Classic Gluten-Free and Dairy Free Chicken Salad Recipe

When you first decide to eat gluten free, it can be a little daunting. This gluten-free chicken salad recipe is a simple recipe with simple ingredients. The sweet apples and crips celery are a great pair that will keep you coming back for more.

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Do a quick internet search and you will find 1,874,302 (not exact) recipes for gluten-free chicken salad. I’ve tired my fair share of them and this one is one of my favorite ways to enjoy it. You can used canned chicken, leftover rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken from the fridge, or sliced skinless chicken breasts grilled on the BBQ. The possibilities really are endless. As long as it’s chicken, it’ll work!

My favorite way to enjoy this gluten-free chicken salad is straight out of the bowl. But there are many different ways to devour it. If you’d like it as a sandwich, just slather some between two slices of your favorite gluten-free bread (or regular bread if you aren’t gluten free). You could also use some romaine lettuce and make a lettuce wrap or serve it with gluten-free crackers for scooping.

What do you need for this classic chicken salad recipe?

Bowl, large spoon, cutting board, shard knife, measuring cups.

Chicken. If my daughter and I are both eating it, I will use 2 cans. This salad is packed full of lots of protein.

Sweet apple

Celery. I love the crunchy veggies so I tend to add more to my salad. My daughter isn’t a huge fan of the celery so she puts less.

Red onion. This is optional. We don’t usually have red onion in our house, but if we do we like to add it in. You could also use chopped green onion.

Raisins. I love the raisins in this salad. If you are trying to keep it low carb, make sure to skip the raisins altogether of just add a tiny handful.

Mayonnaise. I usually start with about 1/2 cup of mayo. Depending on the moistness of your chicken, you can add a little more or less to your liking. Another option here would be to use plain greek yogurt. I have done this before and it gives the salad a different little twing to the flavor, still good, but different than the original.

Cumin. This is the secret ingredient. Without cumin, this salad just isn’t the same. You don’t need much. A quarter of a tsp if usually plenty but if you really enjoy the cumin you could add more.

Salt and Pepper. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the top for some added deliciousness.

First Things First

The first step is to chop up the apple, celery and onion. I like to chop my in tiny pieces. If the pieces are too big, it’s hard to get a bite of all the flavors together. The smaller the better with these.

Dump It In

Once everything is chopped, you can add it to your mixing bowl. Although I usually put the chicken in first, but it really doesn’t matter. Dump in the chicken, apples, celery and onion. Then add the raisins and mayo. Give everything a good stir to make sure the creaminess is right for how you like it.

Spice It Up

After you have the creaminess level just perfect, pour in the cumin, salt and pepper. To be honest, sometimes I don’t even add salt and pepper. The cumin is what I care about most.

Finally, stir it all together and give it a taste test. Afterwards, if needed, add more spice to your liking.

It’s doubtful that you will have leftovers, but if you do they are best stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Try to eat them the next day as the veggies tend to loose their crunch if they sit past one day.

This Gluten-Free Chicken Salad is one of my absolute favorite things to eat for lunch. Try it with a slice of my simple sourdough bread, some crackers or a lettuce wrap!