This bright, fresh (mayo-free) chicken salad has sweet citrus notes and crisp veggies. It’s perfect by itself, or serve it on a roll, croissant, wrap, or lettuce leaf. This Sweet Citrus Chicken Salad might just become your new go-to!
This chicken salad has a great story behind it. It’s inspired by my Mom, and our little neighborhood grocery store near my childhood home in Bellevue, Washington. My Mom was known for being on a first-name basis with every store employee pretty much everywhere she went. Our little local market had the most amazing chicken salad recipe in their deli that we purchased often. When we wished we could re-create it at home, of course my Mom just went to the deli manager and asked how to make it! He told her the dressing was just two simple ingredients! My sister passed this on to me and now we can all make our beloved chicken salad.
Ingredients Needed
- cooked, shredded chicken – rotisserie chicken works great!
- celery
- green onion
- dried cranberries
- sliced toasted almonds – buy bagged ones in the produce section by the salad toppers
- light olive oil – yes, “light”! This doesn’t not mean light in calories- it refers to the flavor. Light olive oil has a very mild flavor; if you use regular extra virgin olive oil, it will impart a stronger olive flavor to your salad. We suggest the light!
- frozen orange juice concentrate – thawed, but not diluted. Thawed orange juice concentrate has obviously concentrated orange flavor, plus added sweetness, and a thick consistency that works beautifully in a dressing. It easily whisks together with the oil to create a gorgeous smooth, flavorful combination.
How to Make Mayo-Free Sweet Citrus Chicken Salad
- Combine your basic chicken salad ingredients in a bowl: shredded chicken, diced celery, green onion, and dried cranberries.
- Whisk together the orange juice and olive oil.
- Toss the salad with the dressing mixture, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Seasoning with salt and pepper is important, it particularly needs salt for all of the flavors to shine.
- For best results you’ll want to chill the salad for at least a couple of hours.
- Toss in some toasted slivered almonds before serving for a final crunchy touch. This salad is delicious by itself, or you could serve it on a roll or croissant, lettuce leaf, or wrap!
Storage and Serving Tips
- Chicken salad, properly refrigerated in an airtight container, generally stays safe to eat for 3 – 4 days. Do not leave this chicken salad out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
- This salad is delicious by itself, or you could serve it on a roll, croissant, lettuce leaf, or wrap!
The primary difference between light and regular olive oil lies in their flavor profile and processing. Light olive oil, despite its name, doesn’t have fewer calories or fat. Instead, it’s a refined oil with a lighter color and more neutral flavor compared to extra virgin olive oil. Regular or “classic” olive oil, on the other hand, is a blend of extra virgin and refined olive oils, resulting in a richer flavor and a darker color.
Of course! Just note that we have personally never tried it this way, and it may have a slightly different flavor profile.
Be sure to pull your orange juice concentrate out of the freezer an hour or two before preparing. You will also want to ensure your chicken is chilled. Rotisserie chickens are easiest to de-bone and chop up while they are still hot, so we recommend getting a fresh chicken from the store, de-boning, chopping, and setting aside in the fridge to chill for a few hours before preparing.
Sweet Citrus Chicken Salad
Equipment
- whisk
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken, cooked, shredded about 4 cups; rotisserie chicken works great
- ¾ cup celery diced
- ½ cup green onion sliced
- ⅓ cup dried Cranberries
- ¼ cup toasted almonds, sliced buy bagged ones in the produce section by the salad toppers
- ½ cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed not diluted
- ½ cup light olive oil do not use "regular" or "classic" olive oil
Instructions
- Thaw orange juice concentrate on the counter for one hour, or until liquid.
- Combine chicken, celery, green onion, and cranberries in a bowl. Set aside.
- Whisk together orange juice concentrate and olive oil until smooth. Start pouring over chicken mixture to combine.
- Note: you may not use all of the dressing. Use as much as you need to coat to your liking and toss together.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 2 hours or more, then gently mix in almonds before serving.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
I made this and we loved it. I am tracking my food. Do you have calories, etc. that I could figure out from?
No, you will just have to weigh things as you go and then weigh out your serving size.
Can you use avocado oil?
I’ve never done that but you could certainly try it 🙂
I’m really excited to try this recipe. I really dislike mayo (and sour cream, and cream cheese, and ranch) anyway, chicken salad that doesn’t have those sounds amazing! I do like your skinny chicken salad because it isn’t gloopy but only once in awhile. Thanks for this!
Dinner tonight, absolutely delicious! It was perfect since here in Phoenix we are still 110 degrees out.
I’m *really* terrible with salt/peppering things “to taste.” Seems like it always ends up too salty. Do you have a ballpark estimate for about how much salt or pepper this will take? (Like, more/less than 1/4 tsp salt…? or?)
I get that! The reason it’s hard to specify is because the chicken will vary in salt content depending on how people cook it (or purchase it). I use kosher salt, and if you’re really unsure about how much to start with, I’d start really low, like use a 1/8 teaspoon and keep adding until it tastes perfect for ya!
I’m so excited to try this! As an allergy family this is going to be so good!
This looks and sounds delicious!