Making a southern style chicken salad that’s keto is easier than you think! At only 3g net carbs you get all the flavor, creaminess with the light texture of a summer salad.
It summer and when the cookouts and get togethers start happening we look for lighter meals. In comes what I call the summer salads. Now, keto chicken salad can be added to the list of things you can bring and I promise they won’t know a difference. Living in the south everyone looks forward to a great chicken salad. For something so simple this recipe is taken very seriously here. Honestly, it all comes down to the mayo when it comes to the flavor. Now, traditional chicken salad may have a little sugar at times from added sugar or sweet relish but that’s a no, no here!
How To Make Keto Chicken Salad
Ingredients Needed
- Shredded Chicken
- Mayonnaise (mayo)
- Celery
- Mustad
- Salt & Pepper
- Dill Relish
Preparing The Chicken Salad
First, you want to start out either boiling or slow cooking your chicken. You’ll want your chicken tender enough to easily pull apart. Of course, boiling your chicken will be the fastest option. But, say you want to make it later, you can put it in a crock pot and it’ll be ready to pull when you’re ready. Another option is to buy and shred a rotisserie chicken.
After chicken is tender, pull chicken with forks. Some people like their chicken shredded but I recommend chopping the chicken up.
Next, you want to mince the celery stalks. In a large mixing bowl toss in the chopped chicken, minced celery and dill relish.
This part you will have to judge by your eye. Add in one cup of your favorite mayo. Make sure it’s a mayo you really love. Then, judge if the salad looks creamy enough. One cup should be enough but by all means add more if it looks to dry. This is a southern rule!
Finally, the secret ingredient for the final flavor is a little mustard. I had no idea this was used but it really brings the flavor of the overall salad out. Anyways, give everything thing a good mix. Lastly, add salt and pepper to taste. I gave measurements to help you start but those rules were meant to be broken.
Cover and allow it to sit in the fridge for at least 2 hours for the flavors to work together. Trust me, you’ll be able to tell a difference if you don’t. Patience is key!
Helpful Recipe Tips
- Love your mayo, I cannot stress this enough whether its keto chicken salad or tractional chicken salad you have to like the mayo you use. I do use avocado oil mayo but in all honesty it’s not the same as Dukes when it comes to flavor. I have yet to experiment with making homemade mayo yet.
- Shredded or chopped, this will come down to personal preference but if it is chopped or shredded will change the amount of mayo you need. I find chopped is easier to top on cucumbers or to scoop with crackers than shredded chicken is. The finer you chop your chicken the more dressing or mayo you will need. For larger chunks you’ll need half if not less.
Storing Chicken Salad
Due to the mayo when not serving this recipe should be refrigerated. Personally, I have never frozen any but shredded chicken by itself freezes just fine. In the refrigerator, expect the chicken salad to last 3-5 days before the celery starts to go bad.
Ways To Serve Keto Chicken Salad
- Veggies (cucumbers, carrots, celery)
- Lettuce Wraps
- Keto Crackers
- Low Carb Bread (store-bought or homemade)
- Keto Tortilla Chips
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is chicken salad still keto with mayo in it?
Mayo is one of those condiments we enjoy all the time on keto. Most mayonnaise you buy is naturally low carb and if you ever make it at home its simply eggs, oil and flavoring.
Can I still buy chicken salad from the store on keto?
Yes, actually but always check ingredients on the back. This is more dirty keto to say but even if they use sweet relish the carbohydrates in one serving won’t be that of a slice of bread
What keto recipes are for summer?
- Lemon Mug Cake
- Chia Pudding
- Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels
- No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
- Tuna Cakes w/ Lemon Mayo Dip
- Strawberry Lemonade
Easy, Southern Style Chicken Salad That’s Keto
Equipment
- mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless chicken breast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fine ground black pepper
- 1 cup mayo
- 6 tablespoon dill relish
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard (or regular)
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 stalks celery
Instructions
- Boil chicken for about 25 minutes or until chicken is tender enough to pull. Bring water to boil first and add about 1 TB of salt to water then add chicken then cover.
- After chicken is tender, pull apart with two forks then use a nice and chop the chicken finely.
- Mince celery stalks then add into bowl with chopped chicken. Add in dill relish and mix.
- Next add in mayo, 1 cup should be enough but add more if it looks too dry. Add, mustard and apple cider vinegar then mix well.
- Lastly, add in salt and pepper to taste but the measurements above are a good starting point.
- Cover and allow to sit in the refridgerator at least 2 hours before serving for flavors to work together, this does make a difference.
Video
Nutrition
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
there is no way you get the consistency of that photo with those ingredients. I had to screen it to get a lot of liquid out of it.
I am going to add a note in the recipe but how finely you chop your chicken will change things drastically. Larger chunks of chicken will need less dressing and finer will need more.