A tasty twist on a classic – this pineapple chicken salad is just the thing for a picnic! This salad is the perfect mix of sweet and savory. Serve it on toast, crackers, or just enjoy it plain.
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. 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.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken Breasts – I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts. If you have a brand of canned chicken you trust, you could also use that.
- Pineapple – I think fresh pineapple tastes best in this recipe, but if that’s not available, you can use canned pineapple instead.
- Coconut – I like unsweetened coconut flakes in this recipe – the sweetened variety has too much sugar for my taste.
Serving Suggestions
You can enjoy this on a bed of greens, stuffed into a pita, on your favorite toasted bread, or with gluten free crackers. It’s a perfect light summer lunch!
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This should stay fresh for about 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.
Recipe
Pineapple Chicken Salad.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless, chicken breasts
- ½ of a sweet onion finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups diced fresh pineapple
- 3 Tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup egg free mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the chicken breasts in a large pot with enough water to cover. Bring them to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer.
- Cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from the pot and set aside to cool.
- Once the chicken is cool, use your fingers or a fork and knife to shred it or cut it.
- Place the chicken, onion, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and stir well.
- Fold in the pineapple and coconut flakes and gently stir.
- Serve on a bed of greens, or your favorite bread.
Katie
Delicious recipe!
Kristy from Southern In Law
This is such a unique combination! Definitely a perfect summer dish!
Lauren Gaskill
So this is amazing!! I would have never thought to combine pineapple, chicken, coconut and mayo but it sounds delish! :D
Kristine | Kristine's Kitchen
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!
Julia Mueller
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!
Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice
Oh I love the sound of pineapple chicken salad! I bet this gives it so much flavor!