This low carb Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad is a flavorful, keto-friendly, and Whole30-compliant meal option that puts a fun spin on traditional jalapeño poppers!
This salad is so easy to whip together and is perfect for meal prepping! I love to make it ahead of time and include it in my low-carb lunch menu for those weekdays when I’m in a hurry.
This delicious keto dinner is gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, coconut-free, and nut-free, PLUS it’s Whole30-compliant and paleo-approved!
This paleo keto dinner is perfect for meal prep!
This jalapeño chicken salad recipe has been on regular rotation in our household! It takes under an hour to prepare and makes enough for four servings. It’s a perfect weekday dinner or make-ahead workday lunch option.
For me, I’ve been so happy prepping this recipe on Sundays when I do my weekly meal prep. It’s such a treat knowing that this is in my meal lineup for the day!
Ryan, my husband, has said that just one serving of this salad keeps him completely satiated for hours. Late-afternoon snacking is no longer necessary, making for sustained energy and less time thinking about what to eat next. Those facts alone make for a less stressful, more enjoyable work day!
Net carbs in this jalapeño popper chicken salad
With only 1 gram of net carbs per serving, this keto jalapeño popper chicken salad is perfect for those following a low-carb diet. When you feed this meal to others, they will be SHOCKED to learn that it’s a low-carb option. It’s sooo savory!
Easily make this recipe egg-free
If you’d prefer to omit the eggs in this jalapeño chicken salad (they’re present in the dairy-free mayonnaise), that’s totally fine! In place of the mayo, use sour cream! It’s an easy swap that will taste just as yummy.
Just note that if you sub sour cream for mayonnaise, this recipe will no longer be dairy-free, paleo, or Whole30-compliant, but it will be egg-free. Additionally, the nutrition information will be different than listed in the nutrition label. Substitute these ingredients based on your dietary needs!
How to store your low carb jalapeño popper chicken salad
If you wind up with leftovers and need to save a batch of this salad, be sure to keep it stored in an airtight container. Refrigerate it and enjoy within 2-3 days for peak freshness!
Do not freeze this recipe. When thawed, previously frozen lettuce loses its crunchiness and freshness.
Jalapeño salad FAQs
Can I use turkey instead of chicken? Sure! If you prefer turkey, feel free to use it in place of chicken in this recipe. Be sure to monitor the turkey while cooking, as it may need more or less time to come to temperature (165 degrees Fahrenheit).
Can I omit the jalapeños in this recipe? Absolutely! If you do not like spicy dishes, you can altogether omit the jalapeños in this chicken salad. If you are looking for a dish that is mildly spicy, simply reduce the amount of jalapeños.
Will extra jalapeños work with this recipe? Definitely! Depending on how spicy you want your dish to be, feel free to add more (or remove) jalapeños to your recipe!
Here’s how to make this Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad yourself!
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line baking tray with parchment paper. Cook chicken breast until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 15-18 minutes. Then, remove chicken from oven, transfer to plate or bowl, and refrigerate to chill.
Cook bacon in oven (15-20 minutes at 425 degrees, depending on thickness of bacon) or on stovetop until crispy. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel-lined plated to remove excess grease.
Turn on oven broiler and broil jalapeños until slightly charred, about 3 minutes. Remove jalapeños from oven and allow to cool slightly before roughly chopping, de-seeding based on your spice preferences. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
Cut cooked chicken breast into cubes, crumble the crispy baked bacon into bits, and add all remaining ingredients to mixing bowl.
Mix mixture until well-combined. Cover bowl with lid or foil and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 1 hour before serving.
Serve salad chilled and enjoy!
Jalapeño popper chicken salad is compliant with so many diet types
Check out all of the diets that this amazing dairy-free keto jalapeño chicken salad complies with! It’s the perfect dish to make for a tailgate or gathering.
- Keto and Low-Carb: This keto jalapeño popper chicken salad only contains 1g of net carbs per serving!
- Whole30 and Paleo: This recipe does not contain dairy, grains, gluten, added sugar, or soy.
- Nut-Free: This recipe is made without any nut products and is a safe meal option for those with a nut allergy or nut intolerance.
- Coconut-Free: Free from all coconut products, this recipe is a great dinner option for those who cannot consume coconut.
- Dairy-Free: Made with avocado oil mayonnaise, this recipe is dairy- and egg-free.
- Gluten-Free and Grain-Free: This low carb jalapeño popper chicken is both gluten-free and grain-free.
If you love this jalapeño popper chicken salad, be sure to try out these other delicious keto dinner recipes:
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Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Jalapeño Popper Chicken Salad is a delicious keto-friendly, Whole30-compliant meal option! This recipe is keto, low-carb, Whole30-compliant, paleo, nut-free, coconut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, gluten-free, grain-free, and sugar-free!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breast
- 8 slices (~8 oz) bacon
- 3 jalapeños
- 1/2 cup chopped green onion
- 1/2 cup (120g) dairy-free mayonnaise (or sour cream for egg-free)
- 2 tbsp (30mL) hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place raw chicken breast atop parchment paper and transfer baking sheet to oven. Cook chicken breast until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees, about 15-18 minutes. Transfer chicken from oven to large plate or bowl and place in refrigerator to chill slightly. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- Cook bacon in oven until crispy, about 15-20 minutes depending on thickness of bacon. Transfer cooked bacon to paper towel-lined plated to remove excess grease. Set aside.
- Turn on oven broiler and line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place jalapeños atop parchment paper, transfer baking sheet to oven directly below broiler, and broil until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Remove jalapeños from oven and allow to cool slightly before roughly chopping. De-seed jalapeños based on your spice preferences. Transfer chopped jalapeños to large mixing bowl.
- Remove cooked chicken from refrigerator and, using a sharp knife, cube cooked chicken breast. Crumble cooked bacon. Transfer chicken and bacon to mixing bowl of chopped jalapeños.
- To same mixing bowl, add all remaining ingredients and mix until well-combined. Cover bowl with lid or foil and transfer to refrigerator to chill for 1 hour before serving.
Recipe Notes:
Chicken Substitution: Turkey can be subbed in for chicken in this recipe. Be sure to monitor the turkey while cooking, as it may need more or less time to come to temperature (165 degrees Fahrenheit).
Storage: Store salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator and eat within 2-3 days.
Keywords: jalapeno chicken salad, low carb jalapeno popper chicken, keto jalapeno popper chicken salad, keto chicken salad
BJ says
This recipe is my new favorite! It is immensely satisfying and hits all the buttons: spicy, creamy, crunchy, bacon-y, filling, and high fat for Keto.
I used an organic rostisserie chicken instead of breasts. It used the whole chicken (which was smallish) so it was perfect. I used New Primal Hot Buffalo Sauce for the hot sauce and used egg-free Follow Your Heart Mayo due to an allergy.
Scrumptous! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Sara Nelson says
So glad you enjoyed, BJ!
CJ says
The mayo is NOT egg free … but that’s fine. Eggs are BOTH keto AND whole 30 approved
realbalanced says
Thank you, CJ! That was my error! For egg-free, sour cream can be used as a 1:1 sub. Thanks again!