This just might be the best chicken salad you’ve ever tasted! Enjoy with crackers or as a sandwich. Great for parties, picnics, lunches, or any other occasion plus they’re gluten free and dairy free, too.
Now that the hot summer months have hit, chicken salad is one of our family’s go-to meals! It’s easy to mix up and pack on picnics or as a to-go dinner for sports events, and there’s no need to heat up the house by turning on the oven.
To bring some coconut flavor into this chicken salad, I added one of our go-to side dishes: Coconut Rice. We make this about once a week to go with curry, tacos, or chicken and add the leftovers when we’re making chicken salad sandwiches.
Adding rice to chicken salad might seem strange, but trust me, it’s delish!If you want some extra coconut flavor, you can also sprinkle a little toasted coconut on top of the chicken salad before topping with your bread of choice.
Chewy dried cranberries and crisp toasted almonds bring an extra depth of flavor, color, and texture that really make this salad stand out! I have been using Patience Fruit co. cranberries that are sweetened with apple juice instead of sugar. As always, be sure your ingredients are gluten free, nuts of any kind are always a guessing game so look for the gluten free seal.
This chicken salad can be served so many different ways! Use a gluten free wrap or tortilla, pile it high on a bun (we’re loving BFree brown seeded rolls), or serve it in butter lettuce leaves with a sprinkling of toasted coconut over the top. However you decide to serve Coconut Chicken Salad, it’s sure to be a hit!
We love a variety of filling options, but of course you can substitute or omit anything you don’t like to suit your family’s tastes.
Try using chopped dried cherries instead of the cranberries for a fun twist, or serve this chicken salad with crackers or as a wrap in gluten free tortillas!

Chicken Salad
This just might be the best chicken salad you've ever tasted! Enjoy with crackers or as a sandwich. Great for parties, picnics, lunches, or any other occasion plus they're gluten free and dairy free, too.
Ingredients
- 1 12.5 oz can chicken breast in water, drained well (I used the Costco brand)
- 1/3 cup gluten free mayonnaise (I used Chosen Foods Coconut Oil mayo)
- 1/4 cup cooked coconut rice (or regular cooked rice)
- 1/4 cup gluten free dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/4 cup gluten free sliced, toasted almonds
- garlic salt, celery salt, and pepper to taste (I used about 1/8 tsp garlic salt, 3-4 dashes celery salt and pepper)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir with a fork until combined. This can be made a day ahead and can also be easily doubled or tripled.
- Serve on a gluten free bun, roll, pita, wrap, or bed of lettuce. The buns pictured are BFree which are available at Smith's/Kroger stores.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 540Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 567mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 4gSugar: 9gProtein: 38g
10 Comments
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
June 13, 2017 at 1:23 pmI love that coconut rice!
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June 14, 2017 at 7:00 amThanks, it’s definitely a favorite here!
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June 16, 2017 at 1:31 pmThanks Megan!
Dawn
June 16, 2017 at 10:03 amDefinitely need to give this mayo a try!
Lane & Holly @ With Two Spoons
June 16, 2017 at 1:22 pmYou’ve sold me on the coconut oil mayo!
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June 16, 2017 at 1:31 pmI hope you get to try it soon, it quickly became a fav at our house!
Cindy
June 28, 2017 at 11:11 amLooks delicious!
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June 28, 2017 at 1:35 pmThanks Cindy, it has become a favorite at our house 🙂 -Celeste
Kimberly
June 29, 2017 at 12:35 pmYou had me at Coconut! This looks great and the photos are awesome!
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July 3, 2017 at 12:08 pmRight?? Coconut is always a win! Thanks so much 🙂 -Celeste