I got a lot of questions about this recipe when I brought it into the office, and with good reason. This Cherry Chicken Salad isn’t only tasty, it’s in-season, unexpected, and easy to throw together in a pinch!
This recipe wasn’t something my previous self EVER would have considered. Not because of the meat, or the carbs, or the fat. But because of the cherries! You see, me and cherries go way back.
For years, I hates cherries and didn’t understand people who loved them. The only cherries I enjoyed were the ones on my Limited Too pajama set.
I did however enjoy cherry flavored things. The faker the better. Movie theatre Cherry Icee’s were a weekly staple and Hansen’s Cherry Vanilla soda was a must. Both items are absolutely repulsive to me now, but at the time, I was all about ’em.
Until last Summer, it had probably been 20 years since my last actual cherry. I was perusing the farmer’s market, sampling peach after peach. I’m still not sure what peaked my interest, but I reached for my long lost friend, Rainier. And ever since that day, I’ve been hooked. Why was I holding out for so long? What was I thinking? Cherries are so freakin’ good!!
And when my parents visited over Memorial Day weekend, we went a little cherry crazy. One pound of cherries for 2 people for 2 days. The last time a family member ate that many cherries in that period of time, we all suffered. I won’t go into details, but I don’t recommend one person eat an entire pound of cherries on a road trip. Gross.
Anyways, I was left with A LOT of cherries. I thought about freezing them because #laziness. But I’ve never created an actual recipe with cherries and it seemed like the perfect time. I had no idea what to make, but I only had mayo and chicken in my fridge. So, that would have to do.
And I mean, chicken goes with everything, right?
Hope you enjoy!
A Few Tips
If you don’t have time to cook the chicken breast separately, you can use canned chicken.
If you’re a meal prepper, cook a whole chicken in the crock pot for the week and use that as you go!
If you have the time/equipment to make homemade mayo, use this recipe!
If you don’t have time/equipment to make homemade mayo, shop Primal Kitchen for the best store-bought mayo there is and use code WELLBYMICHELLE for 10% off! Their classic mayo would be best for this recipe.
READ NEXT: CLASSIC SALMON SALAD RECIPE
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Passive Time | 30 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
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- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice, divided juice of about 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp pink himalayan salt, divided
- 1/3 cup perfect paleo mayo
- 2 tsp dijon mustard
- 2 tsp dried Italian herb blend
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 3 stalks celery
- 1/4 pound cherries about 20 cherries
Ingredients
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- Preheat oven to 375º.
- Place chicken breasts in a baking sheet. Coat with avocado oil, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, garlic powder, and 1 tsp pink himalayan salt.
- Bake chicken for 25 minutes, flipping 15 minutes through.
- While the chicken is in the oven, chop the red onion, celery, and cherries. Add to a large bowl and combine with the mayo, mustard, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 tsp salt, and Italian herbs.
- When chicken is done cooking, take out of the oven and let cool. Do not mix in the chicken with the rest of the ingredients while still warm.
- Chop cooled chicken into small cubes and mix with rest of ingredients.
- Serve cold by itself or over greens.