Shredded Chicken Salad

Delicious Cold Salad | Easy-to-Make | No-Mayo

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Table of contents:

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How to Make Shredded Chicken Salad without Mayo 

Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the Salad

• 2 cooked chicken breasts (see below for recipe suggestions)
• ¼ Purple cabbage
• Handful of salad greens
• ½ English cucumber
• ½ cup corn (we used canned corn)
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives

For the Dressing 

• 3 tbsp Olive oil
• ½  lemon, juiced
• Salt and Pepper ( to taste)

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Equipment

• 2 forks (or use a chicken shredder)
• Cutting Board
• Large Glass bowl
• Salad Serving spoons
• Small wooden bowl (for making the marinade)
• Whisk
• Lemon Juicer (optional)

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Instructions

1. Shred 2 cooked chicken breasts using two forks (see video for more info). Alternatively, use a chicken shredder (Yep, there’s a gadget for that!) 
2. Slice and dice the cucumber and purple cabbage. 
3. Add the shredded chicken to a large bowl. 
4. Add the salad ingredients (greens, corn, sliced cucumber, and shredded cabbage). Add chopped chives and mix well.
5. To make the dressing:
6. In a small bowl, add the olive oil and lemon juice, season to taste with some salt and pepper. 
7. Gently whisk until you see the ingredients begin to emulsify (this should take around 10-20 seconds). 
8. Drizzle dressing over salad, mix with a fork, and serve.

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Cooking Notes:

• 1 chicken breast serves around 2 people once added to the salad ingredients mentioned in this recipe. 
• Chicken breast meat is the easiest to shred for salads. It’s easy to find breast meat that is skinless and is also one of the leanest cuts of chicken.

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The Easiest Way to Shred Chicken?

Cooked chicken breasts are the easiest cut of chicken meat to shred as it is boneless and easy to find skinless. Other cuts of chicken (cooked chicken thigh or drumsticks) can be fiddly to shed as you’ll need to remove the bones and skin first. 

Chicken Breast Meat 

Chicken breast meat is very easy to shred and you don’t need any fancy equipment to do it. Simply use two forks; use one fork to hold the chicken, and use the other to gently shred the meat. It will take a minute or two to shred one chicken breast. Check out the recipe video for more information on how to shred chicken breast meat.

When it comes to ways to cook your chicken, I suggest a recipe that uses a marinade as it makes chicken breast more tender. Today, I used chicken marinated in this recipe as the ingredients are the same as the dressing: Mediterranean chicken with a tangy olive oil and lemon marinade.

Here are a few more chicken marinade recipes for some marinade inspiration: 

• Easy 5-Ingredient Mediterranean Chicken Marinade
• Healthy Mediterranean Chicken in a Tangy Lemon, Oil, and Herb Marinade
• 4 Greek Marinade Recipes

Another method for getting the most flavor into your chicken breast meat is to cook them on a grill or skillet. Grilled or BBQ’d breast meat absorbs lots of the smoky BBQ flavors which can be great in salads or other dishes.

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How many chicken breasts do I need to make a chicken salad? 

It’s really up to personal preference as to how much chicken to add to your salad ingredients. The trick is to have a good balance. A half/half ratio works pretty well and makes a filling salad that is also healthy and balanced. This recipe uses two chicken breasts and makes a salad that’s big enough to serve as a main for 4 people. 

If you’re planning to make a bigger batch, use the rule of thumb of 1 chicken breast per 2 servings. 

Salad Ingredients

• ¼ Purple cabbage
• Handful of salad greens
• ½ English cucumber
• ½ cup corn (I used canned corn)
• 2 tablespoons freshly chopped chives

I love using purple cabbage as the main base for this salad. It’s bright, has a lovely crunch, and works well with the lemony-flavored dressing. Use a food processor to shred the cabbage, or a sharp knife to slice the cabbage fine. 

A can of sweet corn is also a winner for some extra color and sweetness. 

I added a little sliced cucumber for some freshness and a small handful of greens for some color and extra goodness. I typically use lamb’s lettuce with this salad as it has a lovely nutty flavor but go for your favorite green, it’s up to you! 

I kept the herbs quite light and opted for chives as they give a little sharpness without overpowering the other flavors.

Storage and Preparation

With just 5 minutes of prep work once the chicken is prepared, this salad is very easy to make and requires few ingredients to hit a delicious meal. If you’re planning to make this chicken salad for a BBQ or picnic, I suggest prepping all the ingredients and storing them in separate containers until you’re ready to serve the salad, otherwise your greens will go soggy. Then simply mix the ingredients, add the dressing, and serve. 

Can I make this chicken salad recipe in advance?

Salads with lots of greens (lettuce, cucumber, etc) tend to go soggy if left for too long. I suggest preparing all of the ingredients in advance and then mixing the salad and dressing once you are ready to serve. 

Chicken salad will last up to 2 days when stored in an airtight container (just keep an eye out for any soggy lettuce and cucumber and discard any if you find any). It’s best to enjoy this fresh whenever you can. As it’s a salad, it is not recommended to be stored frozen. 

Shredded chicken breast meat

Shredded chicken can be stored frozen in an airtight container and will last up to 3 months. This is a great option for make-ahead meal plans and shredded chicken is very versatile, it can be used on just about any recipe, not just for making chicken salads. 

If planning to freeze shredded chicken, use zip-lock freezer bags and add around half a breast of shredded meat per bag. That is a good-sized portion for 1 serving when combined with other ingredients to make a balanced meal.

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Nutrition Facts

Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	277
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 16.3g	21%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 62mg	21%
Sodium 373mg	16%
Total Carbohydrate 12.4g	4%
Dietary Fiber 1.9g	7%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 22.3g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 31mg	2%
Iron 2mg	8%
Potassium 330mg	7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

More Mediterranean Salad Recipes:

• Beet and Quinoa Salad with a Lime and Mustard dressing
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad + Tangy Lemon Herb Vinaigrette | Easy 20-Minute Recipe
• Fresh & Healthy Horiatiki Greek Salad + Easy Dressing Recipe
• Tabbouleh Salad Recipe: Light, Refreshing, and Delicious
• Classic Greek Salad with Kalamata Olives and Feta Cheese (Easy 5-Minute Recipe)
• Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese (Easy Summer Salad Recipe)

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