A tasty twist on a classic – this pineapple chicken salad is just the thing for a picnic!
What kind of meals do you like in the summer? If you’re like me, they need to have two qualities: be able to be made ahead of time, and be able to be made withOUT the oven. There’s nothing worse than using the oven in the summer, right?
I love to make salads in the summer, and not just green salads, although those are great! I’m a big fan of fruit salad, potato salad, macaroni salad, chicken salad…really any kind of salad is good in my book! We eat chicken salad pretty regularly, and sometimes I like to change things up a bit and add a few extras.
This pineapple chicken salad is so easy to make, but it really is a fun twist on this classic. Fresh pineapple and a bit of coconut make this a tropical treat. If you are able to have nuts, some slivered almonds would be a great addition here.
You can enjoy this pineapple chicken salad on a bed of greens, stuffed into a pita, or on your favorite toasted bread. It’s a perfect light summer lunch!

Pineapple Chicken Salad.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless, chicken breasts
- 1/2 of a sweet onion finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup egg free mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Place the chicken breasts in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring them to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
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Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside to cool.
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Once the chicken is cool, use your fingers or a fork and knife to shred it or cut it.
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Place the chicken, onion, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and stir well.
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Fold in the pineapple and coconut flakes and gently stir.
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Serve on a bed of greens, or your favorite bread.
Delicious recipe!
This is such a unique combination! Definitely a perfect summer dish!
So this is amazing!! I would have never thought to combine pineapple, chicken, coconut and mayo but it sounds delish! :D
This looks SO good with the pineapple in it, Kelly! I love chicken salad, too (I just made a different version yesterday!) but I’ve never thought to add pineapple. So smart!
I love your style of Summer cooking! This chicken salad looks so flavorful and I love that it’s made so quickly and easily without needing to turn on the oven. Bring on pineapple chicken salad sammies…with avocado!
Oh I love the sound of pineapple chicken salad! I bet this gives it so much flavor!