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11.28.20

Best Paleo Chicken Salad {Whole30}

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Whole 30 No Added Sugar

This healthy paleo chicken salad is packed with so many goodies like crunchy apples and celery, onions, cranberries, fresh herbs and tossed with an easy homemade mayo.  It’s perfect over a salad, wrapped in greens or on its own for lunch or a snack!  Family approved, sugar free, dairy free and Whole30 compliant.

Chicken salad is definitely one of my family’s favorite foods!   This recipe disappeared right away, and Adam even claimed it was the best chicken salad I’ve ever made.

Which is why I boldly decided to give it the “best” label which I try to use very sparingly on this blog ;).

I truly think the key to a great homemade chicken salad is using homemade mayo.  When I take the extra few minutes to make my easy homemade mayo, the flavor instantly goes to another level!

If you’re new to making homemade mayo, don’t be scared.  With an immersion blender, it takes literally a minute and the result is well worth it!

What You Need to Make This Paleo Chicken Salad

I packed all my favorites into this chicken salad and it paid off!

The apples and celery give it a nice crunch and the pecans give it a nutty touch.  The fresh herbs add to the flavor and the cranberries give it some sweetness and a “harvest” sort of feel which I love!

Here’s everything you’ll need to prepare the chicken salad:

  • 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (I used a rotisserie chicken)
  • 1/4 cup onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced 
  • 1 small apple, diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries, apple juice sweetened, or raisins 
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans 
  • 2/3 cup homemade mayo (you can also use store bought paleo mayo)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • rosemary leaves minced
  • thyme leaves
  • sage leaves, minced
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

This healthy paleo chicken salad is packed with so many goodies like crunchy apples and celery, onions, cranberries, fresh herbs and tossed with an easy homemade mayo.  It's perfect over a salad, wrapped in greens or on its own for lunch or a snack!  Family approved, sugar free, dairy free and Whole30 compliant. #paleo #whole30 #cleaneating #chickensalad

How to Make the Best Paleo Chicken Salad

Once you have all your ingredients prepped, tossing together the salad is a breeze!

In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, onion, celery, apple, cranberries and pecans.  Sprinkle the mixture all over with a little salt and pepper. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice.  Toss with the chicken mixture, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. 

Once it’s seasoned to taste, simply serve over a salad, alone, or in lettuce wraps.  Or make a chicken salad sandwich on gluten free bread or my sandwich bread!

You can store leftover chicken salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

This healthy paleo chicken salad is packed with so many goodies like crunchy apples and celery, onions, cranberries, fresh herbs and tossed with an easy homemade mayo.  It's perfect over a salad, wrapped in greens or on its own for lunch or a snack!  Family approved, sugar free, dairy free and Whole30 compliant. #paleo #whole30 #cleaneating #chickensalad

I hope your family loves this flavor packed chicken salad as much as mine does!

Grab all your ingredients and start chopping because it’s time for a healthy, seriously yummy salad that you’ll want to make over and over – let’s go!

Best Paleo Chicken Salad {Whole30}

This healthy paleo chicken salad is packed with so many goodies like crunchy apples and celery, onions, cranberries, fresh herbs and tossed with an easy homemade mayo.  It's perfect over a salad, wrapped in greens or on its own for lunch or a snack!  Family approved, sugar free, dairy free and Whole30 compliant. #paleo #whole30 #cleaneating #chickensalad

Best Paleo Chicken Salad {Whole30}

This healthy paleo chicken salad is packed with so many goodies like crunchy apples and celery, onions, cranberries, fresh herbs and tossed with an easy homemade mayo.  It's perfect over a salad, wrapped in greens or on its own for lunch or a snack!  Family approved, sugar free, dairy free and Whole30 compliant.
Author: Michele Rosen
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
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4.7 from 10 votes

Ingredients

  • 3 cups cooked chicken (leftover, rotisserie, etc.) chopped or shredded
  • 1/4 cup onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 1 small apple diced
  • 1/2 cup dried cranberries apple juice sweetened, or raisins
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 2/3 cup homemade mayo or use store-bought paleo mayo
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tsp fresh rosemary minced
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 tsp fresh sage leaves minced
  • 1/2 tsp lemon juice
  • Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. In a large bowl, toss together the chicken, onion, celery, apple, cranberries and pecans. Sprinkle all over with a little salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, garlic, herbs, and lemon juice. Toss with the chicken mixture, then season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Serve over a salad, alone, or in lettuce wraps. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 301kcal
Carbohydrates: 11g
Protein: 14g
Fat: 23g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Cholesterol: 47mg
Sodium: 160mg
Potassium: 180mg
Fiber: 2g
Sugar: 8g
Vitamin A: 46IU
Vitamin C: 2mg
Calcium: 17mg
Iron: 1mg

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PaleoRunningMomma on Instagram and hashtag it #PaleoRunningMomma

Want More Paleo and Whole30 Lunch Ideas?  Try One of These!

Guacamole Chicken Salad

Roasted Delicata Harvest Kale Salad

Paleo Egg Roll in a Bowl

Low Carb Gyro Bowls

Loaded Bacon Burger Bowls

Note: This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you click on a link and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting Paleo Running Momma!

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About Michele

More than a little into running and paleo recipes (yoga now too!) but I'm not here to rain on your grains (or anything else) so come along for the ride! I do a little too much of everything (except cleaning), and I enjoy laughing at myself. As long as I'm the one making the jokes, that is. Just kidding. So bring me your angst, your appetite and your frying pan and climb aboard!

Reader Interactions

Reader Reviews & Comments

  1. Syed says

    November 29, 2020 at 7:09 pm

    5 stars
    This was so yummy,tried it today with leftover cranberry sauce instead of actual cranberries

    Reply
  2. Rahul Yadav says

    November 30, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    This is my favorite chicken salad recipe I’ve ever tried! Thank you so much for sharing!

    Reply
  3. Lisa c Whitcomb says

    November 30, 2020 at 6:00 pm

    5 stars
    Love your blog!! I made this for dinner tonight with some leftover smoked chicken and added pomegranate seeds instead of cranberries!! So delicious… thank you for all your posts!

    Reply
  4. liz says

    December 2, 2020 at 5:58 pm

    5 stars
    i love everyones modifications!! admittedly i made one of my own 😛 (subbed green pepper for the celery) but this recipe is the bomb – i’m eating it for my lunches this week and it has such a dope range of flavor. thank you

    Reply
  5. Julie says

    December 5, 2020 at 11:08 am

    5 stars
    Delicious! I can’t say enough good things about your recipes! When I found out I had to give up all the foods I love, I was devastated. I honestly thought I’d never enjoy eating again. Your creations are amazing! I actually prefer eating this way now. Thank you so much for sharing all your hard work!!

    Reply
  6. jamesfedrick says

    December 5, 2020 at 11:17 am

    A great piece of information. I think this is what I was exactly looking for. All tips in a single click. I would definitely try to follow these suggestions.Without taken much of your time, in addition to this topic let me quickly tell you what credit card use is for. this is a card for people that like to make this type of fashion statements.

    Reply
  7. Skye says

    December 10, 2020 at 1:28 pm

    5 stars
    Wow! This is really a great recipe. I’m not usually big on fruits or nuts in my chicken salad but going keto/Paleo I figured I’d try it. Wow! This is good stuff. Everyone loved it. I’ve passed around the recipe and everyone who makes it says they love it and so do their friends and family. Easy to make relatively. The hardest part is boning the chicken. Lots simpler than other keto/Paleo meals and doesn’t need any special ingredients – a bonus!

    Reply
  8. Skye says

    December 10, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    5 stars
    Absolutely fantastic.

    Reply

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Welcome!

Hi! I’m so happy you stopped by! My name is Michele and I’m a Paleo eater and recipe creator, runner, mom of 3, and the gal behind Paleo Running Momma! Over here you’ll find real-food, clean eating family favorites that you’ll be excited to share with your loved ones. I hope you stay awhile, eat, savor, and enjoy!

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