3 Ways to Make Healthy Chicken Salad (or Tuna or Egg Salad) – 3 Steps, 3 Sauce Options

Healthy Chicken Salad Without Mayo

Chicken salad is a common lunch time food – quick and tasty. But most chicken salads, as well as tuna, salmon, crab & egg salads (also all known as “bound” salads since they are bound together by a thick sauce that hold together when scooped), are made with store-bought mayo that contain unhealthy ingredients and other strange additives. But making a healthy chicken salad on your own means you can make the choice to use healthier ingredients. And as you’ll see, the recipe formula makes for a super simple & quick meal!

Why This Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe Rocks

• NO inflammatory oils!! Hellmann’s, Miracle Whip, etc – they all contain mostly soybean oil, which is an inflammatory oil that has no place in our food. Don’t be fooled by some brands that say “made with olive oil” on the front label. Always take one more step to check the ingredients. If soybean oil is listed there, put it back on the shelf. The homemade mayo recipe linked below is made with 100% olive oil, or you can buy 100% olive or avocado oil mayos made by brands like Primal Kitchen. Learn why industrial seed oils are making us sick.
• It goes beyond just chicken: Not only is the recipe formula below perfect for healthy chicken salad, it’s also fantastic for making healthy tuna, salmon, or egg salad too!
• Works great for a crowd: I often use this recipe when preparing lunch for a crowd, and no matter the combo I’ve chosen, it’s always been a crowd-pleaser!
• 5 minute meal: About twice a week I find myself without any cooked meat on hand, so I simply use 1 can of salmon for a meal made in 5 minutes.
• Leftover Makeover: I make a single serving of this about twice a week when I have leftover baked chicken.

This recipe formula is bound to become a favorite go-to option for quick meal prep.

A word about canned fish

Canned tuna, as well as canned salmon, is an incredibly rich sources of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fat, minerals like selenium, naturally occurring Vitamin D, B Vitamins, and more. Both salmon and specifically light tuna (usually Skipjack or Yellowfin varieties) are also fish with very low risk for mercury, so you don’t have to worry about limiting your intake of these types of fish! Getting in multiple servings of these fish each week is a great step in supporting nutrient sufficiency and reducing inflammation.

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Healthy Chicken Salad (or Other Protein!) Formula

This recipe as written makes 1 serving. But you can easily scale up if meal prepping or making food for a crowd.

Step 1: Choose Your Protein Base

Choose 1 serving of protein of choice & add to a bowl:

• 1 cup chopped cooked chicken
• 1 can (5 oz can) tuna or salmon, drained
• 3 hard boiled eggs, mashed

Step 2: Add Your Flavors & Crunchy Add-Ins of Choice

• Flavors (choose a few!)
  • 2 tsp or a squeeze of lemon or lime juice
  • 1/8 tsp each or pinch of salt & pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp dried herbs
  • 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro or parsley, minced
  • 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 1 Tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tsp mustard

• Crunchy Add-Ins (these add crunch from healthy fiber & provide extra flavor – choose a few!)
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1/4 cup chopped grapes
  • 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup shredded carrots or shredded salad mix
  • 2 Tbsp cup chopped nuts or seeds

Step 3: Choose Your Sauce

These sauces will count as a healthy fat for your meal

• 1/4 cup plain whole fat Greek yogurt
• 1⁄2 ripe avocado, mashed in the bowl
• 2 Tbsp homemade 100% olive oil mayo
 (homemade recipe here from Whole30)

Mix all of the ingredients together. Serve over a bed of leafy greens or on top of rice cakes, whole grain toast, or whole grain crackers.