
| Totals | 2155.1 | 185.6 | 64.2 | 38.3 | 25.9 | 84.3 |
| Per Serving (/4) | 538.8 | 46.4 | 16.1 | 9.6 | 6.5 | 21.1 |
The Preparation
- 8 ounce chicken thighs, cooked and cubed
- 2 large eggs, hard-boiled to your preference
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 medium avocado
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/4 medium red onion, diced
- 1 stalk celery, diced
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup cilantro, to garnish
- 4 low carb tortillas
The Execution
- Gather and prep all ingredients. Hard-boil the eggs and cook the chicken if needed.
- In a food processor or blender, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice, and half of the avocado. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cube the remaining half of the avocado and chop the hard-boiled eggs.
- In a bowl, combine the chicken, onion, celery, avocado, egg, and mayonnaise dressing. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Mix together until combined and dressing is coating all ingredients evenly. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
- Toast tortilla up in a pan, then serve the cold chicken salad over the top. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.
Notes
This makes a total of 4 servings of Keto Chicken Salad. Each serving comes out to be 539 calories, 46.4g fat, 6.5g net carbs, and 21.1g protein.
