This no mayo Healthy Chicken Salad is going to be a lifesaver this summer! Healthy enough to eat regularly and easy to make, you’re going to want to make this Healthy Chicken Salad all summer.
Healthy Chicken Salad
I still remember the first time I had chicken salad – I was sitting in a gym of a college a couple years back as H was there to play badminton and our friend Jess said “do you want some food?” Jess went to culinary school, works in a kitchen, and there was a 0% chance that I’d turn down her food. She handled me her glass container and a spoon and I pretty much went to town.
I honestly had my mind blown for a good second because I’ve never had chicken salad before. Growing up, we rarely had mayo in the house and I was taught that it wasn’t exactly healthy to eat on the reg. That pretty much explained why chicken salad was so darn delicious. I mean, why wouldn’t chicken covered in mayo be delicious?!
Now that it’s summer, I’ve been craving chicken salad more but I also wanted it to be healthier so I could eat it more often (lol). Recently, I’ve been playing around with cashew cream and I’ve discovered that cashew cream works as a great alternative to mayo for a healthy chicken salad!
Healthy Chicken Salad is Perfect as a Work Lunch
Chicken salad is perfect for bringing to work because it just needs to keep cool. No microwave, no problem! And if you don’t have a fridge at work? You can always keep it chilled in a cooler or in an insulated lunch box with an ice pack (or frozen water bottle). It also doesn’t really have much of a smell to it so if keeping scents to a minimum at work is a concern, this works out great.
This healthy chicken salad is also perfect if you have leftover chicken lying around. This is a great way to freshen it up leftovers and change up the meal plan for the week!
What You’ll Need To Make Chicken Salad
- shredded chicken
- sliced or chopped almonds
- diced apples
- cashew cream
- mustard powder
Alternative ingredients include halved grapes, celery, pecans, and more. It’s super easy to sub in ingredients to keep things different. I also chose to serve mine on a bed of mixed greens but you can also just have it plain straight from a mason jar like I do at 2am, or make it into a sandwich.
Need an easy way to make shredded chicken and have an Instant Pot? Check out my Instant Pot Shredded Chicken post.
How To Make Cashew Cream
- Overnight, soak 1 cup of raw cashews in water.
- Drain, rinse, and blend the cashews with 1/2 cup of water in a high power blender until it’s smooth.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
I have an entire post over here on how to make cashew cream. Click on over if you want to read a more in-depth post about it such as how to store, freeze, and change up.
How To Make A Healthier Chicken Salad
- In a bowl, combine your shredded chicken, almonds, apples and mix together.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the cashew cream with mustard powder and whisk together.
- Stir everything together until it is completely combined.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge – serve chilled.
Healthy Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3-4 cups shredded chicken
- 1 cup sliced or chopped almonds
- 1-1.5 cups diced apples
- 3-4 tbsp cashew cream, depends on how creamy you want the salad
- 1 tsp mustard powder
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine your shredded chicken, almonds, apples and mix together.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the cashew cream with mustard powder and whisk together.
- Stir everything together until it is completely combined.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge – serve chilled.
Nutrition Per Serving
RESOURCES AND TIPS FOR MEAL PREPPING
- How To Cook Chicken Breasts Perfectly
- What Is An Instant Pot
- Tips To Help You Meal Prep For The Week Successfully
- Tips for Meal Prepping on a Budget
- 7 Freezer Friendly Chicken Marinades
- 5 Freezer Friendly Marinades
- Meal Prep Support Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/mealprepsupport/
More Cold Lunch Ideas to Try
- Cold Chicken Spinach Pasta Salad
- Chicken Pepperoni Pasta Salad
- Healthy Chicken Mason Jar Salad
- Cold Chicken Pasta with Broccoli and Peas
- Mango Chili Lime Chicken
Other places to connect with me
Instagram: @carmyshungry
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carmyycom
Email: [email protected]
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