This canned chicken salad with pickles (oh yaaaa) is one of those awesome low carb chicken recipes that comes together in a flash, but tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen!
It’s one of my favorite low carb salads for the summer months.
Making chicken salad is a convenient way to chow down on one of the best low carb lunch ideas or afternoon snacks, and it makes meal prep a breeze!
You don’t want to miss this one!
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What I Love About Canned Chicken Salad
Canned chicken salad is quite possibly the most incredible recipe of all time. It’s simple, convenient and most importantly it tastes Am-a-zing! There are so many positives, it’s hard to name them all but here are a few reasons why I love this canned chicken salad:
- It’s absolutely de-lish
- Easy to make
- Convenient
- Versatile
- Cost-effective
Recipe Notes
This canned chicken salad recipe is SO easy to make there aren’t a lot of extra tips to ensure the recipe comes out great. (It’s one of those no-fail salad recipes)
Ingredient Notes
Chicken – While this recipe does call for canned chicken, just about any chicken will do. Feel free to use leftover grilled chicken, baked chicken or even rotisserie chicken (rotisserie chicken salad adds a touch extra flavor!).
Really, the only thing you need to do is ensure that the chicken is completely drained and dried properly so there’s no water in your chicken salad.
Pickles – If you’re watching your carbs, check the label carefully to ensure there is no added sugar in the pickles you choose for this recipe.
Serving Recommendations
Eating a chicken salad sandwich is the most common lunch, but it’s definitely not the only way to enjoy this canned chicken salad…
- On crackers/low carb crackers
- In a hollowed bell pepper
- Stuffed inside a pita
- On top of sliced tomatoes
- Make canned chicken salad quesadillas, ohh my! Check out my low carb tortillas for a low carb version.
Recipe Variations
Tweaking this canned chicken salad to suit your personal taste and diet plan is super simple! Here are a few suggestions:
- Make a more traditional chicken salad by simply skipping the pickles. You can also add in some chopped tarragon for the classic tarragon chicken salad.
- Swap mayo. If you’re not a fan of mayo, turn this into a Greek yogurt chicken salad by simply swapping the mayo with Greek yogurt. You can also use mashed avocado in place of mayo for an avocado chicken salad.
- Add more vegetables. Low carb vegetables like celery and red onion both add a nice “crunch” to this salad, so when mixing and matching, you’ll want to use other veggies that do the same! Also be sure to keep your ratios equal to the chicken:dressing:veggie ratio below.
- Add herbs or spices. We’ll be adding dill and dijon here, but feel free to add in whatever you have — I wouldn’t go full-blown curry chicken salad, but maybe a few sprinkles of garlic or onion powder could do.
- Add some low carb nuts for added crunch! Sunflower seeds and chopped almonds are my faves.
Canned Chicken Salad Recipe
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 3 Cups Canned Chicken drained and dry, can substitute for cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 Cup Dill Pickles chopped
- 1/2 Cup Red Onion finely chopped
- 1/2 Cup Celery finely chopped
- 1 Cup Mayonnaise
- 6 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
- 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Dill chopped
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt optional, depending on how salty your pickles are
Instructions
- Make sure your canned chicken is drained and completely dry.
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Store in the fridge, and serve with butter lettuce, or on sandwiches.
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Lindsey's Tips
- You can use whatever type of cooked chicken you prefer.
- If eating low carb foods, make sure your pickles don’t have sugar added!
- I prefer the taste of Greek yogurt to mayonnaise, to save some carbs, use mayonnaise.
Nutrition
More Chicken Salad Recipes
As far as healthy chicken recipes go, chicken salad is one of the tastiest and most versatile around! Here are a few other recipes to get you started:
- Thai Chicken Salad. Green salad full of veggies and protein then tossed in a peanut dressing!
- Chinese Chicken Salad. Sweet, salty, crunchy, and everything you love about this classic.
- Mexican Chicken Salad. Zesty chicken salad avocado boats are always a win.
- Buffalo Chicken Salad. The spiciest of my chicken salads!
- Pesto Chicken Salad. Pesto makes everything better, especially, chicken salad!
Conclusion
Canned chicken salad is an easy way to brighten up meals and snacks! It’s so easy to make and incredibly delicious, plus you can enjoy it in a variety of ways!
Try it for yourself and let me know what you think in the comments below. Enjoy!
Michael
SOOO good!
Cherrielane
Lindsey, this was simply delicious. Thank you so much for this recipe, you’re quite a good cook and creator !!
Will be back for sure.
Aloha
Lindsey
YAY! Thank you so much Cherrielane ? That means the world! ???
Kim
What size can of chicken? Thank you!
Lindsey
Hello Kim 🙂 any size will do, For this recipe calls for 3 cups of chicken. Yay! Excited for you to try this , Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Alisha Ross
I will share one of my family’s favorites- Scrambled hamburg and gravy over mashed potatoes– Scramble your hamburger in the skillet (I used cast iron) add some Lipton’s Onion Soup or my favorite- Watkin’s Onion Soup Mix- and water to the level you need gravy- to thicken you can use either corn starch and water or flour and water that were mixed together before adding to the watered (now simmering boiling) scrambled hamburg and soup mix and water– thicken to your family’s liking. We used Instant Potatoes when I was tired or fresh from the garden potatoes that had been cooked and mashed when I wasn’t! It is super easy and well liked! I hope you will like trying it!
Lindsey
Great idea! I’ll try to make a low carb version of hamburg and gravy, will add it to my cooking queue. Thanks Alisha ❤️
Jay
No, salt pepper needed, yum..
Lindsey
Yay! So happy you enjoyed Jay!
Tammy
Lindsey,
This was a very good chicken salad. I took your ingredients and cut it back for two of us. I was surprised how good it was! Will try some of these others you listed. I had enough for two days, so I am going to add some lettuce and tomato. Thanks again. Tammy
Lindsey
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much Tammy!😊
WU Cheng Chung
Dear Sir/Madam
Accept warmest from Taiwan, we are a leading Taiwanese trading with specialized in operating various business fields for 27 years. We are currently looking for Canned cooked chicken , chicken breast skinless, boneless and or add salad positively.
kind you please assist us for find such products be more affoedable
Thank you for your specially kind attention and cooperation
Looking forward to hearing from you ASAP
Blessing you all
WU Cheng Chung
Lindsey
Hi there! Unfortunately, I’m not sure where you can find canned chicken in your area. Have you tried online? Sorry I can’t be of more assistance!
Jessica
What is the serving size?
Lindsey
Hi Jessica! Divide the recipe into 6 servings, nutritional info is based on 1 of those servings, which should be around 3/4 cup. Enjoy!
Lori
This is a good alternative to the classic chicken salad. I used left over roasted chicken and homemade dill pickles. The flavor was best after being refrigerated a few hours and letting the flavors mellow a bit.
Lindsey
Hi Lori! Happy you enjoyed, thanks for sharing your tweaks!😋
Red
So yummy and fast! thank you so much Lindsey!
Lindsey
YAY! So happy you enjoyed it Red! 🤜🤛
Theresa
Where does the 1 g of sugar come from?
Lindsey
Hi Theresa! The sugar comes from red onions/celery. Hope this helps!