Hawaiian Chicken Salad (2024)

Published: Sep 7, 2021 by Kori Butler · This post may contain affiliate links

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Hawaiian Chicken Salad is a delicious taste of the tropics. You can't go wrong with chicken, coconut, pineapple, macadamia nuts blended with creamy coconut curry dressing. The perfect make-ahead salad that's great for parties, brunches, and leftover lunches!

The Best Chicken Salad - Hawaiian Style!

This Hawaiian inspired Chicken salad is a tasty tropical spin on traditional chicken salad. So delish, everyone will love it!If you really want to get fancy, channel your inner Martha, and serve it in a hollowed-out pineapple for a dramatic presentation!" 🙂 -Kori

Chicken salad is delicious! Here are a two more I know you will LOVE: Mexican Chicken Salad (with mango - it's fabulous) and Rotisserie Chicken Salad.

Taste of The Tropics. Aloha! I think you'll love this Hawaiian Chicken Salad. It has the most wonderful tropical taste! Between the grapes, pineapple, and coconut flakes with the creamy coconut and curry dressing. Good stuff!

Quick and Easy Make-Ahead Recipe. This quite literally tastes best if you make it the day before and let the flavors blend. Fix and forget about it - the perfect salad if you have company over or heading out the next day to a party or cookout. It couldn't be easier. Love it!

Serves a Crowd. This salad serves from 10 to 12 people, so it is a great salad for a crowd. It's ideal for parties, brunches, and showers. You can make it ahead of time in bulk, and it goes great with croissants and Hawaiian rolls, or just over lettuce.

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Substitutions and Variations

If you don't love water chestnuts substitute additional celery.
Add some chopped bell peppers.
Use sliced or slivered almonds in place of macadamia nuts. Walnuts would also be a tasty option.
Use pineapple tidbits instead of chunks.

Ingredients

Here are the ingredients you'll need to make this chicken salad Hawaiian! 🙂

Chicken Salad

Chicken Breast - you'll need around 3 cups cooked chicken
Celery
Water Chestnuts
Seedless Grapes
Macadamia nuts - almonds are also a great option!
Pineapple chunks - or tidbits (no added sugar)
Toasted Unsweetened Coconut Flakes - reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish

Coconut Curry Dressing

Mayonnaise
Curry Powder - you can increase or decrease the amount of curry powder according to your tastes.
Soy Sauce - you can also use tamari, or coconut aminos. Coconut aminos is a gluten free alternative to soy sauce.
Lemon Juice - fresh squeezed lemon juice is the best tasting
Coconut Milk - for the most coconut flavor I used the canned variety.

How To Make Hawaiian Chicken Salad

Cook your chicken, cool, cut into 1/2" pieces.

Wash your celery, and chop.

Wash the grapes and drain.

Drain the pineapple and water chestnuts.

In a small skillet, toast the coconut until golden brown. Allow it to cool before adding to the salad. Be careful; it burns easily.

Add chicken, celery, pineapple, grapes, water chestnuts, and macadamia nuts in a large mixing bowl.

Stir mayonnaise, soy sauce, curry, lemon, and coconut milk together.

How To Serve

On its own, on a bed of lettuce (low carb).
Serve in lettuce wraps or on a croissant.
Why not serve chicken salad on Hawaiian rolls? 🙂
Slice a pineapple lenghtwise and remove the pineapple. Use it in the salad then serve this salad inside the pineapple for a dramatic presentation.
Stuff half an avocado. Make a Hawaiian Chicken Salad stuffed avocado - yum! This is a low carb option.

Kori's Tips

This chicken salad tastes best the next day after the flavors and juices have blended together.
Buy pre-cooked diced chicken to make this recipe even quicker.

FAQs

How do I store chicken Hawaiian salad?

Store this chicken salad in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Can I use pre-cooked chicken breast?

Yes, absolutely! It makes this recipe go fast! You can use pre-cooked chicken breast.

Is this salad keto?

While chicken salad Hawaiian style is low carb and high in healthy fats, the grapes and pineapple add more sugar than is typically allowed when following a keto plan.

Here is how you can adapt this recipe and make it a keto chicken salad:
Reduce the number of grapes and pineapple (or eliminate them altogether), add bell pepper, and increase the celery and chicken.

If serving right away, you could also add some diced avocado. Make sure to use coconut aminos instead of regular soy sauce.

If you tried this recipe, let me know! I'd love for you to come back and give the recipe a 5 star rating and leave a review in the comments! 🙂 Let's stay connected, so please follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my newsletter to get healthy fresh recipe ideas every week!

Hawaiian Chicken Salad Recipe

You will love this Hawaiin-inspired chicken salad recipe - it's a delicious tropical twist on the traditional classic. This salad can be made ahead and is perfect for potlucks, brunches, and lunches.

4.58 from 7 votes

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Author Kori Butler

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Salads

Cuisine American

Servings 12 servings

Calories 384 kcal

Ingredients

Chicken Salad

▢ 3 cups cooked chicken breast (cut into 1/2" cubes)
▢ 1 cup celery sliced
▢ 3 ounces water chestnuts (sliced then roughly chopped)
▢ 1½ cups seedless grapes
▢ 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts or slivered almonds (sliced almonds are fine too)
▢ 1 (20-ounce) can pineapple chunks or tidbits (no added sugar) drained
▢ ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes toasted (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish)

Creamy Coconut Curry Dressing

▢ 1½ cups mayonnaise
▢ ½ cup coconut milk (canned variety)
▢ ½ tablespoon curry powder
▢ ½ tablespoon soy sauce (tamari, or coconut aminos)
▢ juice of half a lemon

Instructions

Combine chicken, celery, water chestnuts, grapes, coconut flakes, pineapple and nuts in a large bowl. (Don't forget to set aside some coconut and nuts for garnish)
Mix mayonnaise with curry, soy sauce, lemon juice, and coconut milk. Stir into salad until well combined.
Cover and chill 8 hours or overnight.
Garnish with remaining almonds and coconut flakes.

Video

Kori's Tips

Don't miss all of our helpful hints, substitution ideas, cooking tips, and other delicious recipes that can be found in our post. Check it out!

VARIATIONS: Substitute additional celery for water chestnuts; add some chopped bell peppers; use sliced or slivered almonds in place of macadamia nuts; use pineapple tidbits instead of chunks.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS: Serve on a bed of lettuce, lettuce, or tortilla wraps, on a croissant or Hawaiian rolls. You can even stuff half an avocado.

TOP TIP: Make salad at least 8 to 12 hours in advance to allow flavors to blend.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 9.9gProtein: 16.2gFat: 31gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 227mgFiber: 2.5gSugar: 6g

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Mention @seekinggoodeatsofficial or tag #seekinggoodeats! Be sure to subscribe to my newsletter to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.

More Salad Recipes

Here are some more salad recipes I think you'll really enjoy!

Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad (Keto Low Carb)
Zesty Italian Pasta Salad (with Pasta or Cauliflower)
Kale and Brussel Sprout Salad with Pomegranate and Pecans
Italian Antipasto Salad Recipe
Thai Peanut Salad Recipe (Low Carb Keto Salad)
Blue Cheese Wedge Salad Recipe (Keto Salad)
Feta Watermelon Arugula Salad

FAQs

What is Hawaiian chicken made of? ›

This Hawaiian Chicken is a quick and easy stir fry recipe made with chicken, red bell pepper, pineapple and delicious sweet and sour sauce! The best part it takes only 30 minutes to make the whole dinner.

Tell Me More ›

Does chicken salad chick use mayonnaise? ›

Made Fresh & Served from the Heart

When our Original Chick, Stacy, set out in search of the perfect chicken salad, she found that the only two key components anyone could agree on were chicken and mayonnaise.

Keep Reading ›

Why is chicken salad a salad? ›

The answer is simple — because of the dressing. Today's definition of salad is a variety of cold dishes that include small pieces of food (such as pasta, meat, fruit, or vegetables) mixed with a dressing or mayonnaise. To put it simply, if it's dressed you can feel confident calling it a salad!

Get More Info Here ›

Is chicken salad enough? ›

Although chicken and salad are healthy nutrients, you can gain weight due to the way the chicken is prepared, or the salad is made with high-calorie sauces. Moreover, you can't shed weight with only one food in your diet. Salad with chicken supports your diet in this way, but it isn't enough on its own.

Get More Info Here ›

How do you make aloha chicken? ›

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°. Place chicken in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. In a small bowl, mix ketchup, soup, green pepper, vinegar, brown sugar and mustard; stir in pineapple. Pour over chicken.
Bake, uncovered, 25-35 minutes or until a thermometer reads 165°. Serve with rice.

Mar 15, 2022

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What does Hawaiian marinade taste like? ›

Lawry's Hawaiian Marinade unlocks the flavor of the tropics with a mix of pure honey, soy sauce, ginger, real pineapple & papaya juices, and a hint of mango.

Read The Full Story ›

Is it better to shred or cube chicken for chicken salad? ›

It doesn't matter if you use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket, leftover chicken from last night's dinner, or poach the breasts yourself. The important thing is to use white meat and shred it by hand, rather than chop it.

Discover More ›

What did ambrosia consist of? ›

Most ambrosia recipes contain canned (often sweetened) or fresh pineapple, canned mandarin orange slices or fresh orange sections, miniature marshmallows, and coconut. Other ingredients might include various fruits and nuts: maraschino cherries, bananas, strawberries, peeled grapes, or crushed pecans.

Discover More Details ›

How to make bland chicken salad taste better? ›

There's a lot you can do with a good basic recipe for chicken salad. Add minced fresh herbs like parsley, chives, basil, or tarragon. Add fresh grapes for juicy little bursts of flavor. Add cooked pasta to stretch the chicken salad into a larger meal.

Read On ›

Can I lose weight if I only eat chicken salads? ›

Still, even though chicken salad is high in protein, one dish alone isn't super impactful for weight loss. Instead, eating an overall healthy diet that is within your daily calorie needs and is rich in lean protein, healthy fats, fiber, and nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables is best for weight loss.

Get More Info Here ›

Is it okay to eat a salad every day? ›

Why Eating Salad Every Day is Healthy. Eating salad every day is a great habit to get into. Salads made with a variety of fruits and vegetables make the perfect healthy lunch or dinner. That's because they're filled with tons of nutrients that benefit your body, like fiber, vitamin E, and vitamin C.

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Is chicken salad better cold or warm? ›

Chicken salad is best served when it's cold.

So let the mixture chill in the fridge before serving. This also helps all the flavors meld together for the tastiest salad.

Learn More ›

What breed are Hawaiian chickens? ›

Because of all the displacement, Kauai's wild chickens today are a blend of Jungle Fowl, farm hens, fighter roosters and various other breeds. The hens have brown plumage and subtler features, but the roosters are eggs-trodinarily handsome, sporting brilliant ruby-toned hackles, tall combs and shiny multi-color coats.

Read The Full Story ›

What is pineapple chicken made of? ›

Pineapple Chicken Ingredients

To make this recipe, you will need vegetable oil, chicken thighs, red bell pepper, pineapple, garlic, ginger, pineapple juice, soy sauce, chicken broth, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, corn starch, sesame seeds, green onions, salt and black pepper.

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