This recipe has become my new obsession. I discovered it on the Downshiftology website while doing Whole30, and it quickly became my salvation from grilled chicken on a basic salad. Now I can enjoy a yummy batch of chicken salad and pretend I am eating at my favorite local cafe…instead of feeling like I am depriving myself.
Photo courtesy of Downshiftology
It’s not only Whole30 approved, but it’s also Paleo and Gluten-Free. I serve it on top of a kale salad with Tessemae’s Lemon Garlic dressing. You could also serve it on bread or in a lettuce wrap. It can be refrigerated up to 5 days, but I have even frozen some of it when going out of town or if I have doubled the recipe. It actually still tastes pretty good once thawed out again (not as good as when it was freshly made, but if thrown on a salad you can’t even tell).
This may be cheating, but to make the assembly time go even faster, I buy the chicken already cooked and semi-shredded from our local grocery store. I shred it more by using a hand mixer…yep, you heard me right, a hand mixer…it is one of my favorite cooking hacks out there. To make it a little easier to shred the chicken, I microwave it a bit before taking the hand mixer to it. I also buy already toasted, slivered almonds.
Last but not least, when it calls for mayonnaise, I use Primal Kitchen’s so that it is Whole30 approved, but I also split the mayo and use Primal Kitchen’s Garlic Aioli for half of what you need mayo-wise to kick up the flavor just a bit. Enjoy!
Photo courtesy of Downshiftology
Ultimate Chicken Salad
Recipe courtesy of Downshiftology with Lisa Bryan
Prep: 10 min
Cook: 15 min
Ingredients
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
½ cup sliced almonds
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 cup red grapes, quartered
2 stalk celery, diced
3 green onions (green and white parts), sliced
2 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1 lemon , juiced
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
If using already cooked chicken, jump to step 4.
Place the chicken breasts in a wide pot or pan and cover by about an inch with cold water. Season the water with salt. Optionally, you can add aromatics of your choice.
Turn the heat to medium until it reaches a gentle simmer. Then reduce the heat back to low and cover the pan. Let the chicken simmer for 8-12 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160-165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the chicken and let it rest for a couple of minutes. Then chill in the fridge.
Transfer the cooled chicken to a cutting board and dice it into ½-inch pieces.
Slice and dice the celery, green onion, grapes, parsley and tarragon. Add those ingredients to a mixing bowl along with the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix everything together until it's well combined (I suggest a hand mixer to make the process go quicker). Let it chill in the fridge until you're ready to serve.
Nutrition
CALORIES: 524KCAL | CARBOHYDRATES: 10G | PROTEIN: 36G | FAT: 38G | SATURATED FAT: 6G | CHOLESTEROL: 112MG | SODIUM: 454MG | POTASSIUM: 782MG | FIBER: 3G | SUGAR: 6G | VITAMIN A: 318IU | VITAMIN C: 15MG | CALCIUM: 61MG | IRON: 1MG