I really hope you enjoy this Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Salad Recipe with Fried Chicken. If you do, please let me know in the comments below. I LOVE reading your comments ❤.
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
Don’t we all have those days sometimes?
Those days when regular salads get just a little boring and you want something more without throwing the whole idea of making a salad out of the window?
Maybe you want…
Something a little crispy?…
And super flavorful?…
And absolutely gorgeously incredible like um, out of this world?…
Like fried chicken maybe 😍?!
Well, you’re in luck because that’s exactly what we’ve got here today…
A salad that tastes sooooooooo good.
Like, crazy good!
I mean just imagine this, fresh crunchy veggies (cucumber, red onion, celery… yum!), tossed together with some deliciously flavorful tender crispy fried chicken and topped with an absolutely incredible dressing that’s a little bit of everything- sweet, garlicky, sour and super creamy.
WOW 🤩.
I couldn’t imagine fried chicken going THIS well with salad! But then fried chicken is just so good, I’m not amazed.
You can have this gluten free chicken salad as a Main Dish too, that’s just how filling it is.
I honestly have no idea how to explain how good this salad is to you guys.
All you can do is make it RIGHT NOW to know what I’m talking about.
Ooh and hey, wanna know a few more reasons why you’ll absolutely adore this recipe (just to make you fall even deeper in love ❤)? Let’s go!
- Are salads too boring for you? Then this gluten free chicken salad is a great way to get those veggies in if you’re not a big salad fan (or know someone who isn’t). Or hey, maybe you love veggies but just aren’t in the mood to play nice 😉. The crispy fried chicken just amps things up and makes everything so much fun!
- Oh and if you absolutely adore crispy fried chicken, you’re gonna love this easy gluten-free chicken salad recipe with fried chicken. You’ll get the fried chicken, some yummy creamy dressing along with fresh veggies. Such a win-win! And hey, who knows, this may just end up becoming one of your most fav Crispy Chicken dishes!
- Yes, this gluten free chicken salad recipe with fried chicken is super delicious as I’ve mentioned already BUT it also uses the simplest ingredients ever! Such simple ingredients, such incredible flavor. I’m sure you have most of them or maybe even all of them at home already. And hey, isn’t that just the most wonderful thing ever? No crazy expensive or difficult to find ingredients are needed to make a salad that tastes this good! Such a simple recipe with simple ingredients, I love it 😍!
- This recipe is quick and easy to make too! All you need to do is cut your veggies, make your dressing, fry the chicken (won’t take too long at all), and mix everything together. My detailed instructions, tips and tricks will help heaps too when it comes to frying the chicken, it’ll be done in no time and will be super easy so don’t worry at all. If you’re afraid of frying, I completely understand, but don’t be. I’ll guide you through it so it becomes one of the easiest things for you ever ❤.
- This is also such a different and fun salad idea if you’re into experimenting and trying different things out there. It truly feels like you’re treating yourself and feels like such a party 💃🏻. And hey, speaking of parties, this salad is super easy to make and sooo good too, you can go ahead and make it for a party as well! It’s a great party food idea. Just get ready for everyone to be totally impressed and absolutely adore it!
- Also if you’re concerned about any food allergies, this easy chicken salad recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free. So go ahead and enjoy it to your heart’s content without any worries at all ❤.
- Click on these links if your diet preference is vegetarian or vegan. You can make this delicious salad recipe according to your diet preference!
If you love crispy chicken and everything crispy as much as we do, check out these recipes below:
- Easy Crispy Fried Indian Chicken Mixed with Tangy Sauce
- Crispy Korean Fried Chicken Recipe (in Soy Garlic Sauce!)
- Homemade Batter Fried Broccoli with Creamy Sauce
If you have any food allergies or follow a certain diet type, go ahead and explore our absolutely lip-smacking Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free and/or Sugar-free recipes.
INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS FOR GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE WITH FRIED CHICKEN
For exact ingredient measurements, please scroll down to the Recipe Card.
To cook the chicken:
- Chicken- I’ve used boneless skinless chicken breasts here. I’ve cut them into small bite-sized cubes to make them easier to enjoy with the veggies. You can use chicken thighs too if you prefer. You can also use skin-on chicken breasts or thighs.
- Garlic- To add a hint of absolutely delicious garlic flavor to our gluten free crispy fried chicken. Have you ever had fried chicken with some garlic minced into it? It tastes perfect ❤.
- Egg white- Egg whites help the cornstarch stick better to the chicken. They also give our fried chicken a crispy crust, yum!
- Salt and black pepper- The usual flavor essentials.
- Cornstarch- Ah, our good friend cornstarch. It helps give our chicken the most delicious out of this world light crisp without weighing it down. And the best part? It’s completely gluten-free. Woohoo 💃🏻! You can substitute with any other gluten-free flour (or a combination of gluten free flours) you prefer. If you’re not following a gluten-free diet, you can use all purpose flour too.
- Cajun seasoning- Adding some cajun seasoning to the cornstarch and dredging our chicken in all that deliciousness is one of the best things in the world. Cajun seasoning doesn’t only give our chicken the most incredible flavor, it also gives it the most gorgeous color. That delicious garlickiness, herbiness, slight spice and everything that cajun has to offer is out of this world! You can use store-bought cajun seasoning or make your own.
- Cooking oil- The best oil to use here would be a neutral cooking oil with a high smoke point such as canola oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil, sunflower oil, refined coconut oil… lots of options out there!
To make the dressing:
- Mayonnaise- I’ve used egg mayo here. I love my gluten free chicken salad with mayonnaise. Thick creamy rich goodness, mayo works as the perfect base, bringing everything together while adding so much creaminess and flavor. You can substitute with eggless mayo or Green yogurt and/or maybe sour cream here.
- Garlic- Just a little grated or minced garlic adds the most incredible flavor to our mayo.
- Barbecue sauce- Now we’re talking! How good does barbecue sauce taste… smokey, sweet… everything good in the world 😊. Now imagine that mixed in with some mayo. YOU’LL FEEL LIKE YOU’RE HAVING A BURGER OR SOMETHING because that’s just how party-like it tastes 💃🏻! There are loads of different barbecue sauce variations out there. Go ahead and use whatever barbecue sauce type you prefer. I’ve used regular barbecue sauce here.
- Honey- Have you ever had some honey barbecue sauce? Yes? Then you’ll know how good this is gonna taste. No? Then get ready to have the time of your life! Honey mixed in with some barbecue sauce and mayo gives one of the most delicious sauces ever. YUM.
- Yellow mustard- A pretty bold sauce to add a hint of delicious sour tart flavor 😍. Just a little adds an extra oomph to our salad dressing without taking over the entire flavor. You can substitute with dijon mustard, honey mustard or ground mustard here.
- Lime juice- Ooh, lime juice with its bright flavors brings a delicious freshness to our salad dressing and adds in just a hint of sourness to balance everything out. Incredible! You can substitute it with lemon juice or maybe even apple cider vinegar.
The veggies:
- Red onion- That undeniable deliciousness of onion in a salad ❤! I wouldn’t miss it for the world. You can chop your red onion however you like. I’ve used red onion here but you can use whatever type of onion you prefer. You can use scallions too!
- Celery- We’re adding in just a little crisp celery here for a crunch and hint of flavor. So good!
- Cucumber- Ah, cucumber…Unbeatable with that delicious crunch and fresh bite. I’ve used English cucumbers but you can use whatever type of cucumber you prefer and cut it however you like.
- Green onion- Some chopped green onion to garnish it all. I feel green onion is absolutely necessary here and not optional. I mean, have you ever tried a mayo-based sauce topped with some green onion? It tastes incredible! Green onion really does work super well with our dressing here. You can also use chives instead of green onion if you like!
Optional Ingredients:
- Salt and black pepper- Give the entire salad a taste and see if you would still like to add in some salt and black pepper!
- Fresh herbs or maybe even some cajun seasoning- Ah, fresh herbs. You can go ahead and add in some fresh herbs to your salad that you feel will go well such as fresh dill, fresh cilantro, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, tarragon… Loads of options! You can use dried herbs too if you want. For an added touch of delish spice, you can sprinkle some cajun spice on top of everything too!
Once again, for exact ingredient measurements, please scroll down to the Recipe Card.
HOW TO MAKE GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE WITH FRIED CHICKEN [Step-by-Step Instructions With Photos]
Please keep in mind that I go into lots of detail in all my recipes so you get to know all the super important tips and tricks when it comes to making a particular recipe. I always want you to make the BEST of whatever you’re cooking ❤.
I can’t wait to make this with you guys, let’s go through these step-by-step instructions together!
STEP 1: GET THE CHICKEN READY
So the first thing we’ll do here is go ahead and cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and add it to a large mixing bowl.
Now to the same large bowl add in the minced garlic, egg white, a portion of the cornstarch, water, salt and pepper.
Give everything a good mix…
You have two options now, you can leave the chicken to rest in the fridge (for a half hour or so) or move to the next step and get frying 💃🏻!
STEP 2: DREDGE THE CHICKEN
In a separate large bowl, add the remaining cornstarch and cajun seasoning.
Mix the cajun seasoning and cornstarch together.
Let’s get to dredging our chicken now!
Remember, during this entire process, it’s always best to have a wet hand and a dry hand.
You can use the wet hand to move the chicken from the bowl into the cornstarch and cajun mix and you can use the dry hand to coat the chicken nice and good. This will take away all the frustration of sticky cornstarchy hands 😱.
Now getting back to our chicken…
Dust the surface you’ll be placing your dredged chicken on with some cornstarch so it doesn’t stick to the surface.
Take your chicken and start coating each individual piece in the cajun-cornstarch mixture.
Once your chicken piece is coated, give it a gentle squeeze to make sure you get that cornstarch-cajun mix stuck on nice and good to each nook and cranny of that chicken.
Dust off the excess cornstarch and place your chicken on the cornstarch dusted surface..
Once you’re done coating all your chicken cubes in that cornstarch cajun mix, leave them be for about 5 to 10 minutes to set so things don’t come apart while frying.
This usually doesn’t happen here but I like to stay on the safer side whenever I’m frying chicken!
A few pieces of chicken may sometimes stick to the surface during this time even if you’ve dusted the surface with cornstarch…
Don’t worry, just take those pieces of chicken and coat them with the cornstarch mixture again on the spots where the cornstarch mixture seems to be missing.
AND NOW LET’S GO FRY SOME CHICKEN 😍!
STEP 3: FRY THE CHICKEN
Exactly what it sounds like… time to fry the chicken!
And hey, don’t worry. It’s gonna be super easy and I’m not just saying that. I promise ❤.
I’ve used a wok here because I feel it uses lesser oil as it all collects at the bottom since it’s narrower and also because it’s shaped in a way that prevents any major splutters.
You can use a Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed deep skillet too.
Now, pour in the cooking oil and let it heat over medium heat.
After waiting for about 2 to 3 minutes, drop in a tiny piece of coated chicken into the oil to check if it’s hot enough. This is a great way to know if your oil is hot enough or not.
If the oil is ready, the chicken bit will immediately bubble up and rise to the top. Once this happens, your chicken is ready for fry time!
Carefully add your pieces of chicken, one by one. Don’t add all your pieces of chicken here.
Add just as many pieces of chicken as you feel are enough, this depends on the cooking pan you’re using.
Please don’t overcrowd your pan or else the temperature of the oil will fall resulting in soggy chicken.
I’ve used a large wok and fried my chicken in about two batches.
After adding your chicken to the oil, don’t touch it for the first 3 to 4 minutes. This is to let that delicious cornstarch cajun coating set.
After 3 to 4 minutes, you can gently move your chicken a little and turn it if you feel a certain side is uncooked. This won’t be too much of a problem though because your chicken is already mostly submerged in the hot oil.
Then let that chicken fry for an extra 2 to 3 minutes or until you see it’s gotten all gorgeously golden brown which means it’s done!
Your first batch of chicken will take about 6 to 7 minutes to cook. This depends on the cooking pan you’re using, the size of your chicken pieces, how many pieces of chicken you’ve added to the pan and your stove.
Go ahead and take your chicken out once it’s nice, browned and crispy. BUT WAIT…
As your pieces of chicken crisp up and brown beautifully, when the time comes to remove them, it’s best to keep some things in mind.
This will help your chicken stay crispy for longer. These points will come in handy whenever you’re frying anything out there.
- Once you’re done frying your chicken and it’s time to remove them, please don’t reduce or switch the heat off until you remove all the pieces of chicken from the pan. If you reduce or switch off the heat, the oil will be absorbed by the chicken, making them a soggy mess 😱.
- As you’re removing the pieces of chicken, make sure you first put them in a strainer (holding the strainer over the pan). Then give them a little shake. This way, the excess oil will fall back right into the pan.
- After straining your crispy pieces of chicken for any extra oil, place them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet or baking tray. This is so much better than placing your pieces of chicken directly on tissues or paper towels because it’ll make them soggy. If you do not have a cooling rack, strain the pieces of chicken and then transfer the pieces of chicken to a plate without any kitchen towels or tissues on it. Also try and make sure the pieces of chicken are not too close to each other or they may get soggy.
And there you have it, absolutely incredible crispy golden pieces of deliciousness!
Go ahead and fry the rest of the chicken the same way (if you have any more left).
The next batch of chicken may finish frying up faster, about 5 to 6 mins thanks to the oil being hot already.
You can also always reduce the temperature of your oil by reducing the heat to low if you feel the oil has gotten too hot. You’ll know the oil has gotten too hot if it starts smoking.
An optional suggestion here is to sprinkle some more cajun seasoning on your crispy chicken once it’s fresh and out of the pan for more spice and flavor, or maybe even some salt…
The chicken will be delicious on its own though so this is not necessary.
Go ahead and take a bite… How good is that, huh? And you fried it all by yourself ❤. Yum!
Leave your chicken to rest on the cooling rack and go ahead and…
STEP 4: MAKE THE DRESSING
You can do this while the chicken fries if you’re a multitasker or after frying the chicken like me 😉!
Take a bowl and add in the mayonnaise, garlic, barbecue sauce, yellow mustard, honey and lime juice.
Now mix everything together…
Doesn’t it look gorgeous? Like art ✨!
Make sure to mix everything super well together…
STEP 5: CUT YOUR VEGGIES
Let’s get more of those salad ingredients ready!
Go ahead and chop your red onion, celery and cucumber.
You can cut them however you prefer ❤.
STEP 6: MIX EVERYTHING AND ENJOY
Now go ahead and add your veggies, dressing and crispy fried chicken to a large bowl.
I like keeping a few pieces of fried chicken on the side to top the final salad with once everything’s mixed. You can do that too or add all your pieces of chicken all at once.
Give everything a good mix and garnish with some scrumptious green onion.
Give your salad a taste.
If you feel it needs salt and/or pepper, add some in. I usually don’t because I feel the salad doesn’t need it.
And hey, now enjoy one of the most delicious salads in the whole world 😍. YUM!
You can enjoy this salad on its own or maybe make some chicken salad sandwiches with your favorite gluten-free bread… or make some chicken salad lettuce wraps…
You can find more ways to serve this salad in our Serving Suggestions section below to discover new favorite ways you can have his salad ❤.
Hey you, I really hope you love this Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Salad Recipe with Fried Chicken as much as I do!
If you do, I would appreciate a star rating SO much (you can leave a star rating for this recipe right below or from the Recipe Card 💖).
Also, if you have any questions about this recipe, make sure to check out our FAQs section below to maybe find your answer there, or leave a comment and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible, I promise 😊.
Once again, for exact ingredient measurements, please scroll down to the Recipe Card.
EASY Gluten-Free Chicken Salad Recipe (with Fried Chicken)
Ingredients
To Marinate the Chicken:
- 1 lb or 454 gms chicken breast skinless and boneless, cut into small bite-sized pieces (can use boneless chicken thighs or skin-on chicken breasts or thighs as well)
- 2 medium-sized cloves of garlic smashed/crushed and minced or grated
- 1 egg white from a large egg
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 3½ tbsp cornstarch
- ¼ cup water
To Coat and Fry the Chicken:
- 1 cup or 130 gms cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
- neutral cooking oil (just enough to submerge your pieces of chicken while they fry, this may be a few cups)
For the Dressing:
- 1 cup or 230 gms mayonnaise (can substitute with eggless mayo or Greek yogurt and/or sour cream)
- 2 medium-sized cloves of garlic smashed/crushed and minced or grated
- 2½ tsp barbecue sauce
- 2 tsp honey
- 2 tsp yellow mustard (can substitute with dijon mustard, honey mustard or ground mustard)
- ½ tbsp lime juice (can substitute with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar)
Fot the Salad:
- 1 small or 125 gms onion finely chopped or you can slice/chop however you like (can use any type of onion you prefer. You can use scallions too!)
- 2 stalk celery chopped or cut however you prefer
- 1 small or 150 gms English cucumber chopped or cut however you like (can use any type of cucumber you prefer)
- chopped green onion for garnishing (can substitute with chives if you prefer)
Optional:
- salt + pepper (Give your salad a taste and adjust according to your preference if needed)
- fresh herbs for garnishing (like cilantro or mint leaves etc)
- some more Cajun seasoning for garnishing (for some extra flavor)
( Note- Please keep in mind that I go into lots of detail in all my recipes so you get to know all the super important tips & tricks when it comes to making a particular recipe. I always want you to make the BEST of whatever you’re cooking ❤ )
Instructions
- GET THE CHICKEN READYThe first thing you need to do here is cut the 1 lb or 454 gms chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.Then add minced 2 medium-sized cloves of garlic, 1 egg white, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 3½ tbsp cornstarch and ¼ cup water to your chicken.Mix everything together.You can now either leave the chicken to rest in the fridge (for a half hour or so) or move to the next step and get frying 💃🏻.
- DREDGE THE CHICKENMix 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning and 1 cup or 130 gms cornstarch in a separate large bowl.When dredging your chicken, it’s always helpful to have a wet hand and a dry hand.You can use the wet hand to move the chicken from the bowl into the cornstarch and cajun mix, and you can use the dry hand to coat the chicken nice and good. This will take away the frustration of sticky cornstarchy hands 😱.Also, remember to dust the surface you’ll be placing your cornstarch-coated chicken on with some cornstarch so the dredged chicken doesn’t stick to the surface.Let’s start dredging the chicken now!Start coating each individual piece of chicken in the cajun-cornstarch mixture.After coating the chicken in the cornstarch mixture, give it a gentle squeeze to make sure you get that cornstarch cajun mix stuck on nice and good to the chicken.Dust off the excess cornstarch and place it on the cornstarch coated surface.Now leave your cornstarch coated chicken be for about 5 to 10 minutes to set so things don’t come apart while frying. Don’t worry, this usually doesn’t happen here but I like to stay on the safer side whenever I’m frying chicken!Don’t worry if a few pieces of chicken get stuck to the surface during this time even if you’ve dusted the surface with cornstarch.Gently take those pieces of chicken and coat them in the cornstarch mixture again on the spots where the cornstarch mixture came off and dust off the excess.And now, LET’S GO FRY SOME CHICKEN 💃🏻!
- FRY THE CHICKENIf you’re nervous about frying, don’t worry. It’s gonna be super easy and I’m not just saying that. I promise ❤.I’ve used a wok here cause I feel it uses lesser oil as it’s narrower at the bottom so all the oil collects at the bottom and also because it’s shaped in a way that prevents any major splutters.You can use a Dutch oven or even a heavy-bottomed deep skillet.Now, pour in the neutral cooking oil and wait for it to heat over medium heat.After waiting for about 2 to 3 minutes, drop in a tiny piece of dredged chicken into the oil to check if it’s hot enough. This is a great way to know if your oil is hot enough or not.If the oil is ready, the chicken bit will bubble up immediately and rise to the top. This means your chicken is ready for fry time!Carefully add your pieces of chicken, one by one. Don’t add all your pieces of chicken at once here.Add just as many pieces of chicken as you feel are enough, this depends on the cooking pan you’re using. Don’t overcrowd your pan or else the temperature of the oil will fall resulting in soggy chicken :o.I’ve used a large wok and fried my chicken in two batches.After adding your pieces of chicken to the oil, don’t touch them for the first 3 to 4 minutes. This is to let that delicious cornstarch cajun coating set.After 3 to 4 minutes, you can gently move your chicken a little and turn it if you feel the other side is uncooked.Then let it fry for an extra 2 to 3 minutes or until you see it’s gotten all gorgeously golden brown which means it’s done!Your first batch of chicken will take about 6 to 7 minutes to cook. This depends on the cooking pan you’re using, the size of your pieces of chicken, how many pieces of chicken you’ve added to the pan and your stove.Take your chicken out once it’s nice, browned and crispy. BUT when the time comes to remove those pieces of chicken, it’s best to keep some things in mind.This is optional and helps whenever you fry anything out there:1) Don’t reduce or switch the heat off until you remove all the pieces of chicken from the pan. If you reduce or switch the heat off before your pieces of chicken are out, the chicken will absorb the oil, making everything a soggy mess 😱.2) As you’re removing the pieces of chicken, make sure you first put them in a strainer (holding the strainer over the pan so the oil falls right back in). Then give the strainer a little shake. This way, the excess oil will fall back right into the pan and won’t come out along with the chicken.3) After straining your crispy pieces of chicken for any extra oil, place them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet or baking tray to catch any excess oil. This is so much better than placing your pieces of chicken directly on tissues or paper towels because it’ll make them soggy. If you do not have a cooling rack, transfer the chicken to a plate without any kitchen towels or tissues on it. Also try and make sure the pieces of chicken are not too close to each other or they may get soggy.And there you have it, absolutely incredible crispy golden pieces of gorgeous deliciousness 💃!Go ahead and fry the rest of the chicken the same way (if you have any more left).The next batch of chicken may take faster to fry, about 5 to 6 mins thanks to the oil being hot already.Remember that you can also always reduce the temperature of your oil by reducing the heat to low if you feel the oil has gotten too hot. You’ll know the oil has gotten too hot if it starts smoking.An optional suggestion here is to sprinkle some more cajun seasoning on your crispy chicken once it’s fresh out of the pan for more spice and flavor. You can sprinkle just some salt too if you want. The chicken will be delicious on its own though so this is not necessary.Go ahead and take a bite… How good is that, huh? And you fried it all by yourself ❤. Woah!Leave your chicken to rest on the cooling rack and go ahead and…
- MAKE THE DRESSINGYou can make the dressing while the chicken fries if you’re a multitasker or after frying the chicken like me 😉!Take a bowl and add in 1 cup or 230 gms mayonnaise, 2 medium-sized cloves of garlic smashed and minced, 2½ tsp barbecue sauce, 2 tsp honey, 2 tsp yellow mustard and ½ tbsp lime juice.Mix everything together and move to the next step.
- CUT YOUR VEGGIESLet’s get more of those salad ingredients ready!Go ahead and chop your 1 small or 125 gms onion, 2 stalk celery and 1 small or 150 gms English cucumber.You can cut them however you prefer ❤.Set them aside and move to the next step!
- MIX EVERYTHING AND ENJOY!Add your veggies and crispy fried chicken to a large bowl.I like keeping a few pieces of fried chicken on the side to top the final salad with once everything’s mixed just for an added crisp. You can do that too or add all your pieces of chicken at once.Now pour all that delicious dressing over the veggies and crispy chicken.Mix everything together and garnish your crispy chicken salad with some scrumptious chopped green onion.Now give your salad a taste ❤. Delish!If you feel you need salt + pepper, add some in. I usually don’t because I feel the salad doesn’t need it.And now, enjoy one of the most delicious salads in the whole world 😍. YUM YUM YUM!!!(Gluten-free Disclaimer: To our best ability, we have used ingredients in this recipe that are gluten-free or available in gluten-free variants. Please remember that some products may contain gluten so do read the ingredient labels of the products you use to make sure they are gluten-free.)
Notes ✍🏼
- Use fresh ingredients when making this gluten and dairy free chicken salad recipe. Fresh ingredients just taste better!
- It’s best to have a wet hand and dry hand when dredging the chicken. Use the wet hand to move the chicken from the bowl into the cornstarch cajun mix and use the dry hand to coat the chicken nice and good. This will take away all the frustration of sticky cornstarchy hands when making this tasty gluten free chicken salad recipe.
- Use an oil that has a high smoke point. This is so the oil doesn’t start smoking, turn rancid and burn your food giving it a terrible flavor.
- I know it’s super tempting but don’t add your pieces of chicken to the oil until it is hot enough. Wait for the oil to heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, then drop in a tiny piece of coated chicken into the oil to check if it’s hot enough. If the oil is ready, the chicken bit will immediately bubble up and rise to the top. This means your chicken is ready to fry! The right temperature of the oil will give you that perfect crispy tender chicken.
- Please don’t overcrowd your pan when frying the chicken or else the temperature of the oil will fall resulting in soggy chicken (noooo!).
- Keep a check on how hot your oil is getting when frying your chicken. You’ll know your oil is super hot if it starts smoking. Just reduce the heat to low until the oil stops smoking or add in just a little extra oil. This is usually not something to worry about though cause it doesn’t happen often in this recipe.
- In a hurry and don’t have the time to fry your pieces of chicken in batches? One of my favorite things to do when I need to get this chicken ready quickly is to just go ahead and fry the chicken breasts whole and cut them into strips after removing them from the oil. This hurries up the process quite a bit.
- Unsure about your chicken being completely cooked through? Go ahead and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your chicken. I don’t use one and it’s okay if you don’t have one either.
- Double fry your chicken for an absolutely incredible crisp. To learn how to double fry your chicken, go to the Tips Section above.
- If you’re crazy about crispy fried chicken (like me!), keep some pieces of fried chicken on the side and don’t mix in all of them into your homemade gluten free chicken salad recipe. After tossing all the sauces, veggies and chicken together, go ahead and top your easy gluten and dairy free chicken salad with those few crispy pieces of chicken. This is one of my favorite ways to add an extra crunch to my salad.
- You can fry the chicken and keep it aside, make your salad and top it up with some nice warm fried chicken (one of my favorite things to do!) BUT if you prefer a cold salad, you can make your salad, keep it in the fridge for a while and then fry your chicken and top the salad up with it (cold creamy salad topped with warm crispy chicken, yum!). AND if you want your chicken to be cold too, you can go ahead and fry your chicken, wait until it reaches room temperature, top your salad up with it and keep it in the refrigerator to get as cold as you like it and then enjoy it. This salad will taste amazing no matter how warm or cold it is!
- Play around with the sauces in the dressing and add, remove, increase or decrease whatever sauces you want to create a salad dressing that’s unique to you!
- Go ahead and make lots of dressing if you prefer a saucy salad or reduce the amount of dressing if you prefer a salad that’s more chicken and veggie forward.
- See an ingredient you don’t like? Skip out on it! The best part about this dairy free gluten free chicken salad is you can leave out any ingredient you don’t like and it’ll still taste incredible!
- To add a sweet crunch and the most gorgeous touch of color to your gluten-free chicken salad, add in some fresh fruit such as juicy red grapes or green grapes (or both! Red or green seedless grapes work well but you can go for whatever you prefer, ah juicy grapes!), sweet apples, pomegranate… maybe even some dried cranberries, pineapple… loads of options!
- For some extra added flavor, you can go ahead and garnish your dairy and gluten free chicken salad recipe with some fresh cilantro or other fresh herbs such as fresh dill, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, tarragon (dried are fine too). You can also garnish your homemade chicken salad with a pinch of cajun powder or my favorite, green onion!
Nutrition (per serving)
The nutritional information given here is only an estimate.
Please read our full Nutrition Information Disclaimer to learn more.Did you make this recipe?
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Would you like to explore more such recipes? Check out our collection of absolutely lip-smacking Salads, Crispy Chicken and Summer recipes.
WHAT IS A GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE?
Well, gluten free chicken salad is exactly what it sounds like… gluten free chicken salad!
This is an absolutely delicious salad made with…
- The most incredible crispiest ever gluten-free fried chicken…
- FRESH crunchy veggies (yum!!!)…
- And an absolutely delicious creamyyy dressing that tastes sooo good. It’s creamy, slightly sweet, a little sour and has the most delicious subtle flavor of garlic 🤩.
Everything comes together gorgeously to give you one of the most delicious salads ever. I honestly have no words.
All I know is, you’ll really need to control yourself from finishing this crispy chicken salad all in one go.
That’s just how good it is ⭐.
If you have any food allergies, this classic chicken salad recipe with a crispy twist is gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free and sugar-free which makes it even more awesome than it already is!
But hey, it goes without saying here that you should still check the ingredient list of all the ingredients you’re using to make this recipe to make sure they’re 100% gluten -free, dairy-free, nut-free and/or sugar-free.
So how did I come up with this delicious easy gluten free chicken salad recipe with fried chicken?
Personal story time because that’s what The Buttery Fairytale is about, our personal memories with our favorite recipes ❤.
I would love for you to make the most delicious memories ever with all the recipes we have here.
You can share your stories/memories with this recipe in the comments below too, whether this is the first time you’re trying this recipe or if you’ve already had it multiple times before… I would love to hear all about it!
So yes, I recently had a really good friend visit and she follows a gluten-free diet.
I was getting ready to cook some food for her when the lights suddenly went out in our neighborhood 😱.
I was gonna make this Easy Crispy Fried Indian Chicken Mixed with Tangy Sauce along with a simple veggie salad for her but once the lights went out, I knew I’d have to get something ready quick that also happened to be on the easy side.
The sun was going down and I had maybe about 20 minutes to whip something up FAST!
So I decided to fry the chicken I was going to fry anyway, toss it in with the veggies I had already cut and diced, and made a dressing I thought would taste good enough…?
I mixed it all together as fast as I could and hoped for the best…
And YAY my friend loved it to bits and pieces and it became one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE SALADS too!
And of course, there’s no surprise why, it just tastes incredible ✨.
I just had to share this simple but super delicious salad with you guys!
So filling, creamy and absolutely yum. I hope you enjoy it too ❤.
FUN SERVING SUGGESTIONS
There are so many different ways you can serve this fun and delicious chicken salad recipe. Let’s explore some of them below…
- Add some cheese 😍! Grate your favorite cheese over this delicious chicken salad to add a whole other level of flavor to it. You can grate Parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella… whatever you prefer. You can use goat cheese or feta cheese too! Oh ❤.
- You can also drizzle the sauces prettily over the salad to make it look artistic and gorgeous rather than mixing them all beforehand.
- Go ahead and add some extra ingredients on the side such as maybe some boiled eggs? They go really well with a creamy salad like this one. Also, potatoes are your best friend here! Go ahead and add maybe some boiled potatoes, roast potatoes… I sometimes even pan fry my boiled potatoes so they get crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It works soo well with a fried chicken salad! You can serve this delicious salad on top of some baked potatoes too or alongside mashed potatoes. Maybe even over some baked sweet potatoes! To make this even more fun for yourself or maybe even kids, you can add in some potato chips or even french fries. Yay 💃🏻! Sweet potato fries add a yummy flavor and crisp too.
- You can serve this simple gluten free chicken salad recipe with some delicious roast veggies too like carrots, broccoli, potato, brussel sprouts, cauliflower… The flavor they’ll add to the salad will be ❤! You can grill your veggies as well!
- To make this delicious gluten-free chicken salad even more filling, go ahead and serve it atop some gluten-free pasta to turn it into a gluten free chicken pasta salad! All that incredible fried chicken creaminess mixed in with some pasta… oh it’ll taste so.good.
- Ever tried a salad with some delicious roasted nuts added in? It tastes incredible! Go ahead and top your salad with whatever nuts you prefer and feel will go well here. There are so many options out there! Walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, peanuts…!!! Just toast or roast them or even add them in raw if you prefer and enjoy. Looking for a nut- free option? For a nut- free option, add in some delicious seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds… maybe even chia seeds or flax seeds. Yum!
- Sometimes, I’m just in the mood for a delicious classic sandwich and ooh boy does this fried chicken salad come in handy giving that perfect mayo creaminess, crunch from the chicken and crisp from the fresh veggies. You can go ahead and make some gluten free chicken salad sandwiches as well! To make the most delicious gluten free chicken salad sandwiches ever, go ahead and use your favorite gluten-free bread. You can toast the slices of bread (maybe in some garlic butter too if you like!) and fill em up with this creamy chicken salad. You can add in other veggies too such as maybe some romaine lettuce or butter lettuce to your chicken salad sandwiches…? Avocado? Tomato? And there you go, enjoy that gluten free chicken salad sandwich!
- Or the same way, you can go ahead and use gluten-free buns and make some gluten-free chicken salad sliders or burgers. Grab your favorite gluten-free buns and toast them. Then place some molten cheese over the bun, add lots of this delicious crispy chicken salad, place another soft gluten-free bun on top and take a bite. How gorgeous does that taste? No words, nope. You can add your favorite fresh veggies here too such as some sliced avocado, tomato, romaine lettuce or butter lettuce… literally anything you prefer!
- You don’t need to stick to just breads and buns! You can scoop your gluten-free chicken salad into gluten-free croissants too! Ah, imagine how good it’ll taste. That buttery flakey croissant with this delicious creamy crispy chicken salad… all those flavors. Wow 🤩. You maybe can use bagels too.
- You can also use some gluten-free tortillas and make a gluten free chicken salad wrap or roll with your creamy chicken salad. Go ahead and use your favorite gluten-free tortillas, fill them up with whatever veggies you prefer such as tomato, napa cabbage, avocado, romaine lettuce or butter lettuce, stuff all that creamy gluten free chicken salad, roll it up and enjoy!
- Or go ahead and use a gluten free pita pocket and make a chicken salad pita pocket! Stuff in your creamy chicken salad, fill it up with whatever veggies you like such as romaine lettuce or butter lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, grated carrot… so many options. Enjoy ❤!
- Guess what? For a low carb option, you can make lettuce wraps or lettuce cups with this incredibly delish creamy chicken salad too! You can use romaine lettuce, butter lettuce or whatever lettuce you prefer that you feel will hold everything together well to make some lettuce wraps or lettuce cups. Just add a nice dollop of this gluten free chicken salad onto a lettuce cup or wrap it up making a mouthwatering lettuce wrap, nice, fresh and crunchy. You can maybe even make cabbage wraps with napa cabbage. This is a great gluten-free option as well.
- Or just go ahead and serve this gluten free chicken salad with another salad! Go ahead and make a simple (or super extravagant) salad with your favorite fresh veggies (ooh bright flavors!), drizzle some extra virgin olive oil and serve your gluten free chicken salad along with it or on top of it. It’s no mystery that this salad works super well with fresh greens. Yum! Ooh and salad over salad? SALADCEPTION!
- For some extra added flavor, you can garnish your dairy and gluten free chicken salad recipe with some fresh cilantro or other fresh herbs such as fresh dill, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, tarragon (dried are fine too). You can add a pinch of cajun seasoning or even my personal favorite, green onion!
- You can also serve your crispy chicken salad recipe with some gluten-free crackers. You can stuff the cracker as well as top it up with another cracker to make it a cracker sandwich (yum!) with it or just use the creamy chicken salad as a dip! Becomes a pretty delish filling snack! You can use rice cakes as well as crunchy carrot sticks and/or crisp celery sticks.
- Go ahead and make a cucumber boat! To make this chicken salad taste even more refreshing and give it a pretty impressive presentation, serve it in a cucumber boat. Delish 😍!
- To add an extra crunch to this already crispy and crunchy creamy salad, you can add in some gluten-free croutons. Imagine those croutons soaking up all that delicious dressing and bites of crispy chicken, crunchy fresh veggies, delicious creamy dressing along with delicious CRONCHY croutons. Incredible! You can add in gluten-free tortilla chips too, maybe even topping the salad with some crumbled gluten-free tortilla chips!
- If you make this for a party, you’re gonna have people fall deeply in love with your cooking skills. What makes things even better is how easy this is to make for a large group of people. Plus, you can serve it in a really cool way for a crowd too! You can give people options! Just go ahead and serve your crispy chicken salad along with crackers, potato chips, french fries, even a few tortilla wraps if they want to make a wrap for themselves or even burger buns and slices of bread. Perhaps even some lettuce cups or lettuce wraps for a low carb option. And even some veggies like tomatoes, lettuce, avocado for them to fill their wrap/sandwich/burger with. They can make whatever they want with this salad. Maybe even some crunchy carrots and crisp celery for people to dip into the chicken salad if they prefer!
- You can serve your gluten free chicken salad with grapes or any other fresh fruit too to add a sweet crunch, if you prefer. You can top your salad with fresh fruit too for a stunning burst of color. Fruit adds a sweetness that works super well with all the flavors here. Add in maybe some juicy red grapes or green grapes (or both! Red or green seedless grapes work well but you can go for whatever you prefer. Ah juicy grapes!), sweet apples, maybe even some dried cranberries, pineapple! An added plus is all the color they bring to the salad!
TIPS TO MAKE THE BEST GLUTEN-FREE CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE WITH FRIED CHICKEN
Sooo… if you’ve gone through the instructions already, you’ll know how simple this best ever gluten free chicken salad recipe is to make!
Easy is an understatement with such simple ingredients too!
But if you want to make things even easier, go through these tips to make the best chicken salad ever. I’m sure you’ll find something useful ❤.
- Ooh I can’t say this enough… please use fresh ingredients when making this gluten and dairy free chicken salad recipe. Fresh ingredients just taste better and this is a great way to make this ultimate chicken salad recipe taste yummier than it already is! The veggies are crunchier, the sauces are more flavorful and the chicken is deliciously tender.
- A great way to prevent sticky cornstarchy hands when dredging your chicken is by having a wet hand and dry hand. You can use the wet hand to move the chicken from the bowl into the cornstarch cajun mix and you can use the dry hand to coat the chicken nice and good.
- Make sure you use an oil that has a high smoke point such as maybe vegetable oil, canola oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, avocado oil, soybean oil, refined coconut oil etc (lots more options out there)… This is so that the oil doesn’t start smoking, turn rancid and burn your food giving it a terrible flavor.
- I know it’s super tempting but don’t add your pieces of chicken to the oil until the oil is hot enough. Wait for the oil to heat for about 2 to 3 minutes, then drop in a tiny piece of coated chicken into the oil to check if it’s hot enough. If the oil is ready, the chicken bit will immediately bubble up and rise to the top. Once this happens, your chicken is ready for fry time! The right temperature of oil will give you that perfect crispy tender chicken.
- When frying the chicken, add just as many pieces of chicken as you feel are enough. Please don’t overcrowd your pan or else the temperature of the oil will fall resulting in soggy chicken (noooo!).
- While frying your chicken, keep a check on how hot your oil is getting. You’ll know your oil is super hot if it starts smoking. Just go ahead and reduce the heat to low until the oil stops smoking. You can also add in a little more oil to bring the temperature of the oil down. This is usually not something to worry about though because it doesn’t happen often in this recipe.
- Are you in a hurry and don’t have the time to fry your pieces of chicken in batches? One of my favorite things to do when I need to get this chicken ready quickly is to just go ahead and fry the chicken breasts whole and then cut them into tender chicken strips after removing them from the oil. This hurries up the process so there won’t be a need to fry your chicken in batches.
- If you’re unsure about your chicken being completely cooked through, you can go ahead and use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken to see if it’s done. The temperature needs to reach at least 165 °F for your chicken to be fully cooked. It’s okay if you don’t have a meat thermometer though, I don’t use one either!
- Go ahead and double fry your chicken for an absolutely incredible crisp. To double fry your chicken, once you’re done frying all the pieces of chicken the first time place them on a cooling rack over a baking sheet or baking tray, then raise the heat to high, wait for a minute or so until the oil is heated through and then add all the pieces of chicken back into the oil. Let them fry for a minute or two and take them out. Enjoy that crispy gorgeousness!
- If you’re crazy about crispy fried chicken (like me!), you can go ahead and keep some pieces of fried chicken on the side and not mix in all of them when making the salad. Once you’re done tossing all the sauces, veggies and chicken together in a large bowl, go ahead and top your salad with those few crispy pieces of chicken. This is one of my favorite ways to add an extra crunch to my salad.
- You can fry the chicken and keep it aside, make your salad and top it up with some nice warm fried chicken (one of my favorite things to do!) or if you prefer a cold salad, you can make your salad, keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for a while and then fry your chicken and top the salad up with it (cold creamy salad topped with warm crispy chicken, yum!). But hey, if you want your chicken to be cold too, you can go ahead and fry your chicken and wait for it to reach room temperature, top your salad up with it, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator to get as cold as you like and then enjoy it. The thing is, this salad will taste amazing no matter how warm or cold it is!
- Maybe you prefer a little more barbecue sauce in the dressing, go ahead and add more! Maybe you feel another sauce (such as sweet onion sauce? Buffalo sauce? Discover your own secret ingredient 😉!) will lend more to the dressing so go ahead and add it! Play around with the sauces in the dressing and add, remove, increase or decrease whatever sauces you want, to create a salad dressing that’s unique to you!
- You can also make lots of dressing if you prefer a saucy salad or reduce the amount of dressing if you prefer a salad that’s more chicken and veggie forward.
- See an ingredient you don’t like? Skip out on it! That’s the best part about this salad. You can leave out any ingredient you don’t like and it’ll taste good nonetheless, it really is the ultimate chicken salad recipe! You can add or remove whatever ingredient/s you want or don’t want! Customize this quick gluten free chicken salad recipe however you like and lemme know what ingredients you’ve added or removed in the comments below. I’d love to try it your way ❤.
- To add a sweet crunch and the most gorgeous touch of color to your gluten-free chicken salad, add in some fresh fruit such as juicy red grapes or green grapes (or both! Red or green seedless grapes work well but you can go for whatever you prefer, ah juicy grapes!), sweet apples, pomegranate… maybe even some dried cranberries, pineapple!
- For some extra added flavor, you can go ahead and garnish your dairy and gluten free chicken salad recipe with some fresh cilantro or other fresh herbs such as fresh dill, parsley, chives, basil, thyme, tarragon (dried are fine too). You can also garnish your homemade chicken salad with a pinch of cajun seasoning or my favorite, green onion!
RECIPE & DIET VARIATIONS YOU CAN TRY
Ooh, this gluten free chicken salad recipe has loads of variations!
And that just means there are so many more ways you can enjoy this simple recipe.
So go ahead and experiment, this recipe won’t ever disappoint ❤.
Time to go wild!
- Use whatever flour you prefer!- I love the crisp cornstarch gives to our fried chicken but you can use whatever gluten-free flour you prefer. There are so many options out there such as tapioca starch, rice flour, potato starch… You can also use a combination of these flours. You can use gluten-free breadcrumbs as well as panko to coat your chicken. If you’re not following a gluten-free diet, you can use all-purpose flour too.
- Cut the chicken however you want- We’ve cut our chicken into small bite-sized cubes BUT there are loads of different ways you can cut your chicken too! Go ahead and fry some delicious juicy chicken tenders, maybe some chicken popcorn or even fry a whole breast.
- Double fry for an out.of.this.world crisp- Yep, you read that right! To make your gluten-free fried chicken even crispier, go ahead and double fry it. To double fry your chicken, once you’re done frying all the pieces of chicken the first time, raise the heat to high and add all the pieces of chicken back into the oil once it’s heated through. Let them fry for a minute or two and then remove them. Enjoy that crispy galore!
- Cook the chicken however you like- which is totally awesome! If you want some crispy chicken without having to fry it, there are loads of different ways you can do it. You can always air fry, bake or pan fry your chicken in very little oil. The crispy chicken in this salad makes everything a bajillion times yummier BUT if you want to try something different and make things low carb as well as for a healthy chicken salad option, you can sprinkle some cajun spice over your chicken and sauté it over a pan, grill it, roast it or even just poach it. You can then shred it in a food processor too if you prefer.
- Change up the chicken- I know this is a fried chicken recipe (and it gets ready pretty quick too!) but sometimes, we’re just not in the mood to do any cooking. I completely understand! You can go ahead and use some store-bought rotisserie chicken or maybe even use some cooked leftover chicken you have at home (to save up on any additional cost) for a healthy chicken salad option. It’ll taste delicious with this salad ❤. And hey you, if you have any food allergies related to gluten, be careful about cross-contamination when buying your rotisserie chicken and make sure it’s 100% gluten-free.
- Use any meat you prefer- You can use boneless chicken thighs as well if you want (I’ve used boneless skinless chicken breasts) but hey, you can use whatever meat you like too, there are lots of protein options out there! Can you imagine how good this gluten-free chicken salad recipe will taste with some fried shrimp? Maybe even some crispy fried fish? Ah, incredible ❤. Go ahead and try it for yourself!…. or…
- You can make a deep-fried crispy boiled egg salad too. I can’t even imagine how good it’ll taste here. Creamy egg salads are so good as they are, imagine adding a crisp in along with that creamy texture. Yum! You can also mix it in with some crispy fried chicken for lots of protein fun!
- If you’re vegan or vegetarian– use some fried broccoli (check how we’ve fried some broccoli in our Homemade Batter Fried Broccoli with Creamy Sauce recipe!). You can also fry some cauliflower, tofu… maybe even some crispy chickpeas or whatever you prefer. To learn more on how to adapt this recipe to your diet preference (vegan or vegetarian) scroll below.
- Instead of mayo…- You can go ahead and use vegan mayo here to get that creamy texture. You can also use light-mayo for a more healthy chicken salad option If you don’t want to keep this recipe dairy-free, you can use Greek yogurt and/or sour cream as well.
- Play around with the sauces in the dressing- Maybe you prefer a little more barbecue sauce in the dressing, just add more! Perhaps you feel another sauce (such as sweet onion sauce? Buffalo sauce?) will add more to the dressing, go ahead and add it! It’s amazing what a few simple ingredients can do. Have fun with this recipe and add, remove, increase or decrease whatever sauces you want, to create a salad dressing that’s unique to you! You can add in fresh lemon juice, lime juice or even apple cider vinegar for an extra tang and bright flavors. You can also make loads of dressing if you prefer a saucy salad or reduce the amount of dressing if you prefer a salad that’s more chicken and veggie forward.
- Or use your own favorite salad dressing- We all have a preference when it comes to a salad dressing that we love out there. Go ahead and use your favorite salad dressing, I’m sure it’ll go well here! Maybe you prefer thousand island? Ranch? Or maybe a simple vinaigrette dressing?
- Add whatever veggies you prefer to this gluten free chicken salad!- A veggie rich salad is always fun. Go ahead and add whatever veggies you like! Maybe add in some delicious juicy cherry tomatoes, crunchy iceberg lettuce, sweet corn… peas, carrots, bell peppers, napa cabbage or red cabbage, olives, avocado!… Wow, the options are endless 😍.
- Prefer more chicken or more veggies in your salad?- Add more veggies if you want to make this salad veggie centric or more chicken if you want to make this salad chicken centric. One of my favorite ways to have this salad is with lots of fried chicken in it.
- Add some delicious crunchy nuts ❤- Wow, have you ever tried a salad with some delicious roasted nuts added in? Man it tastes incredible. Who knew there are so many different ways you can enjoy a salad? Go ahead and add whatever nuts you prefer and feel will go well here. Walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, peanuts…!!! Just toast or roast them or even add them in raw if you prefer and enjoy. Remember that this easy chicken salad recipe will no longer be nut-free if you choose to add nuts in. A great way to add a crunch without adding nuts in would be by adding in some delicious seeds such as pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds… maybe even chia seeds or flax seeds. Yum!
- A gluten free pasta salad? HECK YES!- You read that right! To make this delicious gluten-free chicken salad even more filling, go ahead and add in some gluten-free pasta to it to turn it into a gluten free chicken pasta salad recipe! All that incredible fried chicken creaminess mixed in with some pasta… oh it’ll taste so good. Make sure to use a large mixing bowl to mix everything together easily.
- Add a sweet crunch to your gluten-free chicken salad- Go ahead and add some delicious fresh fruit to your salad! Fruit tastes soooo good in a salad. It lends a sweetness that works super well with all the flavors here. Add in maybe some juicy red grapes or green grapes (or both! Red or green seedless grapes work well but you can go for whatever you prefer. Ah juicy grapes!), sweet apples, maybe even some dried cranberries, pineapple! An added plus is all the color they bring to the salad!
- Add in some extra ingredients!- Such as maybe some boiled eggs? They go pretty well with a creamy salad like this one. Potatoes are your best friend here too because they taste so good in this salad! Go ahead and add maybe some boiled potatoes, roast potatoes… I sometimes even pan fry my boiled potatoes so they get crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Works super well with a fried chicken salad! You can serve this delicious salad on top of some baked potatoes too or alongside mashed potatoes. Maybe even over some baked sweet potatoes! To make this more fun for yourself or maybe even kids, you can add in some potato chips or french fries. Yay 💃🏻! Sweet potato fries add a yum flavor and crisp too.
- Add a delicious Middle Eastern twist- By using the garlic mayo that we made in this Easy Chicken Shawarma Wrap with Creamy Garlic Sauce recipe as dressing! You can add in some hummus and/or tahini too. Top it all with some green onion and enjoy… Yum!
- You can make a crunchy Chinese chicken salad too- By adding in some ginger, garlic, cabbage, green onion, lettuce, sesame oil, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, vinegar, a touch of honey… maybe even some noodles and toss everything together and top it up with the crispy fried chicken here… delish! There’s lots you can do if you’re feeling adventurous and want to try new things with some crispy chicken!
- Make it hot 🔥- Add some heat to your gluten-free chicken salad by adding in some sriracha sauce, chili flakes or whatever hot sauce you like into the salad dressing. You can sprinkle some cajun seasoning or paprika powder on top of the salad too!
- Add some cheeseiness to the party!– Beause why not? Go ahead and grate your favorite cheese over this delicious chicken salad to add a whole other flavor to it. You can grate Parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella… whatever you prefer. You can use goat cheese or feta cheese too! Ah ❤.
- Make this recipe yours!- We all have our own preferences. Go ahead and add or remove whatever ingredient/s you want! Customize this delicious chicken salad recipe however you like and lemme know what you’ve added or removed in the comments below. I’d love to try it your way ❤. You can mix and play with the ingredients I’ve given.
Continue reading if you would like to read about vegetarian and vegan adaptations of this recipe.
Note- If you think you have an ingredient that you feel is suitable as a substitute for a certain ingredient in this recipe, according to your dietary preference, you can use it and let us know how it works as a substitute in the comments below. I’ll then add it in as an adaptation suggestion here. This will help so many others with the same diet preference as yours.
Vegetarian Adaptation:
To make some absolutely delicious vegetarian gluten-free salad…
- Go ahead and use whatever vegetable you like as long as it’s fry-able!
- You have loads of options out there such as potatoes, cauliflower… One of my favorite ways of making this recipe vegetarian is by making some crispy broccoli (check how I fried up some crispy delicious broccoli in my Homemade Batter Fried Broccoli with Creamy Sauce recipe!).
- You can roast, sauté, grill or steam your veggies too if you prefer.
- You can also use tofu or maybe even make some crispy chickpeas. You can fry these too or cook them however you like.
Please always read through the ingredient list of all the other ingredients in the recipe to make sure they are vegetarian.
Vegan Adaptation:
It’s super easy to make a delicious vegan gluten free salad using really simple ingredients!
To make some scrumptious vegan gluten-free salad, go ahead and…
- Use any vegetable you like as long as it’s fry-able such as potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli… You can roast, sauté, grill or steam your veggies too if you prefer.
- You can also use tofu or maybe even make some crispy chickpeas. You can fry these too or cook them however you like.
- Skip out on the egg and make a cornstarch and water mixture. Mix equal parts of both cornstarch and water together until smooth. A 1:1 ratio is good, but if you would like to make it crispier, add a little more water. You can use rice flour as well. Dip your broccoli (or whatever veggie you’re using) in this mixture and then coat it with some gluten-free breadcrumbs or gluten-free panko breadcrumbs. Leave it aside for 5 to 10 minutes to set, and then go ahead and fry your delicious crispy potatoes/broccoli/cauliflower/whatever veggie you’re using.
- Use vegan mayo instead of regular mayonnaise.
- Use maple syrup (make sure it’s 100% vegan though) instead of honey. You can also use whatever sweetener you prefer as a substitute for honey that you feel will go well here.
- Also make sure you use lemons that haven’t been waxed. Waxed lemons are not vegan because the wax on these lemons contains shellac, which is derived from the female lac bug.
Always read through the ingredient list of all the given ingredients in the recipe to make sure everything is vegan.
Disclaimer– I’ve done research to make things easier for you guys, but please make sure you do your own research too if you are allergic to something or have a specific diet preference. The suggestions given above for dietary preferences are only suggestions and NOT medical advice. These are suggestions given just after a little research on the said dietary preferences. We are NOT trained medical professionals or nutritionists. You are responsible for yourself, so please ask your physician if you have any questions and make sure you always completely read through the ingredient list of any ingredients you use.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Our chicken salad here doesn’t contain gluten. Please remember though that this depends from salad to salad.
A classic chicken salad recipe on its own usually doesn’t have ingredients that contain gluten.
Mayo, chicken, veggies and most other ingredients used in a chicken salad are gluten-free on their own but it’s always best to be on the safer side.
That’s because when you’re buying some gluten free chicken salad from a store, ordering it at a restaurant or having it at your friend’s home, you won’t know all the ingredients they’ve added to their chicken salad.
These salads may contain gluten indirectly as well.
This basically means these salads may have had a seasoning powder, sauce or some other ingredient added to them that contains gluten as a filler.
There may have been some cross-contamination too.
All this may make things pretty confusing so it’s always best to thoroughly ask about any chicken salad you’re having out there if you haven’t made it yourself to make sure it’s gluten-free.
Or better yet, just make this easy chicken salad recipe I’ve given here above, it’s the best chicken salad recipe ever 😉❤.
Chicken salad is made with pretty simple ingredients, mostly chicken, fresh vegetables and a dressing.
These ingredients are played around with and differ from one classic chicken salad recipe to another.
People go ahead and cook their chicken in different ways, use other veggies and add in their own unique salad dressings.
Keep in mind that chicken salad can be made in countless ways but the main ingredients are usually the same.
Some people may add fruit to their chicken salad as well as croutons or bread sticks for an added crunch while others may add a secret ingredient for some added flavor such as pickle juice.
If you don’t want to serve your chicken salad with crackers, you can serve it with rice cakes or maybe even carrot sticks and/or celery sticks. Perhaps even breadsticks.
So many things go well with chicken salad! A few of them are:
- Add some extra ingredients on the side such as maybe some boiled eggs? Maybe even some boiled potatoes, roast potatoes… I sometimes even pan fry my boiled potatoes so they get crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can serve this delicious salad on top of some baked potatoes too or alongside mashed potatoes… or maybe even over some baked sweet potatoes! To make this even more fun for yourself or for kids, you can serve it along with some potato chips or french fries 💃🏻! Sweet potato fries add a yum flavor and crisp too.
- You can serve your gluten free chicken salad with some delicious roast veggies too like carrots, broccoli, potato, brussels sprout, cauliflower… The flavor they’ll add to the salad will be really good ❤!
- To make this delicious gluten-free chicken salad even more filling, go ahead and serve it over some gluten-free pasta to turn it into a gluten free chicken pasta salad! All that incredible fried chicken creaminess mixed in with some pasta… oh it’ll taste so.good.
- Or enjoy a classic sandwich by making some gluten free chicken salad sandwiches! Use your favorite gluten-free bread, toast those slices and fill them with this creamy chicken salad. You can add in other veggies too such as maybe some romaine lettuce or butter lettuce? Avocado? Tomato? And there you go, enjoy those gluten free chicken salad sandwiches!
- You can also use gluten-free buns and make some gluten-free chicken salad burgers or sliders. Grab your favorite gluten-free buns and toast them. Then place some molten cheese over the bun, add lots of this delicious crispy chicken salad, place another soft gluten-free bun on top and take a bite. How incredible does that taste?
- You can also scoop your gluten-free chicken salad into gluten-free croissants! Ah that buttery flakey croissant with this delicious creamy crispy chicken salad… all those flavors. Wow 🤩. You can use gluten-free bagels too!
- Guess what? For a low carb option, you can make lettuce wraps or lettuce cups with this incredibly delish creamy chicken salad too! You can use romaine lettuce, butter lettuce or whatever lettuce you prefer that you feel will hold everything together well to make some gluten free chicken lettuce wraps or gluten free chicken lettuce cups. You can even make cabbage wraps with napa cabbage.
- Or just go ahead and serve this gluten free chicken salad alongside another salad! Go ahead and make a simple (or super extravagant) salad with your favorite fresh veggies (ooh bright flavors!), drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top and serve your gluten free chicken salad along with it or on top of it.
- To add an extra crunch to this already crispy and crunchy creamy salad, go ahead and add in some gluten-free croutons. Imagine those croutons soaking up all that delicious dressing and bites of crispy chicken, crunchy fresh veggies, delicious creamy dressing along with delicious CRONCHY croutons. Incredible! You can add in gluten-free tortilla chips too, maybe even topping the salad with some crumbled gluten-free tortilla chips!
- You can serve your gluten free chicken salad with grapes or any other fresh fruit too to add a delish sweet crunch, if you prefer. You can top your salad with fresh fruit too for a gorgeous burst of color. Add in maybe some juicy red grapes or green grapes (or both! Red or green seedless grapes work well but you can go for whatever you prefer. Ah juicy grapes!), sweet apples, maybe even some dried cranberries, pineapple! An added plus is all the color they bring to the salad!
For more ideas on how and what to serve your gluten free chicken salad with, go ahead and check our Serving Suggestions above.
This is truly the ultimate chicken salad recipe to serve at a party or gathering.
If you make this for a party, you’re gonna have people fall deeply in love with your cooking skills.
What makes things even better is how easy this is to make for a large group of people. Plus, you can serve it in a really cool way for a crowd too!
You can give people lots of options!…
- Go ahead and serve your crispy chicken salad along with crackers, breadsticks, rice cakes, potato chips, french fries…
- Maybe even a few tortilla wraps if they want to make a wrap for themselves or even burger buns and slices of bread if they want to make burger or sandwiches.
- Perhaps even some lettuce cups or lettuce wraps for a low carb option.
- And even some veggies like tomatoes, lettuce, avocado for them to fill their wrap/sandwich/burger with. They can make whatever they want with this salad.
- Maybe even some crunchy carrots and crisp celery for people to dip into the chicken salad if they prefer!
Yes, mayonnaise is most commonly gluten-free. That’s because it is made using ingredients that are naturally gluten-free such as eggs, oil, vinegar and/or lemon juice.
Mustard may be added too such as dijon mustard.
You should still be careful when buying mayo…
That’s because some brands may use malt vinegar when making their mayo. Malt vinegar comes from barley and barley contains gluten.
Some brands may also have produced their mayo in a factory where cross-contamination may have occurred with other gluten-containing products.
Please check the ingredients carefully of any product you’re buying and keep a lookout for the gluten-free label too if you’re following a gluten-free diet.
Oh you have so many options! A few of them are…
- Some seafood! Can you imagine how good this gluten-free chicken salad recipe will taste with some fried shrimp? Maybe even some crispy fried fish? Ah, incredible ❤. Go ahead and try it for yourself!…. or…
- Maybe even beef? Crispy beef! Ooh I think I’ll try this out soon!
- You can use eggs too. Go ahead and make some crispy egg and add it to the salad. Creamy egg salads taste so good, imagine adding a crispiness to it. Delish!
- Use any vegetable you like that’s fryable such as potatoes, cauliflower, broccoli… You can also use tofu or even some crispy chickpeas. Scrumptious ✨.
We’ve fried our chicken here so we’ve cut it into cubes.
If you’re not in the mood to fry up some delicious crispy chicken today and are using maybe poached chicken, store-bought rotisserie chicken, roast chicken or leftover chicken to make your gluten free chicken salad, it all comes down to your preference.
Usually though…
- For a light bite, shred your chicken (I’ve heard using a food processor to shred your chicken helps).
- For a meaty bite, go ahead and cube your chicken.
I’ve also heard how many prefer to shred their chicken if they’re planning on making chicken salad sandwiches.
Whereas, when they’re serving a salad as it is, they’d rather cube or dice their chicken.
But once again, this depends on your preference.
Of course you can use leftover rotisserie chicken to make gluten-free chicken salad, this is an awesome idea especially if you want to save up on any additional cost.
There are zero limitations when you make our gluten-free chicken salad and you can use chicken cooked however you prefer.
Of course we prefer our chicken crispy fried in our salad but if you want to use rotisserie chicken, go ahead!
Just make sure it’s gluten-free if you’re following a gluten-free diet.
You can go ahead and use light mayo or vegan mayo instead.
You can also always reduce the amount of mayonnaise used in the salad.
If you completely want to skip out on mayonnaise in the dressing to make a gluten free chicken salad without mayonnaise, a few alternatives are…
- Greek yogurt
- Sour cream
- Mashed avocado or even avocado mayonnaise
- Full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream
- Maybe even hummus
You can also mix any of the ingredients above with mayo for example, half mayo and half Greek yogurt or half mayo and half mashed avocado…
You can mix any of the ingredients above together too such as maybe Greek yogurt and sour cream…
Go ahead and experiment and see what you like best!
Lemme know what you prefer in the comments below ❤.
This gluten-free chicken salad has a pretty yum crunch already thanks to the crispy fried chicken but to add more of a crunch, make sure you use some nice fresh veggies for a fresh crispy crunch.
You can also add in nuts, seeds, croutons, breadsticks, crackers, tortilla chips, potato chips, parmesan chips, sweet apples, rice cakes, some crispy fried shallots… Loads of options out there.
Lemme know what’s your favorite in the comments below ❤!
You can add in whatever fresh vegetables you like to your gluten-free chicken salad such as juicy cherry tomatoes, crunchy iceberg lettuce, sweet corn, peas, carrots, bell peppers, napa cabbage or red cabbage, olives, avocado… the options are endless!
There really are no rules here.
All the different ingredients you can add to this salad and still have it come out as delish as ever really makes this the ultimate chicken salad recipe.
Oh yes, there are lots of fruits out there that complement the flavors of this gluten-free chicken salad such as some red grapes or green grapes (or both! Red or green seedless grapes work well but you can go for whatever you prefer. Ah juicy grapes!), sweet apples, maybe even some dried cranberries, pineapple or perhaps pomegranate!
Fruits add a lovely sweet crunch to this salad.
An added plus is all the color they bring to the salad too!
To add a spicy flavor to your gluten-free chicken salad, go ahead and add your favorite chili sauce to your gluten-free salad dressing such as maybe sriracha or a hot garlic sauce?
You can also add in some chopped jalapenos or a chili you feel is spicy enough for you 🔥.
To add in tangy flavors to your gluten-free chicken salad, go ahead and add some lemon or lime juice to your gluten-free salad dressing.
You can add in vinegar too, such as apple cider vinegar for a tangy touch and unique flavor. You can add in some pickle juice too.
It’s pretty easy to get those tangy and/or spicy flavors into your classic chicken salad recipe. All you need to do is add a few extra ingredients to your gluten free salad dressing.
It takes about 45 minutes to make this gluten free chicken salad recipe with fried chicken.
Yes, this gluten-free chicken salad recipe is dairy-free too! It’s also nut-free and sugar-free.
And yes, you can make it according to your diet preference.
Go ahead and check out our section above if you want to make the vegetarian or vegan version of this delicious recipe!
There are no rules when it comes to cooking your chicken when making this gluten-free chicken salad.
We prefer our chicken crispy fried but you can experiment to see what you like best!
It’ll always taste amazing because that’s just how wonderful this salad is!
If you want some crispy chicken without having to fry it, you can always air fry, bake or pan fry it in very little oil.
You can also sprinkle some cajun seasoning over your chicken and sauté it in a pan.
You can also grill your chicken, roast it or even just poach it.
Lemme know your favorite way to have your chicken when making this gluten-free chicken salad!
Oh yes, you can make this gluten free chicken salad recipe ahead of time for meal prep and it’s pretty easy too!
Always make sure you have all your ingredients ready before meal prepping any recipe out there.
So yes, go ahead and check these meal prep ideas out:
- You can go ahead and marinate your chicken in an airtight container. You can also keep your other salad ingredients- fresh veggies and the salad dressing in separate airtight containers in the fridge. On the day you’re planning to have this gluten-free salad, go ahead and fry your chicken and mix everything together.
- You can also do the same thing after frying your chicken. Go ahead and fry your delicious gluten-free fried chicken. Then, once it’s cooled down to room temperature, place it in an airtight container and put it in the fridge. Go ahead and add your veggies and salad dressing in separate airtight containers and keep them in the fridge too. On the day you’re having this salad, go ahead and warm the chicken in the oven or microwave and mix everything together. You can go ahead and mix in the cold fried chicken with the veggies and dressing too, I’ve heard some people prefer their fried chicken cold that way.
- You can also just go ahead and make your salad, mix all the ingredients together and keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I’ve met loads of people who like their fried chicken cold and prefer it mixed in with a cold salad this way. This allows all the flavors to mix in with each other really well too.
- If you’re carrying this gluten free chicken salad to work or a picnic, go ahead and carry some fresh fruit, nuts or potato chips or both and serve this salad on its own or as a sandwich, burger or even in a croissant… or however you prefer ❤.
You can store leftover gluten-free chicken salad in the refrigerator for about 3 to 4 days in an airtight container.
Hmmm.. so you want to reheat your leftover gluten-free chicken salad?
I would advise you guys not to do that because first of all it tastes absolutely delish nice and cold and second, since it’s a mayo-based salad, if you heat it, it’ll become an oily mess.
Your veggies may lose some of that crunch too.
So yes, it’s just not a good idea.
I’ve heard of people loving their fried chicken cold in a cold salad but if you want your chicken to be warm…
- You can wait until your chicken reaches room temperature. Once it reaches room temperature, go ahead and store it separately from the salad in the fridge. Then heat it in the oven or microwave before serving it with the salad; or
- If you’ve stored your entire chicken salad as it is in the fridge, you can go ahead and separate your chicken from the salad whenever you’re having it and heat it in the oven or microwave and then add it back to your salad.
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Hey you, I really hope you love this Easy Gluten-Free Chicken Salad Recipe with Fried Chicken as much as I do!
If you do, I would appreciate a star rating SO much (you can rate this recipe right below or from the Recipe Card 💖). You have no idea how happy a star rating makes us 😊.
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Made me fall in love with salad. Thanks so much1
Same hehe! So glad you enjoyed it, Amanda. You’re welcome 💖.
Who would’ve thought that my hunt for a fried chicken recipe would land me down to this salad recipe and I wouldn’t be complaining about it too because it turned to be absolutely delicious.
That’s such a lovely comment, Frank. I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Loved the salad, swapped chicken with shrimp and it worked really well. Would definitely recommend it.
I love the sound of that so much! So glad you enjoyed it, Jamie.
Having fried chicken with a salad is such a delicious and unique twist, I felt like making this recipe as soon as I read the title! This recipe being gluten free is such an added bonus too.
Oh I completely agree, fried chicken is one of the best things ever! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Steve.
It’s very rare to find a gluten free chicken salad recipe that is quick and easy to make and also taste delicious at the same time, and this recipe does just that. Truly hits the spot!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Richie!
This gluten free chicken salad recipe is absolutely lovely. Made sure I saved some for the next day in an airtight container. Tasted just as good the next day too. 😊
Hey Jess, I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. That next day fried chicken salad is just something else 😍.
Oh my goodness wow why did you do this to me? I am besotted. This is one of the best salad recipes I have ever had and now I am going to make this every time I crave salad because I just cannot get enough. The fried chicken tastes incredible with all those vegetables, and the dressing is out of this world. The addition of green onion was a nice touch as well. Thank you for giving me my new favorite salad recipe!
Erica, you have no idea how happy your comment has made me 😊 wow… I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for the lovely comment. It means the world to us here at The Buttery Fairytale.