Low FODMAP Chicken Salad - 3 Ways (Paleo & Whole30 Options)

Welcome to your one-stop blog for low FODMAP chicken salad recipes! Are you in a nostalgic mood? Try some Low FODMAP Classic Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans! Are you in the mood to spice things up? Make some Low FODMAP Southwest Chicken Salad! Do you need to cool down? How about some Low FODMAP Mediterranean Chicken Salad? Whichever of these low FODMAP chicken salad recipes you choose, they're all a great way to repurpose chicken leftovers (like leftovers from my Instant Pot Whole Chicken One-Pot Meal), especially when you want something cooling for lunch in warmer weather. In addition to being low FODMAP, they're also Paleo and Whole30 compliant for the most part (with the exception of the Southwest Chicken Salad, which contains corn).

For another delicious salad to use up chicken leftovers, try my Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad with Chicken! My Egg Salad with Dill is another protein-packed lunch salad with a mayo-based dressing to try! Or browse my entire collection of main dish salads!

Jump to:

• Why 3 Different Low FODMAP Chicken Salad Variations?
• Way #1: Low FODMAP Classic Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans (Paleo & Whole30)
• Way #2: Low FODMAP Southwest Chicken Salad (Paleo & Whole30 Option)
• Way #3: Low FODMAP Mediterranean Chicken Salad (Paleo & Whole30)
• Necessary Equipment
• Method
• Serving Options
• Storage
• More Chicken Salad Recipes
• Related Recipes
• Low FODMAP Chicken Salad - 3 Ways (Paleo & Whole30 Options)

Why 3 Different Low FODMAP Chicken Salad Variations?

Isn't it easier just to develop one chicken salad recipe? Yes, it certainly is. When I was writing these low FODMAP chicken salad recipes, it was one of those times when the creative juices were just flowing and I just ran with them until I was satisfied with the results. Chicken provides such a great canvas upon which to build different flavors, and I just kept building. And building. And building.

Had I known how challenging the photoshoot would be, I may have stopped sooner. This photoshoot was one of my longest and left me sore, exhausted, and bleeding. BLEEDING! The kitchen looked like the refrigerator had exploded - there were ingredients EVERYWHERE (I should have taken a picture of that - ha!).

While they're pretty simple low FODMAP chicken salad recipes, photographing them together while making sure they each stood out in their own unique way was a surprisingly huge undertaking. My hope is that people will enjoy them as well as the variety, perhaps even trying all three! If you do this (or even if you just try one or two), please let me know and tell me which one(s) you tried and liked the best in the comments below! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Way #1: Low FODMAP Classic Chicken Salad with Grapes and Pecans (Paleo & Whole30)

Low FODMAP classic chicken salad was my starting point in this whole ordeal. Adding grapes and pecans to classic chicken salad gives it this wonderful balance of sweet and savory flavors that make every bite a delight to eat. This Low FODMAP Classic Chicken Salad is my husband, Jeff's, favorite of the three variations.

Low FODMAP Classic Chicken Salad Ingredients

Dressing:

• Avocado oil mayo (which I buy cheaper at Costco), or your preferred mayo
• Dijon mustard
• Lemon juice
• Salt and pepper - I suggest quantities in the recipe card below, but I am a salt fiend, so if you're not, start with a small quantity (like ¼ tsp) stir, taste, and repeat if necessary. The amount of salt and pepper you will need will also depend on how / if the chicken was seasoned when it was initially cooked.

Salad Contents:

• Cooked and cooled chicken, shredded or chopped into ½-inch cubes - as previously mentioned, I use leftovers from my Instant Pot Whole Chicken One-Pot Meal.
• 1 medium stalk celery, diced - according to Monash University's low FODMAP Diet App, celery contains mannitol and is low FODMAP in quantities of up to 10g or about ¼ of a medium stalk per serving. The quantity this recipe calls for amounts to about ¼ stalk per serving.
• Red grapes, quartered - depending on the size of the grapes you're using, you may want to just halve them. However, I find they're less clunky and blend better with the rest of the sandwich when they're quartered. Previously listed as FODMAP-free, grapes have been recently retested for FODMAPs by Monash University. They are now listing red grapes as containing the FODMAP fructose and low FODMAP in quantities of 2 grapes or 10 grams per serving. We're adding ½ cup or 76 grams across 4 servings, which amounts to about 19 grams per serving. If you are sensitive to fructose, you may now want to limit your number of grapes to 8 or 40 grams total, which is in accordance to the new low FODMAP serving size listed in Monash University's Low FODMAP Diet app. If you never had a problem with grapes before this retest, this new information may not impact your relationship to grapes.
• Scallions (a.k.a. green onions), dark green parts only, chopped - the dark green parts of scallions are FODMAP-free.
• Pecans, finely chopped - containing the FODMAP fructans, pecans are considered low FODMAP in quantities of up to 10 halves (or 20g) per serving, which comes to about ⅛ cup per serving. We're only adding ¼ cup or 27 grams total across 4 servings.
• Fresh parsley, finely chopped, for garnish (optional)

Way #2: Low FODMAP Southwest Chicken Salad (Paleo & Whole30 Option)

Our second of three ways, this low FODMAP Southwest Chicken Salad, is my personal favorite as it has both cooling and spicy elements. It boasts chicken and veggies slathered in a yummy chipotle mayo. When taking these photos, I forgot to add scallions to the Southwest version (one of many things that went wrong that day), thus no scallions are pictured.

Low FODMAP Southwest Chicken Salad Ingredients

Dressing:

• Avocado oil mayo (which I buy cheaper at Costco), or your preferred mayo
• Garlic-infused olive oil
• Fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• Ground chipotle chili pepper - I suggest a quantity which I consider mildly spicy, but if you want more or less spice, play around with it until you have your preferred spice level.
• Salt and pepper - see my notes on salt in the section about low FODMAP classic chicken salad dressing ingredients above.

Salad Contents:

• Cooked and cooled chicken, shredded or chopped into ½-inch cubes
• Fresh or frozen sweet corn, thawed if frozen. Monash University's low FODMAP Diet App lists fresh sweet corn as low FODMAP in quantities of up to ½ cob or 38g per serving. ½ cup of corn in this recipe amounts to about 20g per serving. Even in small servings, canned sweet corn is high in FODMAPs and is not recommended for low FODMAP. Omit for Paleo/Whole30 as corn is a grain and not Paleo or Whole30 compliant.
• Red bell pepper, chopped. Previously listed as FODMAP-free, red bell pepper has been recently retested for FODMAPs by Monash University. They now listed it as containing the FODMAP fructose and low FODMAP in quantities of ⅓ cup or 43 grams per serving. We're adding ½ cup or 75 grams across 4 servings, which amounts to about 18.75 grams per serving.
• Scallions (a.k.a. green onions), dark green parts only, chopped
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish (optional)

Way #3: Low FODMAP Mediterranean Chicken Salad (Paleo & Whole30)

Containing cool and crisp cucumber and red bell pepper, this low FODMAP Mediterranean-Inspired Chicken Salad is the most cooling of the three variations. It's coolness, crispness, and Mediterranean flavors are perfect for an uncomfortably hot summer day.

Low FODMAP Mediterranean Chicken Salad Ingredients

Dressing:

• Avocado oil mayo (which I buy cheaper at Costco), or your preferred mayo
• Capers, finely chopped
• Garlic-infused olive oil
• Fresh dill, chopped
• Dijon mustard
• Lemon juice
• Salt & pepper (please see my notes on salt in the Low FODMAP Classic Chicken Salad variation above)

Salad Contents:

• Cooked and cooled chicken, shredded or chopped into ½-inch cubes
• Cucumber, chopped
• Red bell pepper, chopped. See my low FODMAP notes on red bell pepper in the Low FODMAP Southwest Chicken Salad contents list above.
• Scallions (a.k.a. green onions), dark green parts only, chopped
• Fresh dill leaves, for garnish (optional)

Necessary Equipment

Very little equipment needed to make these low FODMAP chicken salad recipes (cooking the chicken is another matter). The equipment I use to make all three of these low FODMAP chicken salad variations includes:

• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Citrus juicer (optional)
• Large bowl
• Whisk
• Stirring spoon

Method

The method to make all three of these low FODMAP chicken salad recipes is exactly the same. In a large bowl, I first whisk together the dressing ingredients. Then, I add the salad contents, the chicken and produce, and stir everything together with a stirring spoon until the chicken and produce are evenly coated in dressing. You could prepare the salad contents and dressing in separate bowls, but this method only requires you to dirty one bowl, which means fewer dishes to wash.

Serving Options

For Paleo/Whole30 serving options, I suggest serving this chicken salad on your favorite greens or in a lettuce wrap. Butter lettuce (which I use in these pictures) works best for wraps and is widely available. I've also used green leaf lettuce with success. You could also try serving it on cucumber slices or red bell pepper halves (if you don't have a problem eating red bell pepper) for a low FODMAP and Paleo/Whole30 serving option.

For low FODMAP but not Paleo/Whole30 compliant serving options, I suggest a low FODMAP tortilla, bread, rice cakes, or crackers. The topic of low FODMAP bread products is a BEAST, so I won't go into it here, but see my Easy Sourdough Stuffing where I discuss it a bit and provide links to more resources. Some types of sourdough made using traditional methods may be okay if it is thinly sliced. However, please note there may be risk of FODMAP stacking with the Low FODMAP Classic Chicken Salad recipe as both sourdough and pecans contain the FODMAP fructans. You could always omit the pecans if you decide to use sourdough.

Storage

Leftover low FODMAP chicken salad can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. This amount of time may vary depending on the age of your leftover chicken.

More Chicken Salad Recipes

If you love chicken salad recipes, here are a few more delicious ones to try:

• Grilled Balsamic Chicken Salad
• Grilled Chicken Fajita Salad
• Chicken Buffalo Salad
• Grilled Chicken Shawarma Quinoa Bowls (which can be easily made into a salad!)
• Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad (with chicken)

Related Recipes

Print