Ultimate Healthy Gluten Free Chicken Salad Recipe

Have you ever eaten one of those chicken salad sandwiches that are made with chopped chicken and mayonnaise alone? I’ve had too many of them. 

And, when I’m craving chicken salad, I want something more than that on my plate. So, I make a version of this dish that I discovered many years ago.

It was being served at a hoagie shop, in a little country town that neighbored my hometown. The sandwich on their menu was called ‘Not Your Typical Picnic Chicken Salad Sandwich’.

Yes, it was a mouthful to say. It was a mouthful to eat too. AND … it was a very popular sandwich indeed. I ate it once, I recreated it at home, and I’ve been making it ever since. 

Today, I’m going to share this easy chicken salad recipe with you. This is a gluten-free chicken salad recipe.

Choosing The Chicken For This Recipe

Any cooked chicken can be used for this recipe. I make it all the time with leftover chicken from other meals. Sometimes that chicken even has a little seasoning or sauce on it from the way it was prepared for those meals.

In the end, it’s always delicious. I’ve made it from store-bought rotisserie chicken. And I even used canned chicken once, when I lived in an Alaskan climate and it was all I had in the house during a particularly stormy couple of days.

My all time favorite way to make this dish is with chicken seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic, and cooked on the grill. However, as I was shooting pics for this post the temperature outdoors was in the single digits. 

So, while grilled chicken has the best flavor profile for this delicious chicken salad recipe, I opted out of cooking outdoors. Do forgive me.

Another great way to put this classic chicken salad dish together is to season it the same way as above, with salt, pepper, and garlic, and cook it in a cast iron skillet. So delicious. So easy. Can be done anytime!

Chicken breasts are the tastiest way to go for making this dish. But you can certainly use chicken thighs to make it as well.

Ingredients Needed To Make This Recipe

The ingredients that are used in this recipe have the perfect combination of flavors to make a truly stellar chicken salad. Further down in the post, I’ve listed variations for making this dish.

Feel free to swap out any ingredients that you don’t care for, or don’t have on hand, for a substitution from that list. If the issue is simply that you don’t have an ingredient on hand … make it a point to pick up the ingredients another time and make it as it’s written for this post.

You’ll be glad you did. This is seriously the best chicken salad you’ll ever have.

Here is a full list of ingredients used to make the recipe in this post as it’s written …

• CHICKEN BREAST – Boneless, skinless chicken breast is the best way to go for this recipe. 
• MAYONNAISE – I try to use my own homemade mayonnaise when I make any recipe. If you don’t make your own, use a good quality mayonnaise. Skip salad dressings; such as miracle whip.
• SALT & PEPPER – Use the salt that you use in your kitchen. I always recommend pink himalayan or real salt. I do sometimes use table salt in my kitchen though. Ground black pepper is used in this recipe. A fine or medium grind works best. Avoid coarse ground pepper.
• GARLIC CLOVES – Fresh garlic cloves are a must for this recipe.
• BLACK GRAPES – You can substitute red grapes or green grapes here. You can actually substitute any grape here. Black are my favorite. So, that’s what I go with. Whatever variety you use be sure that it is seedless.
• CELERY – Crisp celery hearts are the best choice here.
• RED ONION – This onion has the perfect flavor profile for this recipe
• WALNUTS – These nuts are chewy. Honestly, there isn’t another nut, at least not that I’ve tasted, that has quite the same texture as a walnut. They are the best choice for this creamy chicken salad recipe.

How To Make Gluten Free Chicken Salad

Prepare chicken breasts as recommended above. Chop them into small pieces and set them aside.

Mix mayonnaise, pressed garlic cloves, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl to make a creamy dressing.

Mix all other ingredients, including chicken, together in a large mixing bowl.

Pour mayonnaise mixture over the other ingredients. Mix together well.

How To Serve Gluten Free Chicken Salad

Please note that there are two different sections in this post for serving suggestions for this dish. One is suitable for those who suffer with food allergies or sensitivities. The other makes recommendations that are not gluten free.

For Those Who Are Gluten Free:

If you’re looking to make a sandwich with this dish, and you’re gluten free, you can use your favorite gluten-free bread to make one. Make it with room temperature bread, toasted bread, or grill the bread on a skillet, whatever you prefer.

You can also make a great wrap with this chicken salad using a gluten free tortilla shell. Or, make some chicken salad lettuce wraps with it if you don’t have any gluten free bread options in the house.

It’s nice to serve it in lettuce cups too. Add a few grapes, walnuts, and gluten free crackers on the side and you’ve got a tasty meal. 

It’s just about the perfect topping for a salad. Set it on top of a dish of leafy greens and serve some sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, or other typical salad ingredients on the side to go with it. I’m a big fan of a hard-boiled egg or two here.

Spinach leaves make a nice addition to the salad. Sprouts are a great option too. And it doesn’t hurt to sprinkle a little smoked paprika on top of the chicken salad to add a bit of color.

A side of french fries, sweet potato fries or garlic asiago wedges go well with this dish. You can pair it with potato chips or a fresh fruit cup if that is more to your liking.

For Those Who Consume Gluten:

I’m not gluten free. So, I usually eat my chicken salad on a regular bun with a little shredded lettuce. Or I put it on regular bread; also, room temperature, toasted, or grilled in a skillet.

Two of my favorite ways to eat it are on a croissant or an english muffin. I like to serve it up at gatherings this way too. Many people don’t keep these bread options in their kitchen at home. And they appreciate seeing it on a buffet table when they’re out.

It’s just as tasty to those of us who are not gluten free when it’s prepared any of the ways mentioned above. And absolutely anyone can eat it just as it is with a fork. 

As a matter of fact, I ate some of it that way before I sat down to write this post. YUMMY!

Variations For This Recipe

Okay, I’m going to say it again. I can’t resist the urge.

The combination of tender chicken, crisp celery, juicy grapes, chewy walnuts, and the sharpness of the red onion cannot be beat. This is truly a great recipe. It is one of my favorite things. 

As I’m sure you can tell by the passion I display when writing about it.

Yet, there are many different ways to change up this dish if you want to. And I would be remiss as a conscientious blogger if I didn’t share them with you. 

I have tried many of them myself too. But … don’t tell anybody. Shhhhhhhh, mums the word!

Let’s start with seasoning. Fresh herbs are pretty great in this recipe. Fresh parsley, fresh dill, or fresh chives work well. A squeeze or two of lemon juice doesn’t hurt either. It adds a pleasant little tang to the mix.

You can add just a little spicy brown or dijon mustard if you’re a fan of this condiment. I am. It changes things up. Be aware that not all mustards are gluten free. 

So, read the labels or use a brand you trust if this is important to you.

You can switch out the walnuts for sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, or pumpkin seeds. Any of these will give you the same texture as walnuts. 

Or you can go for a crunchy texture instead, and use cashews, pecans, almonds, or macadamia nuts in your chicken salad.

If you want to up the nutty flavor, toast the nuts before you add them. I’ve heard that a little everything bagel seasoning is pretty good in this recipe too. I haven’t tried it. But it sounds like a nice addition.

Replace the celery with bell peppers, shredded carrots, or frozen peas (thawed, of course). Or switch out the grapes for some chopped apple, dried cranberries, or raisins. I’m partial to the apple here.

You can slice an apple very thinly and layer it on your chicken salad sandwich as well. You can add some chopped bacon to the mix if you like. As much as I love bacon, this is not my favorite addition.

I have seen some people go mad for it though. It may be your thing too.

How To Store Gluten Free Chicken Salad

This dish will last 4-5 days if you put it in an airtight container and refrigerate it. I can’t imagine it being around that long. I nosh on it till it’s gone. And it’s a bad behavior I highly recommend. Truly a not-so-guilty ‘sinful’ pleasure.

I’ve seen some bloggers recommending that you can freeze chicken salad. That is not accurate. Please don’t freeze this dish. You’ll just have to throw it away after it’s thawed.

Better to make a smaller batch. Or share some with a friend or neighbor if you have too much. Have too much? That’s funny!

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If you try this recipe and love it, please give it 5 stars! It supports my work more than you may realize, and I appreciate that a great deal!

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