A delicious Whole30 Chicken Salad, tossed in a healthy and zippy dill tahini dressing. You won’t miss the mayo in these healthy low carb lettuce wraps! I’ve combined roasted chicken with grapes, walnuts, celery and raisins for delicious pops of sweet and tons of satisfying crunch.
Contents
Mayo Free Chicken Salad with a Creamy Dill Tahini Dressing
I tried the Whole30 after my son was born, as a way to get myself back on track. After he was born, I found myself eating cookies all hours of the day. I needed (or thought I needed) a direct line of sugar into my veins in order to make it through one sleep deprived day into the next. That, combined with a less-than-balanced diet while pregnant, left me ready to dive into this program.
While I found the diet to be more restrictive than I think is necessary for most people, I was attracted to the idea of eating foods that provide our bodies the most nutrition. Focusing on nutrient dense foods allows our bodies to replenish deficiencies after periods of less-than-stellar eating.
Once I finished the program, I had discovered so many creative ways to combine fruits, veggies and nuts, I was hooked on this way of eating.
It’s not necessary to complete a whole 30 days of this program to benefit from its core tenants. Incorporating Whole30 compliant meals into an otherwise balanced diet in a great way to continually remind yourself of foods that enhance health.
There are lots of Whole30 homemade mayo recipes online. I don’t like real mayo, so even a Whole30 compliant version wasn’t a draw. While on the Whole30, I started using tahini as a salad dressing addition. When thinking about putting together a Whole30 Chicken Salad recipe, I knew tahini was going to the the star of the dressing. I added some lemon juice and vinegar for a zip, and then lots of fresh dill. A little salt and pepper, and the dressing is complete.
Meal Prepping this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe
I find having healthy high protein salads or veggie packed salads make healthy meals that much easier to turn to. When I get busy, I’d much rather having this Whole30 Chicken Salad ready to pull out of the fridge. It can be eating for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or even a healthy protein packed snack.
When I made this the first time, I had half of a roasted chicken left from the previous nights dinner. This can be made with poached or grilled chicken breasts, but having the chicken already cooked means pulling this recipe together in 10 minutes was a snap. However you end up with shredded chicken, it will work in this recipe.
I added celery and walnuts for crunch, and grapes and golden raisins for a sweet pop. The creamy tahini dressing added the healthy fats necessary for a low carb meal to be satisfying (and satiating!).
If you have chicken breasts on hand, use this baked bone in chicken breast guide to get them ready to incorporate into healthy salads like this!
How to Incorporate Whole30 Chicken Salad into your Meal Prep:
- Use this chicken salad as the base of a mason jar, and add peppers and crunchy romaine lettuce to the top.
- Pack in a meal prep container with 2 separate spaces, so the lettuce doesn’t get soggy from the dressing on the chicken salad.
- Incorporate into a “bento box” style lunch, with veggie sticks, berries, and a hard boiled egg.
Make this Whole30 Chicken Salad Recipe your Own
- Make it Gluten Free: As written, this recipe is gluten free. Serve the chicken salad in lettuce wraps as shown, or serve on your favorite gluten free bread.
- Mix it Up: I considered making this with pitted cherries or blackberries for the summer season! You can also use a sugar free dried cranberry, or chopped dried apricots, in place of the raisins. It would also be delicious with diced carrot or bell pepper.
- Cut down on Prep Time:Â Picking up a rotisserie chicken is a great way to prepare this Whole30 meal faster. Some deli counters also sell shredded chicken that would work perfectly in this recipe. You can also use a creamy store bought salad dressing in place of the homemade version. However, this dressing only takes about 2 minutes to prepare and really is a perfect match to this easy salad recipe.
Whole30 Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound roasted chicken
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup red grapes halved
- 1/2 cup Italian parsley chopped
- 1/4 cup walnuts chopped
- 2 tablespoons golden raisins
Creamy Dill Tahini Dressing
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill chopped
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard (check for added sugars for Whole30 compliant)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing by adding all the ingredients to a blender, and processing until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
- Chop the chicken in small bite sized pieces, and add to a bowl. Add the chopped parsley, celery, grapes, walnuts and raisins.
- Mix the dressing into the salad ingredients, and season with sea salt and pepper if necessary.
- Serve on crunchy lettuce leaves for a Whole30 or low carb meal, or on your favorite bread or crackers.
Video
Nutrition
Other Whole30 Lunch Recipes:
- Lemony Salmon Burgers, by The Endless Meal
- 3 Easy Whole30 Lunch Recipes, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Whole30 Chipotle Burrito Bowl, by Sunkissed Kitchen
- Watermelon Balsamic Chicken Salad, by Sunkissed Kitchen
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I have a lot of homemade tahini just waiting for this recipe, Michelle! The dressing sounds divine and I bet the salad is crazy delicious! Pinning for later!
I adore this chicken salad recipe — so so easy to make Tania! You will love it. In fact, I have some left over rotisserie chicken in the freezer that needs used up! And grapes 🙂 And I am doing a Whole30 in August so it will be a great one to start off with.