Low FODMAP Hawaiian Chicken Salad

Low FODMAP Hawaiian Chicken Salad is a fun way to use up leftover cooked chicken. Enjoy this colorful chicken salad as a low FODMAP lunch or light and summery supper. It’s delicious served on toasted low-FODMAP bread or in large lettuce leaves.

This protein-packed Hawaiian-inspired chicken salad features low FODMAP amounts of sweet pineapple, crunchy almonds, and a hint of FODMAP-friendly onion flavor from fresh green onion tops (the green parts only). It also has a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing that helps tie all the flavors together. 

Shopping list

To make this Low FODMAP Hawaiian Chicken Salad, you’ll want to gather the following ingredients: 

• Leftover cooked chicken (white or dark meat)
• Fresh pineapple
• Red bell pepper
• Green onion tops (green parts only)
• Sliced almonds
• Mayonnaise
• Rice wine vinegar
• Garlic-infused olive oil
• Dijon mustard (optional)
• Salt and pepper
• Low FODMAP bread (see below) and/or lettuce leaves, for serving

Low FODMAP notes

Plain chicken is a low FODMAP food. Pre-seasoned or marinated chicken often contain high FODMAP ingredients like onion or garlic. Double-check ingredients before purchasing.

Some grocery stores sell rotisserie chickens that use only low FODMAP ingredients. Just BARE Chicken is one that I have found in my area.

Pineapple: A low FODMAP serving is 1 cup or 140 grams of pineapple. Larger servings contain higher amounts of fructan.

Red bell pepper is a FODMAP-free food. 2022 Update: Monash University retested red bell pepper and found it to contain FODMAPs. A low FODMAP serving of red bell pepper is now considered to be ⅓ cup or 43 grams. Larger servings contain moderate to high amounts of excess fructose. Peppers and chili peppers also contain capsaicin, which can be a non-FODMAP trigger for some people. Avoid if you suspect spicy food is an issue.

Green onion tops - the green part of green onions - are low in FODMAPs and should be tolerated by most on the low FODMAP diet in servings up to ¾ cup or 75 grams. Avoid the white bulb, which is high in FODMAPs. Learn more → Low FODMAP Garlic and Onion Substitutes.

Almonds are low FODMAP in servings of 10 nuts or 12 grams. Larger servings contain higher amounts of GOS.

Mayonnaise is low FODMAP in servings of 2 tablespoons or 40 grams. Double-check ingredients and choose products without high FODMAP ingredients like onion or garlic.

Garlic-infused oil is a popular way to add low FODMAP garlic flavor on the low FODMAP diet. My current favorite is Colavita Roasted Garlic Olive Oil (technically a garlic-flavored oil) that Monash University has confirmed to be low FODMAP. Learn more about why garlic-infused oil is okay in my Low FODMAP Garlic and Onion Substitutes post.

Low FODMAP bread options can vary greatly depending on where you live. My personal favorite is Schär Deli Style Seeded Bread (a Monash low-FODMAP certified option in the US). For more options, check out my low FODMAP bread post.

Instructions

Gather and prepare the ingredients. This recipe does require a bit more dicing and slicing than I usually prefer, but I find all of the different flavors and textures of the ingredients are worth it. So, I pop on my favorite cooking music (usually old school jazz and swing music) and get to chopping my cooked leftover chicken, pineapple, red bell pepper, and green onion tops. It's also motivating to know that there won't be any cooking, just mixing, after the ingredients are prepped.

Cook chicken, if needed. This recipe calls for leftover cooked chicken. If you don’t have any leftover chicken, I would suggest starting by cooking 2-3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. I like to pop the chicken on a greased broiler pan and broil until done. Then, I’ll let the chicken cool slightly before dicing and proceeding with this recipe. The result is a little warmer chicken salad, but it’s still delish. 

Mix the salad ingredients. After all of the ingredients are gathered and prepped, place the diced chicken, diced pineapple, diced red pepper, sliced green onions, and sliced almonds in a large bowl and stir to mix. 

Make the dressing. Then, in a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, rice wine vinegar, garlic-infused olive oil, and (optional) Dijon mustard. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Combine and stir. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and stir until everything is coated and well mixed. Serve this chicken salad on toasted low FODMAP bread or lettuce leaves. 

You can also pop the prepared chicken salad in the fridge to chill for 1-2 hours before serving if you prefer your chicken salad nice and cold.

Store. I recommend eating this salad on the same day it is prepared. However, you can refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for use within 1-2 days. I do not recommend freezing this salad.

Low FODMAP Bread Products

Bread can be a tricky food to navigate on the low FODMAP diet. Many bread products contain higher FODMAP ingredients, namely wheat, but also potentially honey, inulin, agave syrup, etc. There are also countless bread products available, making it difficult to evaluate the FODMAP status of every single one.

Some common bread options, including wheat-based ones, have been tested by Monash University and are listed below with their current (as of August 2019) low FODMAP serving sizes:

• White wheat bread (USA): 1 slice or 35 grams
• White wheat sourdough (USA): 2 slices or 109 grams
• Whole wheat sourdough (USA): 2 slices or 97 grams
• Gluten-free white bread (USA): 2 slices or 62 grams
• Gluten-free multigrain bread (USA): 1 slice or 32 grams

Please note that ingredients and weight can vary between bread products. FODMAP status can also vary from country to country. So, it is best to reference the Monash University FODMAP phone app (~$10 USD) for more specific information and connect with your FODMAP-trained dietitian to identify a suitable low FODMAP bread option.

Low FODMAP Bread Alternatives

Bread can be included on the low FODMAP diet. However, due to a variety of reasons (cost, availability, non-FODMAP intolerances, etc.), you may be interested in using something other than bread.

I occasionally like to use plain rice cakes as an "affordable" low FODMAP bread alternative. I often pick up a package of lightly salted rice cakes from my local Aldi for less than $2 and use them as bases for open face low FODMAP “sandwiches,” like this chicken salad. A low-FODMAP serving is generally two rice cakes.

Another low FODMAP alternative for serving sandwich-type fillings is sturdy lettuce leaves. My go-to options are romaine or butter lettuce leaves.

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