Easy, Mayo-Free Chicken Salad (no relish)

Trying to enjoy a chicken salad sandwich without having to bust out the mayo or relish? Then this easy, mayo-free chicken salad is right up your alley!

I did not grow up enjoying chicken salad. I think the main reason for this was the relish. The dreaded relish. You see, I can’t stand pickles. My twin sister gobbled them up like they were candy. But me… no, no, no. Give me something else. Please. Did I mention I’m not that big of a mayo fan, either? (Although mayo has steadily grown on me.)

It wasn’t until I was in my early to mid-twenties that I finally had a chicken salad sandwich that was delicious. With fear in my heart, I watched my friend Suzy assemble some on a croissant one evening. Much to my relief, I liked it. I actually liked it. She had thrown some kind of magic in there. And I’m pretty sure there was no relish.

The second time was in my thirties at a lovely house stock full of children. One of the kids made me a sandwich, and I was shocked. Yummy in my tummy deliciousness! This family uses little to no relish. Well, I declared. Maybe I do like me some chicken salad after all. Just throw out that relish. Or just don’t add too much!

Maybe you’ve jumped on the from-scratch cooking wagon, but making homemade mayonnaise with a raw egg scares you. (I might have to raise my hand a bit on that one.) Or maybe you don’t want to do all that oil. Or perhaps you have a relish phobia like me. This easy, mayo-free chicken salad is for you, my friends.

Ingredients

Shredded chicken: What’s a chicken salad without chicken? Buy this in a can or make it yourself.

Cashew cream: This extremely versatile ingredient is our lovely mayonnaise substitute. Get the super EASY recipe here.

Salt: Sea salt or pink Himalayan salt would be the best choices for this recipe. If you use regular table salt, you may have to use a little less salt, as it’s usually a little “saltier.”

Black Pepper: Salt and pepper gotta be togetha.

Lime juice: Lime gives us a bit of a tang like we would get from relish.

Red Chili Powder: This is dried up red chili peppers. This is not the same as the chili powder we use to make American chili. Cayenne pepper might work here if that’s all you have. It adds a little pizazz to the recipe.

Kitchen Supplies You May Need

• a bowl
• a spoon or scraping spatula
• measuring cups and spoons

How to Make Easy, Mayo-Free Chicken Salad

First things first, make sure you have cooked, shredded chicken and cashew cream on hand.

Next, add all of the ingredients to a bowl, except chicken. Stir well.

Finally, add in the chicken and stir everything together.

Put it on sandwiches or eat it straight from the bowl. (No, of course I haven’t done that. Why would I?)

How to Wash Less Dishes with This Recipe

Dishes multiply like rabbits. Especially when you’re the dishwasher in your house. I’m always looking at how to save myself from dirtying up another dish. Let’s use a little thought and math to save us some dishes. Use the same dishes more than once, but in a strategic manner:

Dirty Up These 4 Dishes

• a bowl
• a spoon or scraping spatula
• a 1 cup measuring cup
• a 1/2 teaspoon

How to Use These 4 Dishes

Use in this order:

• Two 1 cups of chicken (see note below)
• One 1 cup of cashew cream
• Three 1/2 teaspoons of salt
• Half of 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• Four 1/2 teaspoons of lime juice
• One or two pinches of red chili powder (with hand)

In the bowl, add the chicken to one side of the bowl and the other ingredients to the other side of the bowl. Mix up the “sauce ingredients” on the side, and then mix them all together.

Check out more recipes featuring cashew cream:

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Popsicles (Dairy-Free)

Healthy, Homemade Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino (Dairy-Free)

Healthy, Homemade Gingerbread Frappuccino (Dairy-Free)