DAMN GOOD WHOLE 30 CHICKEN SALAD

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Introduction

As someone who was recently diagnosed with Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, and has spent the last almost thirty years of my life without any dietary restrictions, you can imagine how hard it is now to suddenly become ill to foods I had been enjoying my whole life. My journey to wellness lead me to create each and every one of these recipes featured on Damngoodthyme.

With the diagnosis of MCAS came hormonal imbalances, leading to hypothyroidism and PCOS. What I was unaware of at the time of these diagnoses, was that diet would play the biggest role in helping me achieve remission and lose the weight gained from all of the inflammation my body was under. I began to prioritize eating high protein meals to help with blood sugar imbalances.

More importantly, I began to ensure to always have a protein focused meals in order to keep my blood sugar stable throughout the day. As you may know from my other posts, I work from home most days, and often find myself throwing together meals between calls and meetings with my team.

This Whole 30 Chicken Salad is a classic in my salad rotation, as it comes together so easily, and contains all the ingredients that I typically have in my fridge for the week anyways. This dish can easily be elevated with some sliced avocado or by replacing the grapes with cherry tomatoes.

Table of Contents

Ingredients

Ingredient Substitutions

How to Make the Dish

Frequently Asked Questions

Storage Instructions

Ingredients

• Handful of Red Grapes

• Handful of Blueberries

• 4 oz. Chicken Breast

• Small red onion

• Balsamic Dressing / Balsamic

• Greens of choice (spinach, lettuce, arugula)

Ingredient Substitutions

Grapes/ Blueberries: Feel free to substitute these with more savory options like tomatoes and avocado!

Balsamic Vinaigrette: Any dressing can be used here, however, I think this makes the most sense with this recipe!

How to Make the Chicken Salad:

1. Season and Cook the Chicken: For the Chicken, either prep on the weekend and save throughout the week with this recipe, or season the 4oz of chicken with basil and oregano. Place in the oven or air fryer on Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, turning over half way.

2. Prepare the Fruits and Vegetables: While the Chicken is cooking, cut up the cucumbers, and half the grapes, and blueberries. Dice the onion finely.

3. Let the Chicken Rest: When the chicken is done, let rest for 5 minutes, then cut diagonally.

4,Compose the Salad: To a bowl add your greens of choice, the cut veggies, and chicken.

5.Dress and Enjoy: Top the salad with either balsamic vinegar or a dairy free balsamic vinaigrette.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which ingredients can I substitute?

 The grapes and blueberries can be substituted with tomatoes, avocado or any other fruits and veggies. The chicken can also be left out, or swapped with hard boiled eggs, turkey, or other proteins.

How can I make this dish AIP Compliant?

This dish is AIP compliant! However, those suffering from histamine intolerance may opt to dress the salad with just olive oil as balsamic vinegar is high in histamine.

Storage Instructions For Meal Prepping this Salad:

To properly store all of the components of this salad for the week, make sure to follow the below guidelines:

Leafy Greens:

• Store leafy greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, etc.) in a clean, dry container or a plastic bag.

• Place a paper towel in the container or bag to absorb excess moisture and prevent wilting. These are my favorite glass storage containers for refrigerator storage.

Keep the container or bag sealed to maintain freshness.

Chopped Vegetables:

• Store chopped vegetables in airtight containers to retain their crispness.These are my favorite glass storage containers for refrigerator storage.

• Refrigerate them to slow down the degradation process.

Proteins (Chicken, Tofu, etc.):

• Keep cooked proteins separate from the salad if possible, and store them in a sealed container. These are my favorite glass storage containers for refrigerator storage.

• Refrigerate to prevent bacterial growth.

Dressing:

• Store dressing separately from the salad until you're ready to eat.

• If you've already dressed the salad, consider using a separate container or compartment to prevent sogginess.

Fruits:

• If your salad contains fruits, store them in a separate container to prevent them from releasing too much moisture into the salad.

• Refrigerate fruits if needed.

Avocado:

• If your salad includes avocado, cut it just before serving to prevent browning.

• Store any leftover avocado with the pit and keep it in an airtight container. This is my favorite avocado keeper that helps the avocado maintain that brighten green color!

Hard-Boiled Eggs:

• Store hard-boiled eggs separately if they are part of the salad.

• Refrigerate them to ensure food safety.

• Remember to use airtight containers to preserve freshness, and store the salad in the refrigerator if you're not consuming it immediately. Additionally, consider assembling the salad just before serving for optimal taste and texture.

Full Recipe: