Keto Chicken & Vegetable Salad
A crisp, creamy, low-carb chicken salad loaded with tender chicken, crunchy vegetables, and a bright herb dressing. It’s filling enough for lunch or dinner and works beautifully for meal prep.Servings: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Chicken & vegetables
- 3 cups (450 g) cooked chicken breast, diced
- 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup cucumber, diced
- ¾ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup celery, diced
- ½ cup bell pepper, diced
- ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
- ½ avocado, diced
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Creamy keto dressing
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Optional extras
- 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- ¼ cup olives
- ¼ cup shredded cheddar
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- Fresh dill
- A pinch of red pepper flakes
1. Prepare the chicken
Use cooked and cooled chicken breast.
Dice it into bite-sized pieces.
For extra flavor, you can season the chicken with a little salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika before cooking.
Leftover roasted chicken or rotisserie chicken works well too.
2. Prepare the vegetables
Chop the romaine, cucumber, celery, bell pepper, tomatoes, and onion.
Dice the avocado last so it doesn’t have as much time to brown.
Place everything in a large salad bowl.
3. Make the dressing
In a small bowl, whisk together:
- Mayonnaise
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
- Dijon mustard
- Dried parsley
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Black pepper
- Salt
Whisk until smooth.
Taste and adjust the lemon, salt, and pepper.
For a thinner dressing, add 1–2 teaspoons of water.
4. Assemble
Add the diced chicken to the vegetables.
Add the feta and parsley.
Pour over the dressing.
Gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
Add the avocado last and fold it in carefully so it doesn’t get mashed.
5. Chill
For the best flavor, refrigerate for 15–30 minutes before serving.
You can also eat it immediately.
Grilled Chicken Keto Salad
For a smoky version, season the chicken with:
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Grill or pan-sear until fully cooked.
Slice and place over the salad rather than mixing it in.
Finish with the creamy dressing.
Avocado Ranch Version
Replace the dressing above with:
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ avocado
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper
Blend until smooth.
This makes a thick, creamy keto ranch-style dressing.
Mediterranean Keto Chicken Salad
Add:
- Kalamata olives
- Feta
- Cucumber
- Extra parsley
- Fresh dill
Replace the creamy dressing with a simple mixture of:
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Buffalo Chicken Version
Toss the cooked chicken with 2–3 tablespoons buffalo sauce.
Use romaine, celery, cucumber, and avocado as the vegetables.
Top with blue cheese or cheddar.
Drizzle with a mixture of mayonnaise and Greek yogurt.
Meal Prep
For the best texture, don’t assemble everything at once.
Prepare four containers with:
- Cooked chicken
- Romaine
- Cucumber
- Bell pepper
- Celery
- Tomatoes
Keep the dressing, avocado, and feta separate.
Add the dressing and avocado just before eating.
This helps keep the salad crisp for several days.
Storage
Store the prepared ingredients in the refrigerator.
The chicken and vegetables are best consumed within 3–4 days.
If the salad has already been mixed with dressing, it’s best eaten within 1–2 days.
Keto Tip
For a very low-carb version, use romaine, cucumber, celery, avocado, leafy greens, and bell pepper as your primary vegetables, and keep higher-carb additions such as tomatoes and onions moderate.
The finished salad is crunchy, creamy, savory, fresh, and filling, with plenty of protein and healthy fats while keeping the overall carbohydrate load low.
