This almond butter chicken salad skips the mayo and instead uses an almond butter and apple cider vinegar dressing! Studded with raisins, fresh grapes and chopped almonds, this tasty chicken salad is perfect for serving in lettuce wraps, over salad or on your favorite sandwich bread.
Almond butter in chicken salad?!? I know you’re probably thinking I’ve gone a little cray with my nut butter obsession, but the combo works. Combine almond butter with a little oil, some apple cider vinegar and mustard and you’ve got yourself a creamy nutty dressing to use instead of mayo!
Think of the peanut sauces used in Thai or Vietnamese cuisine… now it doesn’t seem so weird, right? Even if it does, you’ll just have to trust me on this one. You certainly can’t knock it ’til you try it.
Before I go into more details about this delicious almond butter chicken salad creation, let’s talk about shredded chicken in general. I’ve recently discovered the magic of making large batch of shredded chicken early in the week and using it for a bunch of different meals.
And guess what? Making shredded chicken is SO easy! I usually grill my chicken breasts (especially during the summer) but you can also cook the chicken in a saucepan. Once the chicken is cooked you simply let it cool and shred it using 2 forks or your hands. You can also cook the chicken in the slow cooker, or even buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.
The almond butter dressing is rich and creamy making it an easy sub for the mayo, and the salad has a ton of tasty add-ins like red onion, celery, grapes, raisins and chopped almonds. It’s perfect because you’ve got some sweetness in there as well as a little crunch.
It’s super easy to toss together and can be served on it’s own, over salad, in lettuce wraps or on sandwich bread. I did lettuce wraps because they’re light, fresh and lovely on a summer day when it’s literally too hot to even think about toasting bread.
Of course, you can always pile the chicken salad on top of a bed of greens as well. This option is probably ideal if you’re packing the salad for lunch considering lettuce wraps aren’t the most portable thing in the world.
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Studded with raisins, fresh grapes and chopped almonds, this flavorful chicken salad is perfect for serving in lettuce wraps, over salad or on your favorite sandwich bread.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- 2 Tablespoons almond butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1/3 cup grapes, halved
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 Tablespoons roasted almonds, chopped
Instructions
- Make dressing by whisking together almond butter, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard and salt in a small bowl.
- Add shredded chicken, celery, red onion, grapes, raisins and almonds into a large bowl and toss to combine. Add dressing and continue to toss until everything is coated. Serve right away or place in the fridge to chill before serving. Serve in lettuce cups, over salad or on bread.
Once you know how to make shredded chicken it becomes such a game-changer for making easy, healthy weeknight meals. That’s why my blogging girlfriends and I teamed up to bring you SIX healthy recipes you can make with shredded chicken. They’re all unique, showing you just how versatile shredded chicken can be.
Buffalo Chicken Dip – This lightened up Buffalo Chicken Dip is packed with veggies and loaded with flavor. It is the perfect cleaned up version of your favorite hearty appetizer, that can also be devoured as a main dish, too! Get the recipe here.
Hawaiian Chicken Noodle Bowls – Get your meal prep on with these delicious Hawaiian Chicken Noodles Bowls made with shredded chicken, tons of veggies, and rice noodles! Get the recipe here.
Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls – No need for takeout with this Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl! Made just like your favorite restaurant’s burrito bowl, this recipe is filling, healthy and the perfect way to use your leftover shredded chicken! Get the recipe here.
Baby Kale Chicken Cherry Salad – This baby kale chicken cherry salad highlights the best of summer fruit with easy shredded leftover chicken for a light and healthy meal. Get the recipe here.
Cajun Cauliflower Casserole – This Cajun cauliflower casserole tastes like a bowl of Jambalaya but is secretly loaded with hidden veggies and protein! It’s a gluten free, paleo-friendly meal that the whole family will love! Get the recipe here.
What’s your favorite way to use shredded chicken?
I LOVE baking a whole chicken and then using it in a variety of recipes! These all sound wonderful, especially your contribution. 🙂 Fun fact: The plate photographed in the copycat Chipotle bowl is the same dinnerware set I grew up using! I don’t know where my mom bought them from, but I think it’s so funny that I would see it featured on a food blog. Have a great Friday!
That is too funny. I always feel the same way when I see the plates and bowls my mom used to use in photos. I actually have a thing for vintage dishes.
Tip I learned recently for shredding chicken — put your cooked chicken (still warm!) in your KitchenAid mixer with the triangular paddle attachment. It shreds quickly and easily.
Only caution here is that it has the ability to mince it into ground meat if you leave it mixing too long! 🙂
Love your recipes!
Oh! What a great trick. I am definitely going to use my mixer next time I make shredded chicken.
I am obsessing over the use of almond butter here – so genius! This sounds like my perfect lunch today! Pinned!
Thanks Tay!
This looks AWESOME! Great idea to multi-purpose large batch shredded chicken as well. I love stretching one thing out to minimize cooking time.
Seriously LOVE this idea!! Sounds perfect for a lettuce wrap lunch or light dinner. Yum!
Great idea. I make the same type of recipe using broccoli florets instead of chicken for a great vegetarian alternative.
Oh! I love this idea. I feel like this almond butter dressing would taste delicious on just about anything! 🙂
You had me at almond butter! I love chicken salad of all kinds, but I have never heard of a recipe with almond butter. This can’t be a bad thing! Gotta try this!
Almond butter actually sounds SO good in a chicken salad! I like to make a dressing with either almond butter or cashew butter, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil and it is positively addictive!
Oh! I love the sound of that dressing, Denisse. I’ll have to try it.
I’m making this right now! Hope it is as delicious as this sounds. How long do you think this will stay fresh in the refrigerator for?
Yay! You’ll have to let me know what you think. It should stay good at least two days.
i loved it! made it again for lunch this week. i didn’t have a problem with it staying fresh for 4 days in the fridge.
Loving this chicken salad Britt!
Thanks so much, Lex!
I hate, with a passion, shredding chicken. HOWEVER, I now make a lot more recipes using shredded chicken because I found the best trick ever. When chicken is done cooking, and while it’s still hot, take a hand mixer, and “mix” (AKA Shred) away! It’s seriously the best kitchen hack ever. Sorry if this has been mentioned before. Love your blog 🙂
Someone else did mention this, BUT I still haven’t tried it so I’m glad you mentioned it as well. It gives me another reminder that I need to try it soon!! Thanks, Briana.
So your photos show diced red onion but your recipe fails to mention onion. I think onion is definitely needed and will probably add some innow after the fact. I’m a Vidalia gal though.
So sorry for the mistake. Red onion is definitely needed for the recipe. Just added it!
Best chicken salad ever! I have made it several times and it has become a family favorite! Thanks for all the great recipes!
★★★★★
Ahhh! This makes me so happy to hear, Pam! Thanks for coming back to leave a comment and star rating.