Almond Butter Chicken Salad + Healthy Shredded Chicken Recipes

This almond butter chicken salad skips the mayo and instead uses an almond butter and apple cider vinegar dressing! Studded with raisins, fresh grapes and chopped almonds, this tasty chicken salad is perfect for serving in lettuce wraps, over salad or on your favorite sandwich bread. 

Almond butter in chicken salad?!? I know you’re probably thinking I’ve gone a little cray with my nut butter obsession, but the combo works. Combine almond butter with a little oil, some apple cider vinegar and mustard and you’ve got yourself a creamy nutty dressing to use instead of mayo!

Think of the peanut sauces used in Thai or Vietnamese cuisine… now it doesn’t seem so weird, right? Even if it does, you’ll just have to trust me on this one. You certainly can’t knock it ’til you try it.

Before I go into more details about this delicious chicken salad creation, let’s talk about shredded chicken in general. I’ve recently discovered the magic of making large batch of shredded chicken early in the week and using it for a bunch of different meals.

And guess what? Making shredded chicken is SO easy! I usually grill my chicken breasts (especially during the summer) but you can also cook the chicken in a saucepan. Once the chicken is cooked you simply let it cool and shred it using 2 forks or your hands. You can also cook the chicken in the slow cooker, or even buy a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken.

Once you know how to make shredded chicken it becomes such a game-changer for making easy, healthy weeknight meals. That’s why my blogging girlfriends and I teamed up to bring you SIX healthy recipes you can make with shredded chicken. They’re all unique, showing you just how versatile shredded chicken can be. Ready to see them? Let’s do this!

Lexi’s Buffalo Chicken Dip

This lightened up Buffalo Chicken Dip is packed with veggies and loaded with flavor. It is the perfect cleaned up version of your favorite hearty appetizer, that can also be devoured as a main dish, too!  Get the recipe here.

Lee’s Hawaiian Chicken Noodle Bowls

Get your meal prep on with these delicious Hawaiian Chicken Noodles Bowls made with shredded chicken, tons of veggies, and rice noodles! Get the recipe here.

Davida’s Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls

No need for takeout with this Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl! Made just like your favorite restaurant’s burrito bowl, this recipe is filling, healthy and the perfect way to use your leftover shredded chicken! Get the recipe here.

Gina’s Baby Kale Chicken Cherry Salad

This baby kale chicken cherry salad highlights the best of summer fruit with easy shredded leftover chicken for a light and healthy meal. Get the recipe here.

Taylor’s Cajun Cauliflower Casserole

This Cajun cauliflower casserole tastes like a bowl of Jambalaya but is secretly loaded with hidden veggies and protein! It’s a gluten free, paleo-friendly meal that the whole family will love! Get the recipe here.

Last up, my contribution to the roundup –> almond butter chicken salad!

The almond butter dressing is rich and creamy making it an easy sub for the mayo, and the salad has a ton of tasty add-ins like red onion, celery, grapes, raisins and chopped almonds. It’s perfect because you’ve got some sweetness in there as well as a little crunch.

It’s super easy to toss together and can be served on it’s own, over salad, in lettuce wraps or on sandwich bread. I did lettuce wraps because they’re light, fresh and lovely on a summer day when it’s literally too hot to even think about toasting bread.

Of course, you can always pile the chicken salad on top of a bed of greens as well. This option is probably ideal if you’re packing the salad for lunch considering lettuce wraps aren’t the most portable thing in the world.

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