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Aug 20, 2019 By Jessica Beacom

Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Dairy-Free
Gluten-free
Grain-Free
Paleo
Whole30
Jump to Recipe

Wrapped in a crisp lettuce leaf, Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad makes for a tasty and fresh lunch or light dinner.

A fast-and-easy recipe and the perfect way to use up leftover chicken.

I love chicken salads and I’m always trying new combinations of ingredients. This one was a definite winner and one I had to share with you!

Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad is quick to make, made with less than 10 ingredients and is the perfect summertime lunch. Just like in our Blueberry Chicken Salad this recipe combines chicken, fruit, herbs, nuts, and creamy mayo. In this recipe, I love the combination of fresh strawberries, chopped chicken, fresh basil, crunchy celery and onions, toasted almonds, poppy seeds that are all tossed in a zingy lemon-mayo dressing. If you have cooked chicken on hand or you pick up a rotisserie chicken, this salad can be whipped up in less than 10 minutes of your time. You know us, we’re all about keeping it simple.

Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad makes for a tasty and fresh lunch or light dinner. #realfood Click To Tweet

Make it your own.

Like many of our recipes on the blog, Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad is an easy recipe to customize to what you have on hand, your flavor preference and/or what’s in season. Feel free to sub any fruit of your choice, whatever nuts or seeds you have on hand, your favorite herbs, and any veggies that would make a tasty addition. Just like spending less time in the kitchen, we also encourage you to use what you have on hand so that you can save a trip to the grocery store and as a result save money and reduce food waste.

And if you’re wondering how to make the perfect chicken breast…we’ve got you covered! Jess shows you how with a step-by-step photo tutorial in this post.

Serve it up wrapped in a crisp lettuce leaf, or whatever floats your boat.

I like to tuck the Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad in a lettuce leaf for a light and delicious lunch. But really, the options are endless. If you’re on a Whole30, serve the salad in a lettuce leaf, on bed or greens, scooped into an avocado or topped on cucumber slices. If you’re not on a Whole30, feel free to scoop it up with your favorite crackers. Jess and I both really love the gluten-free crackers from Milton’s Craft Bakers. With six delightful flavors to choose from, they’re perfect for snacking, sharing, dipping and topping. Made with high quality ingredients that are Certified Gluten-Free and Non-GMO Project Verified, these are crackers we feel good about sharing with our family and friends.

However you decide to enjoy this Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad, I know you’ll love it.

I can’t wait for you to try this Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad!

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Let's Get Cookin'

Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad

Wrapped in a crisp lettuce leaf, Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad makes for an easy Whole30-friendly lunch that’s tasty and fresh.

  • Author: The Real Food Dietitians
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 mins
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Lunch | Whole30
Print Recipe
★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked chicken, cubed (rotisserie chicken also works great)
  • 1/2 cup diced strawberries
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • 1/4 cup diced celery
  • 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1–2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
  • 1/4–1/3 cup mayonnaise (we recommend Primal Kitchen Mayo)
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. poppy seeds
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Leaf lettuce or butter lettuce
  • Chopped green onion

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, strawberries, onion, celery, toasted almonds and fresh basil.
  2. To toast almonds: place almonds in a small pan over medium heat. Toast until slightly browned tossing occasionally. This only takes a few minutes so watch closely.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, and poppy seeds. Gently stir into the chicken mixture. Salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Serving option: scoop into a lettuce leaf or scoop onto a bed of greens and top with green onions and a few toasted almonds.

Notes

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of recipe (salad only)
  • Calories: 239
  • Sugar: 2g
  • Sodium: 180mg
  • Fat: 16g
  • Carbohydrates: 4g
  • Fiber: 1g
  • Protein: 21g

I’d love to hear how you like this recipe, how you served it and if you made any modifications.

Pin now to make later!

Pin image for Strawberry Chicken Poppy Seed Salad


This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

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About Jessica Beacom

Jessica is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist living in Boulder, CO with her hubby and two daughters. She's been described as a 'real food evangelist' and loves sharing her knowledge with others to help them break free of the diet mentality and find their own food freedom. In her spare time she enjoys CrossFit, telemark skiing, mountain biking, teaching herself how to play the banjo and camping out under the stars.

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Reader Interactions

Join the Conversation

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  1. Samantha says

    July 30, 2017 at 4:50 pm

    Just made it today! So good and refreshing!

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      July 30, 2017 at 8:50 pm

      So great to hear! Glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Ann G says

    July 26, 2018 at 4:27 pm

    My kids and I made this for lunch today. Easy for them to put together & it was delicious!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Barb Gibbs says

    June 17, 2019 at 4:37 pm

    I’m going to add purple grapes. Yum!

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 17, 2019 at 6:29 pm

      Great idea!

      Reply
  4. Caroline says

    August 25, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    Question – are the almonds in this recipe just for a nice crunch?

    I’m doing whole 30 but have nut allergies. Would it be okay to sub them for sunflower or pumpkin seeds?

    Looks delicious, can’t wait to try it! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      August 26, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      Yes, the almonds are just there for a little texture. You can certainly use sunflower or pumpkin seeds.

      Reply

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The Real Food Dietitians is the passion-driven product of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Stacie Hassing and Jessica Beacom. They’ve combined their love of nutrition, health and real food with the concepts of ease and convenience to bring you recipes that are big on flavor but short on ingredients.

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