Chicken Salad with Bacon and Green Onions

This healthy chicken salad with bacon recipe is so simple yet packs a ton of flavor. The combination of bacon and green onions brings bold flavor while the almonds bring the crunch that keeps you coming back bite after bite. Paleo, gluten free, and dairy free, this healthy chicken salad recipe is a crowd pleaser.

Chicken salad is one of my absolute favorite dishes to make. It’s simple, easy to make from scratch, and dairy free/gluten free/paleo!

We never get tired of it because there are countless add-ins you can use in chicken salad (this bacon and green onion combination just happens to be my favorite). Oftentimes I just use whatever add-ins I have in my fridge and it turns out great every time.

What’s good with chicken salad?

There is no shortage of ways you can eat it! Have it on a bed of lettuce, spread some over a piece of gluten-free toast, eat it with some almond flour crackers, or just eat it plain. It’s hard to mess up!

Alternate add-in ideas

Some of my other favorite add-in combinations:

• Apple, dried unsweetened cranberries, pine nuts
• Celery, onion, grapes, pecans
• Almonds, dill, parsley, chives

I always choose at least one or two items that have texture (a nut or celery), an herb or something fresh, and sometimes a fruit to add a sweet element to the chicken salad. If I have extra time on my hands, I will toast the nuts in a pan with some avocado oil over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes so they get extra crunchy.

How long does chicken salad keep?

Store the chicken salad in the fridge and enjoy for up to 5 days.

Shredded chicken options

You can use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, buy already shredded chicken from the store, OR make your own shredded chicken for this recipe, which in my opinion is the tastiest option. You can make tender, juicy shredded chicken in less than 20 minutes by the poaching method.

Here’s how:

1. Place boneless skinless chicken breasts in the bottom of a large pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2. Cover the chicken completely with water (the water should be 1-2 inches above the chicken).
3. Bring the chicken to a boil over high heat.
4. Once boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of our chicken breasts. Make sure you check the temperature of the chicken often starting at the 8-10 minute mark so the chicken doesn’t overcook and become dry. The chicken is done when it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Immediately remove the chicken from the pan.
6. Shred the chicken using two forks or a handheld mixer (my favorite way). If using a mixer, cut the cooked chicken breasts into a few big chunks and toss them into a large mixing bowl (the larger the bowl the better to avoid a mess). Start on low and slowly increase the mixer speed until the chicken is fully shredded.

Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 0 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 5 cups

Ingredients

• 4 c shredded cooked chicken

• ¾ c avocado oil mayonnaise (check out my recipe here)

• ½ c sliced almonds

• ⅓ c crumbled nitrate free and sugar free bacon (about 4-5 pieces)

• ¼ c green onions, thinly sliced

• Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 Tbsp)

• Salt, to taste (depends on how salty your mayo is)

Directions

1. Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy. Allow to cool and then crumble into small pieces.

2. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Taste and add salt to your liking (I added about ½ tsp).

3. Store in the refrigerator until serving.