Keto Chicken Salad (Paleo + Whole30) (2024)

This low-carb, keto-friendly chicken salad recipe uses chicken breast or thighs, 1/2 cup of avocado oil mayo, plus bacon and olives for a perfect salty crunch. And it’s made in 15 minutes or faster!

Keto Chicken Salad (Paleo + Whole30) (1)

The best Keto chicken recipe

When looking for the perfect keto chicken recipe, here’s what you want:

Easy to make
Great for leftovers
Versatile, you can eat it different ways
Full of healthy fats and flavor.

This keto chicken salad recipe fits the bill on all counts!

Looking for more low carb recipes? Check out this roundup of more Amazing Keto Recipes.

Chicken salad calories and nutrition

When following the Keto diet, you don’t generally track calories too closely. But carbs and fat are important, so here are the nutrition facts per serving for this recipe:

Calories – 535
Protein – 31g
Net Carbs – 1g
Fat – 39g

this recipe

What mayo and bacon should I use for this keto chicken salad?

When keeping things low-carb, you need to watch carefully for products with added sugar in them. That’s why we prefer specific brands of avocado oil mayo and no-sugar bacon for this recipe. Here are our top recommendations:

Bacon:
Avocado Oil Mayonnaise:
- Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayonnaise
- Chosen Foods Classic Avocado Oil Mayo
- Sir Kensington’s Avocado Oil Mayonnaise

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How to make chicken salad

Making this chicken salad recipe doesn’t require much effort, it’s as easy as 1,2,3!

Cook and chop or shred your chicken and bacon
Chop your fresh ingredients
Mix in the mayo and seasonings

Here are some time-saving tips to consider:

Use the meat from a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken
Make the chicken in a crockpot or instant pot the day before
Cook the chicken in the oven along with the bacon on a sheet pan. This method is best for a chopped chicken salad (not shredded).
Prep all of the other ingredients while the chicken and bacon are cooking

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5 ways to use Keto Chicken Salad

Chicken salad can be used so many ways, here are some ideas:

Chicken salad lettuce wraps
Stuffed in an avocado
On top of a green salad
In a sandwich with your choice of bread (Paleo or Keto)
As a dip for veggies and/or apples

Also, you can totally eat it with a fork right out of the fridge! No judgement here :).

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How to meal prep chicken salad

This recipe is perfect for meal prep! It keeps well in the fridge for at least 5 days and you can utilize it in many ways. We like chicken salad for meal prep because it actually gets better the day after you make it!

If you’re looking for all of our expert meal prep tips, check out our full post on How to Meal Prep.

Can you freeze chicken salad?

Speaking of meal prep, you might be wondering if you can freeze chicken salad.

You can make chicken salad and freeze it, but the mayo will separate and make the salad watery. If you want to save time and get the best tasting results, here’s what we suggest:

Cook and shred/chop the chicken and bacon.
Mix in all the remaining ingredients except the mayo, mustard and lemon juice.
Place everything in a container or freezer bag. We like to use Glasslock containers.
When you’re ready, thaw the chicken salad overnight in the refrigerator. Drain any excess water or juice.
Mix in the mayo, mustard and lemon juice. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

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More healthy chicken salad recipes to try

QUICK + EASY BLT CHICKEN SALAD
CHICKEN SALAD STUFFED AVOCADOS
PALEO CHINESE CHICKEN SALAD
PEAR AND ALMOND CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS
CHICKEN AVOCADO SALAD WITH BACON

Your turn to try this keto chicken salad

Go ahead and add this keto chicken salad to your meal plan for the week. Then, get creative and enjoy the leftovers any way you want! Leave a comment to let us know how it goes and take a pic to share on Instagram. Tag us@realsimplegood, we love to see what you’re making!

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Keto Chicken Salad (Paleo + Whole30) (8)

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Get the Recipe:

Homemade Keto Chicken Salad Recipe

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

6 pieces bacon, diced
4 cups shredded chicken or other leftover chicken, (see recipe notes)
4 celery stalks, diced
1 cup olives, sliced
1/2 cup mayo
1 tbsp lemon juice, (about 1/2 lemon)
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste
chopped pistachios, (optional topping)

Instructions

Dice bacon and heat a pan over medium heat. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is brown and starting to get crispy. Remove and place on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
While bacon is cooking, cut up celery and olives and place them in a bowl.
Add shredded chicken to the bowl along with the lemon juice, mustard, mayo and chopped dill. Add the bacon in and mix will to incorporate. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.
For optimal taste, refrigerate for 1-2 hours to completely cool and allow the flavors to combine. Serve with optional chopped pistachios if desired and enjoy.

Last Step:

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Notes

For the chicken in this recipe, we used leftover crockpot or instant pot chicken. Just put 1-2 pounds of chicken breasts or thighs in your crockpot or instant por with about a cup of bone broth or a jar of salsa. Let it cook for 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high in the crockpot or for 20 minutes in the Instant Pot with a quick release. After the chicken is done, shred it with two forks and place in the refrigerator to cool. You could use a pulled rotisserie chicken or other leftover chopped chicken you have on hand as well.

Nutrition facts are an estimate provided for those following a Ketogenic or low-carb diet. See our full nutrition information disclosurehere.

Calories: 535kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 41g, Fat: 39g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Fiber: 2g

Course: Salad

Author: Justin Winn

Cuisine: American

Did you make this recipe?Tag @realsimplegood with hashtag #realsimplegood on Instagram. We love to see what you make!

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