This easy chicken salad recipe is made with scallions, cilantro with a hint of lime. It’s a tasty twist on traditional chicken salad with some Latin flavor!
Cilantro Chicken Salad
I often keep chicken salad on hand for quick weekday lunches, and I like to play around with the flavors so that it never gets boring. For this Cilantro Chicken Salad, I added lime juice, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder for a Latin twist. Some other favorite chicken salad recipes are this Classic Chicken Salad, Dill Chicken Salad and Ranch Chicken Salad.
Chicken salad is also a great way to use up leftover chicken breast from a whole roasted chicken. You can also poach the chicken in chicken broth or use my air fryer chicken breast, to make this salad.
How to make Chicken Salad
This cilantro lime chicken salad recipe is super easy to make and takes only about 15 minutes if your chicken is already cooked. I typically buy supermarket rotisserie chicken or use leftovers from when I roast a chicken myself. It makes for a juicy, tender chicken salad with minimal effort. If you don’t want to use a rotisserie chicken, you can also cook the chicken breasts in the slow cooker or poach them on the stove.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
The great thing about chicken salad is that there are so many ways that you can eat it. Just another reason why it’s one of my favorite easy lunches!
- Wrap: Wrap it in a whole-wheat tortilla or lettuce leaf for a low-carb alternative.
- Stuffed: Stuffed into avocado or fresh summer tomatoes
- Salad: Serve over lettuce and add some tomatoes and avocados for extra veggies.
- Open-Faced Melt: Put some chicken salad and a slice of Monterey jack cheese on a slice of wheat bread and warm in the oven until the cheese melts.
- Veggie Bowl: Scoop the chicken into a hollowed-out tomato or half of an avocado.
- Chips: Eat the chicken salad with tortilla chips.
Variations:
- Sub the chicken for canned tuna.
- If you don’t want to use mayo, try it with Greek yogurt or light sour cream.
- Add celery or bell pepper for crunch.
- Swap the scallions for red onions.
- Add a serrano or jalapeño pepper for an extra kick.
More Chicken Salad recipes you may like:
- Classic Chicken Salad
- Chicken Salad with Avocado
- Waldorf Chicken Salad
- Houston’s Grilled Chicken Salad
- BBQ Chicken Salad
Cilantro Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 7 oz cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced
- 2 tbsp light mayonnaise, full fat for Keto
- 1 small scallion, chopped
- 2 tsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon chile powder
- low sodium chicken broth, check labels for Keto or use bullion
Instructions
- Combine cooked chicken, mayonnaise, scallions, lime juice, and cilantro.
- Season to taste with salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and chile powder.
- Add a little chicken broth if chicken seams too dry, 1 tbsp at a time.
How to Poach Chicken Breast:
- Cover chicken breast in broth in a small pot, add water if it doesn't cover the chicken.
- Add salt and pepper, a piece of celery and it's leaves (you could add herbs like parsley, garlic, onion, or whatever you want) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, cover tight and let it sit for 15-20 minutes or until thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees.
- Chicken will be cooked through. Let it cool and cut into small cubes.
