chimichurri chicken salad

This mayo-free Chimichurri Chicken Salad will be the back to school lunch of your dreams and it just happens to be Whole 30 friendly, gluten free and ready in 25 minutes!

I originally shared this recipe on June 27, 2014. I have updated the images and some of the text today.

In my garden right now I have greens, greens and more greens. And lots of herbs. The chive plants are enormous and still blooming away. I have rows of cilantro and parsley. Plus random cilantro plants growing between the tomatoes that self seeded from last years plants. It is getting a little crazy.

We’re staying at our lake cottage right now and I just went home to check on the garden. There was so much to tend to. I had a whole row of beautiful heirloom head lettuce that was a day or two from bolting. I cut that, a pile of kale and as much of the herbs as I could handle and brought it back with me. I had a whole big bag of cilantro and no real plan for what to do with it.

I got the inspiration to make chimichurri because my neighbor had just asked me what to do with all of her cilantro. I told her to make chimichurri sauce with it. So that’s what I decided to do with my cilantro too and then use it to flavor my chicken salad. Brilliant! A mayo-free way to make one of my all-time favorite lunch recipes.

I added toasted almonds and finely chopped celery for crunch and to bulk up the portion size. I piled it on top of the lettuce and it was so delicious! This little recipe gem will definitely be going into my regular lunchtime rotation.

What is Chimichurri

• It is an uncooked sauce that originated in Argentina and Uruguay
• The most common is a green version made with parsley, oregano, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar and red chile pepper flakes
• It can be made with a variety of herbs like cilantro, basil and mint in addition to parsley
• The flavor profile is tangy and herbal with just a hint of spice
• It’s quite versatile and can be used as a basting sauce, marinade or served as a condiment with grilled meats, seafood and veggies

So don’t panic now that school is just around the corner… this Chimichurri Chicken Salad has your back. Don’t miss checking out these awesome Healthy Lunchbox Recipes, too! 

MORE CHICKEN SALADS YOU’LL LOVE

15 minuted chicken salad bites 

healthy waldorf chicken salad 

mexican chicken salad lettuce cups 

easy sesame chicken lettuce wraps 

QUESTIONS

Have you made chimichurri before?

What are you harvesting from your garden right now?

What do you make when you have a lot of cilantro to use up?

Don’t miss this Ultimate Guide to Lettuce!

Don’t forget, if you make this recipe, please come back and give it a star rating and review. 

chimichurri chicken salad

• Author: Katie Webster
• Prep Time: 25 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 6 servings 1x
• Category: Main Course
• Method: Stove To[
• Cuisine: American

★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

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Description

This mayo-free Chimichurri Chicken Salad will be the back to school lunch of your dreams and it just happens to be Whole 30 friendly, gluten free and ready in 25 minutes!

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 cup clean packed cilantro leaves
• ½ cup parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lime juice or red wine vinegar
• 1 cup finely chopped celery hearts
• ¼ cup toasted sliced or slivered almonds

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Instructions

1. Bring two cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add ½ teaspoon salt and stir to dissolve. Add chicken breast and return to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, covered, turning occasionally to make sure that it cooks evenly, until the chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to cool, about 20 minutes. Cut chicken into ½-inch to 3/4 –inch cubes.
2. Sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon salt over the garlic and mash with the side of a chef’s knife until it forms a thick paste. Transfer the garlic and salt paste, cilantro, parsley, olive oil and lime juice or vinegar to a food processor and process until it forms a thick paste, scraping down sides occasionally.
3. Stir the chicken, the chimichurri, celery and almonds in a medium bowl until the chicken is coated in the chimichurri sauce. Serve at room temperature or refrigerate until chilled.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 3/4 cup
• Calories: 202 calories
• Sugar: 0 g
• Sodium: 585 mg
• Fat: 10 g
• Saturated Fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrates: 2 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 16 g

Here is one of the original images associated with this blog post.