Chicken Salad

This is a super satisfying, delicious chicken salad! This is one of my daughter’s favorite lunchbox items. Some days she likes it with grapes, other days she chooses not to add the grapes. I often eat it for breakfast when we have it leftover from making lunches the night before.

I usually use Organic Veganaise in this salad and my tuna salad, but was unable to find it at the store. As a replacement I mixed the chicken with Spectrum Naturals Organic Mayonnaise with Olive Oil (Organic expeller pressed soy and/or canola oil, organic whole eggs, organic egg yolks, organic extra virgin olive oil, filtered water, organic honey, organic distilled vinegar, sea salt, organic mustard (organic distilled vinegar, water, organic mustard seed, salt, organic spices), organic lemon juice concentrate.) Notice the first ingredient in this mayonnaise is soy and/or canola oil and the fourth ingredient is olive oil.  This is a great example of misleading labels.  You would think by reading the front of the label that this was made from olive oil only.  (The ingredients are listed according to how much of the ingredient is in the food. So for example, if the first item on the ingredient list is “water”, then there is more water used in the item then any other ingredient.) That being said, we do not use mayonaise often because it is loaded with highly refined oils, but when we do this is our best quick option. I have made mayonnaise in the past and it has been good, but I don’t like the idea of feeding my kids raw eggs, which is one of the main ingredients in homemade mayonnaise.

I use avocado oil to coat the chicken before putting it in the oven. I used to use olive oil, but recently learned that the smoke point of various fats needs to be taken into consideration because a fat is no longer good for consumption after it has exceeded its smoke point and has begun to break down. It is believed that fats that have gone past their smoke points contain a large quantity of free radicals which contribute to risk of cancer. Refining oils (taking out impurities) tends to increase the smoke point. Extra Virgin Olive Oil has a ballpark smoke point of 325°F – 375°F, depending on the quality of the oil. Thus, we do not raise the temperature past 325°F when using extra virgin olive oil. Avocado oil has a ballpark smoke point of 520°F and is similar in composition to olive oil, which makes it a great choice for this recipe.

Chicken Salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

See Detailed Nutrition Info on

Chicken Salad

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Ingredients

  • 2 pounds chicken breast sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt & pepper
  • 1 cup finely chopped organic celery
  • 1 cup sliced organic grapes (optional)
  • 1/2 red onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 1/2 cup Veganaise
  • avocado oil
  • Himalayan pink salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Coat chicken with avocado oil, salt and pepper.
  3. Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
  4. Let chicken cool for approximately 20 minutes.
  5. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces.
  6. Combine with mayo, mustard, mustard powder, onion, celery and grapes.
  7. Chill for at least two hours for optimal taste.
  8. Enjoy!

Notes:

Purchase organic chicken if possible.

Chicken Salad

  • 2 pounds chicken breast sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt & pepper
  • 1 cup finely chopped organic celery
  • 1 cup sliced organic grapes (optional)
  • 1/2 red onion (finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1 1/2 cup Veganaise
  • avocado oil
  • Himalayan pink salt & pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coat chicken with avocado oil, salt and pepper.
3. Bake for 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and juices run clear.
4. Let chicken cool for approximately 20 minutes.
5. Chop chicken into bite-size pieces.
6. Combine with mayo, mustard, mustard powder, onion, celery and grapes.
7. Chill for at least two hours for optimal taste.
8. Enjoy!

chicken salad

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