Packed with flavor and just the right amount of crunch, this Cashew Chicken Salad makes a great meal stuffed between two slices of bread or a snack eaten straight up with a spoon. Dairy-free, gluten-free and paleo this Cashew Chicken Salad makes for a crunchy and buttery meal!

Confession: I had never eaten nor had I ever made a Chicken Salad recipe until I created this Cashew Chicken Salad.

So why exactly did I want to create something I had never eaten? Good question. The answer? I just wanted to!

I’ve been exploring my diet a little bit lately and have been tinkering around with my macros as well as with dairy products. This Cashew Chicken Salad was my attempt at coming up with a dairy-free and protein-rich meal [or snack] that would satisfy my rumbling belly as well as my tastebuds.

And let me just say – this recipe is a complete and utter success.

The only downside? That I made it using a rotisserie chicken, which had to be deboned and shredded. BLEH! Sorry folks…this girl does not like ripping apart meat. I actually don’t even eat meat off the bone it bothers me so much. While I typically would’ve just cooked up and shredded some chicken breasts in my crockpot, I saw the rotisserie chicken at the market and thought it would be a good option. Not going to take that route next time – but ya’ll go ahead if you feel so inclined. I’ll stick to my crockpot.

The funny thing about this recipe is that it stemmed from my desire to find lower fat options for my diet. My fat intake has been well…fatty, as of late. Like, I can’t take my dang spoon out of the nut butter and I can’t stop baking with almond flour. Low carb sure, but low-fat? So never happening in my diet.

Anyway, I was trying to cut some fat out of my diet so that I wouldn’t have to scale back on the 1/2 cup serving of nut butter I eat a day [kidding…sort of], but after I made this recipe initially I just felt like it was missing something. I’m not a huge celery fan, which I know is the main source of crunch in chicken salad recipes, and while I didn’t want to cut celery completely I thought it needed a crunchy friend to partner up with.

Yay for cashews! See why I can’t cut down on the fat in my diet? I’m obsessed….

And I know this is my creation and all, but I really think the cashews take this chicken salad to the next level. Buttery, rich, and crunchy is a triple threat of deliciousness.

Now let’s address the mayo ingredient in this recipe that isn’t actually mayo. I used Vegenaise, because like I said above I’m trying to find dairy replacements in my diet, but also because real mayo freaks me out. Don’t ask me why – I seriously don’t know – but everything from the taste to the flavor gives me the shivers.

On that note if you are a mayo fan [or even miracle whip] then go ahead and use that instead of the Vegenaise here. Of course that will take away the dairy-free aspect of this cashew chicken salad, but you do what you gotta do! Another option would be to use plain Greek yogurt, which would add a similar tang to the salad just like mayo would.

So whether you plan on stuffing this delicious salad into a pita pocket, slapping it on some crackers or eating it straight up with a spoon [my favorite!], I hope you’ll give this cashew chicken salad a try!

Cashew Chicken Salad

2016-03-05 10:17:12

Yields 3

A delicious dairy-free and paleo chicken salad that gets a buttery, crunchy boost from cashews!

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Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

15 min

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

10 min

Total Time

15 min

Ingredients

3 cups shredded chicken, roughly 1 rotisserie chicken
2/3 cup Vegenaise
2 green onions, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cup cashews, roasted & unsalted
1/2 cup fresh parsley
1/2 fresh lemon, squeezed
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Add chicken and Vegenaise to a large bowl. Stir until well coated.
Add green onions, celery, cashews, lemon and parsley.
Season with salt and pepper to taste

Notes

Swap out the Vegenaise for Mayo or even Greek Yogurt for a different twist on this recipe!

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