As summer comes to a bitter sweet close, I’ve been making my seasonal favorites one last time (although in my opinion a good chicken salad recipe and grilled veggies are year round essentials).

I made this chicken salad for my lunch this week as a sort of au revoir to long sunny days, sleeveless tops, and iced coffee. Then realized this recipe is just too good not to share!

I used to loathe everything about chicken salad. Like I hated it to the core. However, over the past few years I’ve developed a deep appreciation and even love for the easy to prepare, high protein, low carb deliciousness that it is.

I won’t settle for just any chicken salad recipe, though… a girl has to have standards, right?? A chicken salad needs to be just the perfect consistency, proper flavor and correct ingredients or I’m uninterested.

Well, y’all, THIS chicken salad recipe is everything. And I promise you won’t be disappointed if you try it. AND it’s Whole 30 approved (!!).

Enjoy!

Recipe

Time: 20-30 minutes total

Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1 whole rotisserie chicken, remove skin and debone and set meat aside (about 4 cups chicken meat)
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped fine (about 2 stalks)
• 1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
• 3/4 cup pecan pieces
• 1 cup grapes, sliced in half
• 1/2 cup mayo (I only use Primal Kitchen)
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 3/4 tsp dry dill weed
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. After removing the skin and deboning the rotisserie chicken, chop/shred the meat into little pieces and place into a mixing bowl (if you have a stand mixer use that!)
2. Add celery, onion, pecans, and grapes to the mixing bowl. Gently mix for just a few seconds to combine ingredients.
3. In a separate small bowl, combine mayo, dijon, dill, salt and pepper. Stir well to combine.
4. Add mayo mixture to the mixing bowl with the chicken.
5. Stir stir stir (if you are using a stand mixer turn on lowest speed for about 30 to 45 seconds, until well mixed).
6. Cover mixing bowl and let rest in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.
7. Serve and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks

• Using a stand mixer will help combine the ingredients better and create a little more homogenous, creamy texture. It also helps to kind of shred the chicken (shout out to my mother-in-law and loyal Grace in the Grind reader, Andrea, for this tip!).
• I like to make this chicken salad on a Sunday afternoon, then separate out into 4-5 containers for lunch that week. Easy peasy!
• This chicken salad keeps pretty well, but use within 5 days.
• Feel free to add a little or take away some ingredients depending on your taste preferences.
• It’s best if you can find an unseasoned rotisserie chicken, but if all you can find is seasoned that’s fine too because we are going to remove the skin anyway.
• I only use Primal Kitchen mayo because it is Whole 30 approved and made with avocado oil. Traditional mayo uses soybean oil, and I try to avoid soy as much as possible since it is a xenoestrogen, or endocrine disruptor. You could read for days about xenoestrogens, but this is a quick little summary of what they are.