By Kim Hardesty
An easy low carb chicken salad recipe that takes advantage of leftover chicken or turkey. It's crunchy, sweet-savory, flavorful, and satisfying - perfect for those on a low carb keto diet.
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I'm one of those crazy people who doesn't like turkey for Thanksgiving. I know, it's an embarrassing confession, but it's true. This year I cooked two beautiful 10 pound chickens to grace our Thanksgiving table and had quite a bit of chicken left over.
We had enough leftover chicken for another dinner and several lunch salads, but with the rest I made this curried chicken salad. It's something my family is guaranteed to like weather I serve it for lunch or for dinner.
I love chicken salad. It's something I make frequently because it is so versatile. I rarely cook chicken expressly for preparing chicken salad because any kind will do - poached, grilled, baked, rotisserie or fried in the pan. However, I prefer to use leftover turkey and chickenand of courserotisserie chicken.
I always add green apple to my low carb chicken salad recipe because I like the sweetness and the crunch it brings, but I have also added jicama or water chestnuts for change or to lower carbs just a bit. I prefer to add a little curry powder to mine because I love the way it tastes with the onion and apple but feel free to leave it out and experiment with your favorite seasoning blends.
I like to put a serving of this chicken salad on a bed of crispy romaine or spoon it into a crunchy bell pepper, but eat it with a creamy avocado and you'll have a meal that will keep you full for hours and hours.
This easy chicken salad recipe takes no time to put together and gets better if it sits in the fridge over-night. I like mine rustic looking so I keep the pieces a little chunkier, but dicing the ingredients smaller makes it easier to stuff into halved bell peppers or avocados.
This Low Carb Chicken Salad with Curry is 5 net carbs per hearty serving!
NOTE: Substitute jicama for the apple to lower the carbs to 3 net carbs per serving.
Low Carb Chicken Salad with Curry
An easy low carb chicken salad recipe that takes advantage of leftover chicken or turkey, turning it into something crunchy, sweet-savory, flavorful, and satisfying.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fast and easy
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 392kcal
Author: lowcarbmaven.com
Ingredients
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- 8 ounces cooked chicken or turkey, diced
- 1-2 tablespoon minced shallot or green onion
- 4 ounces (1 small) Granny Smith apple or jicama, diced
- 2 ounces walnuts, roughly chopped (or sliced almonds, pistachios or pecans), ½ cup
Curry Dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ - 1 teaspoon curry powder
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
- pinch of pepper or more to taste
Possible Additions
- chopped green olives
- diced red bell pepper
- pomegranate seeds
- dried cranberries
- rasins
Instructions
Add all of the chicken salad ingredients to a medium bowl and distribute by stirring gently.
In a smaller bowl, combing all of the Dressing ingredients and whisk together.
Pour the dressing over the chicken salad and gently fold and stir until all of the ingredients are coated.
Taste and adjust the seasoning: If it tastes dull, add a little more lemon juice and a hint more salt. If the curry powder is too faint, add a little more. If you want it to taste a little more savory, try adding a little more pepper.
Notes
Substitute jicama for the apple for 3 net carbs per serving.
Nutrition Facts Low Carb Chicken Salad with Curry Amount Per Serving Calories 392Calories from Fat 315 % Daily Value* Fat 35g54% Carbohydrates 6g2% Fiber 1g4% Protein 18g36% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition
Calories: 392kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 35g | Fiber: 1g
Avocado Chicken Salad (keto, low carb)
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More Low Carb Keto Lunch Recipes
- Keto Ham and Asparagus Quiche
- Thai Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Buddha Bowl with Shrimp - Low Carb
- Chicken Taco Soup - Instant Pot (Low Carb)
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Secrets, tips & recipes to keep you on track!
Reader Interactions
Comments
Tina
I just made this and boy is it fantastic! I used sliced, toasted almonds, a sweeter apple (because it's all I had), and added a small handful of dried cranberries. I also poached the chicken per your recipe. This is a keeper!
Reply
rachael
Sounds delish! Cant wait to try it! Do you think I could make it a week ahead of a BBQ and freeze it for a 5 days?
Reply
Kim Hardesty
Hi Rachael. If I wanted to make it ahead, I would cook the chicken 5 days before and freeze, then cut up the veggies the night before making and refrigerate. Then you could mix everything together the day before serving. I wouldn't go any longer than than and I wouldn't freeze it. -Kim
Reply
Tom
I doubled the recipe, made it as is, no extra additions, and had it for lunches last week. This is one of the best chicken salads I've ever had. The combination of flavors is just spot on! Sooooo good!
Reply
Kim Hardesty
I'm glad you like the recipe, Tom! -Kim
Reply
Susan
Hi Kim, just left a comment on the poaching recipe...I love curry anything and this looks amazing. Enjoying your site. Your instructions are very well written and easy to follow and the personal tips add color, images as well, not something you reliably get from a food blog. Thank you.
Reply
Debbie
I am looking forward to making this.
Reply
Matt
I tried this on a piece of low-carb toast, and it was really good!
Reply
Kim
I'm glad you liked it, Matt. Have a great night. -Kim
Reply
Kelly
Hi Kim, love your recipes! I am trying this with blueberries for an even lower carb version.
Reply
Kim
Kelly, ooooh, I like the idea of blueberries. I bet it will be wonderful. Thanks for the nice compliment. Have a wonderful New Year. -Kim
Reply
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