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Little Pine Kitchen

Healthy recipes + low carb recipes

kale chicken salad in a bowl with tomatoes and pepitas
Home > salads > Kale Chicken Salad

Kale Chicken Salad


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Crisp, light, incredibly delicious, and full of nutrients, this kale chicken salad is our go-to lunch salad. This zesty avocado dressing is the perfect compliment to crisp greens, chopped tomatoes, onions, and chicken salad. It’s easy to make, and perfect for meal prep. Here’s how to make, modify, and prep this delicious kale salad.

kale chicken salad in a bowl with tomatoes and pepitas

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Ingredients for Chicken Kale Salad

There are dozens of ways to make a chicken kale salad, but this version is one of my favorites. Here’s what to collect and some potential swaps:

  • The star of the show: Kale! I use curly kale chopped into small pieces. You can also use Lacinato, which is slightly sweeter, or baby kale, which is significantly more mild.
  • The veggies: Diced cherry tomatoes, red onions, and avocado are a great addition.
  • The dressing: A lusciously creamy combination of Greek yogurt, avocado, olive oil, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, cilantro, cumin, paprika, and garlic. I modified my avocado sauce to get this just right–soooo good you’ll want to make a double batch!
  • The protein: Use whatever leftover chicken you have (Peruvian chicken, tandoori chicken, etc.), or grab a rotisserie and shred it for an always tasty rotisserie chicken salad. You can also poach chicken while you prep the other ingredients, or get fancy with your chicken marinade like I do when making honey mustard chicken salad.

Variations + Tweaks

Salads are so easy to customize to suit your cravings. Here are a few ways you can switch things up–some delicious compliments to chicken and kale include:

  1. Switch the dressing: Most things will go great with this combo of ingredients–try the yogurt based Caesar dressing on my shrimp Caesar salad/kale Caesar, ranch dressing, or this mustard vinaigrette.
  2. Mix in other greens: Kale is great on its own, but you can always mix in some other greens for added texture and nutrients; think arugula salad or spinach.
  3. More veggies: Feel free to add more veggies in–you can use crisp and fresh or delicious roasted vegetables. Think diced bell peppers, jicama, or roasted green beans.
  4. Swap the protein: Any of your favorite seafood, fish, or meats will work–think seared scallops, broiled salmon (ala salmon salad), or grilled shrimp for a shrimp and avocado salad. Sliced steak or tofu would also be delicious.
chicken and kale salad in a bowl

How to Make Kale Chicken Salad

This kale chicken salad is super easy to make, grab a food processor, knife, and a cutting board, then let’s start!

  1. Blend your dressing ingredients until smooth.
  2. Place all salad ingredients together in a bowl.
  3. Pour dressing on top and toss to combine your avocado chicken salad.
kale chicken salad dressing ingredients in a blender
chicken kale salad ingredients in a bowl

How to Meal Prep Chicken and Kale Salad

This chicken kale salad is super easy to make ahead for busy work weeks–try a double batch if you’re feeding two! Here’s how:

  1. Prep + stash components separately to help maintain their texture.
  2. Store dressing on the side: although kale will stay more crisp than other greens, we still prefer to dress just before serving.

Common Questions

  • Can You Eat Kale Raw in a Salad? Absolutely! If you find the texture of kale is too crisp, feel free to massage your kale leaves in dressing, (it breaks down its fibers and makes this chicken kale salad more tender, I always do this when making kale slaw). You can also dress ahead of time or try sauteed kale for your greens.
  • How Do You Make Kale Less Bitter? Making sure your dressing has an acidic component such as lime (which we use here), lemon, or vinegar will reduce bitterness.
  • Does Kale Get Soggy in Dressing? The beautiful thing about this kale chicken salad is that kale retains its structure, even with dressing, ensuring that your leftovers stay crisp!
chicken kale salad in a bowl with tomatoes and pepitas

More Chicken Salad Recipes

kale chicken salad in a bowl with tomatoes and pepitas

Kale Chicken Salad

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Servings :4 servings
Prep Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
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Ingredients

  • 2 cups chicken cooked + shredded or cubed
  • 4 cups kale chopped. leaves only, stems discarded
  • 1/2 avocado sliced
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
  • 1/3 cup red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/4 cup pepitas roasted
  • 1/4 cup cotija crumbled

Dressing:

  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 avocado
  • 1/2 jalapeno deseeded + stems removed
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves loosely packed
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Combine all dressing ingredients together in a food processor or blender, and blend until smooth.
  • Place all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
  • Pour dressing on top and toss to combine. Enjoy!
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Nutrition

Calories: 299kcalTotal Carbohydrates: 12gProtein: 13gFat: 24gSodium: 614mgFiber: 7gSugar: 3gNet Carbs: 5g
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