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Whole 30-Approved Avocado Sonoma Chicken Salad

April 18, 2015

I’m a sucker for chicken salad. Regular chicken salad, Sonoma wine country chicken salad, curried chicken salad, chicken salad with bits of pineapple, with mayo, without mayo—literally, I have yet to find one I don’t like.

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad combined

I’ve posted my absolute favorite chicken salad recipe, the best I’ve ever had. But it also isn’t necessarily the *healthiest* one. This one, however, might be.

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad avocado

I haven’t done Whole 30 myself, though I’ve thought about it. Honestly I can’t commit myself to a month of anything that requires drastic change, not with my insane work schedule. I like the idea, though, for the most part…except giving up wine, that’s just CRAY.

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad lemon

This chicken salad has no mayo and is chock full of whole, raw ingredients. It brings fiber, healthy fats, and a one-two protein punch from the chicken and pecans to the party. I devoured it on my little Trader Joe’s 12-grain crackers for lunch a few days in a row, and found it satiating and tasteeeee!

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad celery

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad grapes

Dice your celery (I like mine quite fine, so you don’t have huge chunks), and halve your grapes.

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad pecans

Toast your pecans by heating them over medium on the stove in a dry pan until fragrant (no oil!).  Watch them super carefully, it only takes about 5 minutes—be careful not to burn them.

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad chicken cooked

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad chicken diced

Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add your halved grapes and diced celery (I like mine fine-diced so there aren’t huge bites of just celery).

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad chicken bartok

Try to keep the ginormous kitty from getting a bite…

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad ingredients

Combine the grapes, celery, and chicken together.

whole30 avocado sonoma chicken salad combined closeup

Peel and pit the avocados, dice, and then mash them in the bowl with the chicken, grapes, and celery. Really smash them in there until they coat everything. Squeeze lemon juice over everything and add the salt and pepper. Finally, stir in the pecans.

Whole30 Avocado Sonoma Chicken Salad

Whole30 Avocado Sonoma Chicken Salad done

It should keep well for close to a week if you seal it in an airtight container. You may have to keep adding a little salt and pepper, and I found that I liked it better if I set it out for 15 minutes or so before eating (took the chill off).

Whole 30-Approved Avocado Sonoma Chicken Salad

  • 1 1/2 pounds of cooked chicken (grilled, baked, boiled, rotisserie, whatever)
  • A few bunches of red seedless grapes, halved
  • 3-4 celery stalks, diced
  • About 3/4 cup of pecan pieces, toasted & chopped
  • 2 ripe avocados
  • Juice from one small lemon
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  1. Toast your pecans—heat your pecan pieces over medium on the stove until fragrant (no oil needed).  It only takes about 5 minutes, be careful not to burn them.
  2. Cut the chicken into small, bite-sized pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add your halved grapes and diced celery (I like mine fine-diced so there aren’t huge bites of just celery).
  3. Peel and pit the avocados, dice, and then mash them in the bowl with the chicken, grapes, and celery. Really smash them in there until they coat everything.
  4. Squeeze lemon juice over everything and add the salt and pepper. Finally, stir in the pecans.

Original recipe here

1 Comment CATEGORIES // Recipe Experimentation, Super Healthy

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Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I created this blog for people who love cooking & baking but are challenged to find the time and energy to do it. Recipes run the gamut from super healthy to indulgent, but the focus is on using REAL food no matter what.

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