This Jalapeno Popper Chicken Salad combines two favorites into an easy lunch! Creamy chicken salad with a bit of a kick thanks to pickled and fresh jalapenos! We love this recipe on a lettuce wrap, stuffed inside a hollowed out tomato, or rolled up in a low carb tortilla.
Would you like to save this recipe?
We'll email it right to you, so you can come back to it later!
I’ve been on a major chicken salad kick lately and I think it’s high time I start sharing some of my favorite versions with you!
I love a good, classic chicken salad, like our keto chicken salad that’s made with the usual ingredients like pickles and pecans, but I get bored easily so mixing it up is a must for me!
My avocado chicken salad and this buffalo chicken salad are a couple of favorites – both are good in a lettuce wrap or low carb tortilla or even just eaten with a fork!
Today I’m sharing a new favorite – jalapeno popper chicken salad!
We’ve got tender chicken (I usually just grab a rotisserie chicken) that’s coated in mayo and a little cream cheese, and then it’s all mixed up with pickled jalapenos and crumbled bacon.
Creamy. Spicy. Salty. Perfection.
♥ What We Love About This Recipe:
- Spicy: I love that you can make this as spicy or as mild as you like. It’s even easy to add extra heat to a single portion if you have a family of wimps aside from that one person who would happily eat a raw jalapeno topped with a little hot sauce. 😉
- Creamy: That spicy heat is also balanced out by the creamy dressing! The mayo and cream cheese will help cut some of the spiciness from the jalapeno, plus it tastes so good mixed with the chicken and bacon!
Ingredient Notes:
This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Chicken – This spicy chicken salad recipe starts with already cooked, shredded chicken. Use rotisserie chicken or make chicken ahead of time to keep it easy. See below for more info on how to prepare the chicken!
Bacon – You’ll also need some cooked and crumbled bacon. This is something else we often make ahead of time. This easy air fryer bacon is a good way to make it too!
Cheese – You’ll need some shredded cheddar cheese and room temperature cream cheese. Freshly grated cheddar would go even better here but the pre-shredded kind works just fine. You can use mild or sharp cheddar cheese.
Mayo – This will get combined with the cream cheese and jalapenos to make the creamy chicken salad dressing. You could sub this for Greek yogurt but it will add some tang.
Jalapeno – We’re using chopped jarred jalapenos along with a bit of juice from the jar. You can use more or less to taste depending on how spicy you like it. You can also top the dish with some fresh jalapeno slices if desired.
How To Make Spicy Chicken Salad:
- Prepare – You’ll start with either chopped or shredded cooked chicken in a mixing bowl along with some softened cream cheese and mayo.
- Jalapenos – Add in some jarred jalapenos (we do the mild version because we’re mostly wimps around here), crumbled bacon, shredded cheddar, minced onion, salt, and a little juice from the jar of jalapenos.
- Finish – Stir the mixture well to combine and then give it a taste. If you want the mixture spicier, you can add in some minced fresh jalapeno or additional pickled jalapeno.
How to Serve Chicken Salad:
Chicken salad doesn’t have to be served between bread to be a filling lunch! Although, Sola Bread is a very popular low carb option.
We generally eat our chicken salad with a fork, wrapped in a low carb tortilla, in a lettuce wrap, or in a hollowed out tomato.
The tomato option is particularly nice with this jalapeno popper chicken salad. The cool sweetness of the tomato works well with the spice of the jalapeno.
Best Chicken for Chicken Salad:
In my opinion, the best chicken to use for a chicken salad is shredded chicken!
There are a few ways to go about this:
- Add chicken breasts to a crockpot and season as you wish. (We like salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.) Add a cup of broth, cover, and cook on low for 3-4 hours or until the chicken easily shreds.
- Add chicken breasts and 1 cup of chicken broth to an Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes with a natural release.
- Place chicken in a pot, cover with broth, and simmer until tender and cooked through, about 15 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken breasts.
- Use a store-bought rotisserie chicken. Remove the skin and shred the meat.
Leftover grilled or baked chicken works as well. Just chop into small pieces with a sharp knife.
Storage Instructions:
This jalapeno popper chicken salad recipe is great for making ahead of time! You can keep it stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for about 4-5 days. If you are using chicken or bacon that was prepared well in advance though it may not last as long.
I would not recommend trying to freeze this chicken salad! The mayo would separate and it just wouldn’t thaw well.
More Low Carb Salad Recipes:
- Deviled Egg Salad
- Keto Big Mac Salad
- Greek Chicken Salad with Tzatziki Dressing
- Keto Egg Salad
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
Jalapeno Popper Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1/3 cup chopped jarred jalapenos more to taste
- 1 tablespoon juice from jalapenos
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Fresh jalapeno slices if desired
Instructions
- Add the chicken, bacon, cheddar, and onion to a mixing bowl. Stir to combine.
- Add the mayonnaise, cream cheese, jalapenos, jalapeno juice, and salt to a small bowl and stir until well combined.
- Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and stir to coat.
- Taste and add additional peppers or salt to taste.
- Serve with fresh jalapeno slices, if desired.
Terrie Falkenstein says
This is my most favorite chicken salad recipe; I’ve made it so many times just this past summer. It’s becoming a craving and I could eat it three meals a day. I mean really, on toast for breakfast…sounds good to me! The first time I made it with hot jalapenos and have since backed off to a more milder version, but I still use the juice from the hot. Just made another batch this morning…can’t wait for lunch time!
McB says
How does one get a tablespoon of juice from jalapeno?
Karly Campbell says
The recipe calls for jarred jalapenos. The juice comes from that jar. 🙂
Half-blood prince says
Crush it with the flat side of a silver dagger