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Easy Keto Low-Carb Chicken Salad

This Easy Keto Low-Carb Chicken Salad is a quick and old-fashioned recipe that is far from boring. It’s made with juicy chicken breasts, mayo, celery, and chopped onions. Your lunch meal prep just got easier!

keto chicken salad on a bed of lettuce in a white bowl
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I love this recipe because it’s so versatile. You can serve it as an appetizer among other dips like Crab Rangoon Dip, Keto Low Carb Buffalo Chicken Dip, or Keto Low Carb Spinach Dip.

Or you can pack this up for your lunch and dinner meals. It’s so good and works well for everything.

chopped celery, chopped onions, mayo, lemon juice, and seasoning in separate bowls

What Kind of Chicken to Use

This recipe is traditionally made using chicken breasts. I like to grab a whole rotisserie chicken from Costco. They only cost $5 and I can use the remaining meat for another meal, and I can use the leftover bones to make bone broth.

You can also use store-bought fully cooked chicken breasts/cubes.

You can roast your own chicken or use canned chicken (more information is documented below).

cooked rotisserie chicken on a black plate
cooked chicken breasts on a bamboo cutting board
cooked and cubed chicken breasts on a bamboo cutting board

How to Make Keto Chicken Salad

  1. Combine 2 cups of diced chicken breasts, mayo (I use a low-carb version made with avocado oil), finely chopped celery, chopped red onions, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste in a mixing bowl. 
  2. Stir the ingredients.
  3. Serve chilled or warm.
keto chicken salad in a glass bowl

How to Roast Chicken Breasts

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Add 2 chicken breasts to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
  3. Bake the chicken for 16-20 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer.
keto chicken salad in a glass bowl

Is Mayo Keto Friendly

Typical mayo is made with added sugar and harmful oils. I like to use the mayo from Primal Kitchen made with olive oil. It is keto-friendly and available on Amazon.

Additional Ingredients and Substitution Ideas

I like to keep this salad classic and with minimal ingredients. Here are other ideas to add.

  • Avocado
  • Almonds
  • Pecans
  • Mustard (a tablespoon or to taste)
  • Bell Peppers
  • Hard-Boiled Eggs
  • Pickles
  • Bacon
  • Grapes (they have higher sugar and not great for strict keto)
keto chicken salad on a bed of lettuce in a white bowl

How to Substitute Mayo

If you are looking to make the recipe with no mayo, use plain Greek yogurt or sour cream instead.

Amount of Carbs in the Recipe

This dish has 1 net carb per serving.

What to Eat with Chicken Salad

A lot of times chicken salad is eaten as a sandwich on bread. You can enjoy this with Keto Chaffles or any of the following:

person holding keto chicken salad on a celery stalk

Can You Use Canned Chicken?

You can if you wish, though I would never recommend anyone eat chicken from a can. It’s typically high in sodium and contains other additives.

How Long Will it Last in the Fridge

It will last (tightly covered) for 3-4 days.

Keto Salad Recipes

Keto Low-Carb Broccoli Salad
Keto Low-Carb Green Bean Salad
Keto Low-Carb Pasta Salad
Easy Antipasto Salad
Shrimp and Avocado Ceviche
Creamy Cucumber Salad
Keto Egg Salad

Pair this with Keto Low Carb Orange Chicken.

keto chicken salad on a bed of lettuce in a white bowl
Print Pin
5 from 25 votes

Easy Keto Low-Carb Chicken Salad

This Easy Keto Low-Carb Chicken Salad is a quick and old-fashioned recipe that is far from boring. It's made with juicy chicken breasts, mayo, celery, and chopped onions. Your lunch meal prep just got easier!
Save this recipe here.
Course Appetizer, dinner, lunch
Cuisine American
Keyword keto chicken salad, keto salads, low carb chicken salad
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 334kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked chicken breasts, shredded or chopped into cubes You can use rotisserie chicken, cooked chicken, or roast your own chicken breasts following the instructions below
  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1 stalk finely chopped celery I use a food processor to do this quickly.
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onions
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl and stir.
  • Serve chilled or warm.

Video

Notes

  • When using rotisserie chicken, I remove the skin from the breasts. You can leave it if you wish.
  • The consistency of this chicken salad is thick and creamy. If you like a really creamy salad, add additional mayo.
  • You can use canned chicken if you wish, though I would never recommend anyone eat chicken from a can. It’s typically high in sodium and contains other additives.
  • If you are looking to make the recipe with no mayo, use plain Greek yogurt or sour cream instead.

HOW TO ROAST CHICKEN BREASTS

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
  2. Add 2 chicken breasts to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
  3. Bake the chicken for 16-20 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Use a meat thermometer.
Recipe Tools Used in this RecipeAs an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Nutrition (displayed with net carbs)

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 334kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 27g
Easy Keto Chicken RecipesCheck out 20 Keto Low-Carb Chicken Recipes here!
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Nutrition DataMacros are provided as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. This information is calculated using MyFitnessPal.com. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
5 from 25 votes
Recipe Rating




Mary Watts

Tuesday 23rd of July 2024

Hi Brandi ! Thanks for sharing this keto chicken salad recipe. It looks amazing! I noticed your recipe doesnโ€™t include avocado, which adds great texture and healthy fats. I saw avocado being used in another keto chicken salad recipe (https://iketomom.com/keto-chicken-salad/) and wondered if it would also be a good addition here. What do you think?

staysnatched

Wednesday 24th of July 2024

I love avocado. It's a great idea.

Alex

Thursday 7th of October 2021

I added a little bit of regular relish so yummy

staysnatched

Monday 11th of October 2021

That sounds great.

Kristal

Tuesday 28th of September 2021

Great easy recipe! Iโ€™ve made it twice because it was gone so fast in my house! The first time I made the recipe exactly as it reads. The second time I used 1/2 primal kitchen olive oil mayo and 1/2 smashed avocado and added a couple strips of crumbled bacon. Both times were fantastic.

staysnatched

Sunday 3rd of October 2021

That sounds so good!

Kaitlin

Wednesday 26th of May 2021

Made this subbing tuna and it was fantastic. I ate it straight from the spoon!!

staysnatched

Friday 28th of May 2021

I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Giselle Hernandez

Tuesday 12th of January 2021

Been meaning to make this for a while and finally bought a rotisserie chicken so had to take advantage! Itโ€™s absolutely delicious but Iโ€™m not surprised!

Made mine with 1/3 mayo, 1/3 light sour cream, 1/3 nonfat plain Greek yogurt to fit my own nutritional needs. Loaded it with dill pickles and red onion but what really brought it home is the lemon juice.

staysnatched

Wednesday 13th of January 2021

Wonderful! That sounds great.