Low Sucrose Chicken Salad with Grapes & Celery (CSID-Friendly)

This low sucrose, CSID-friendly chicken salad with grapes and celery dish can make a wonderful lunch, as part of a nutritionally-balanced sucrose intolerance diet!

It doesn’t just meet the exclusion criteria in terms of being made up entirely of low sucrose foods… 

This recipe is flavorful, tasty, simple, and easy to execute on-the-reg! In fact, this could even potentially be a recipe for your entire family to enjoy (with or without a sucrose intolerance). 

There are also some optional variations and modifications included, to account for other types of adverse food reactions (which I often see co-occurring in many clients with CSID in my gut health nutrition practice).

I hope ya’ll enjoy this chicken salad recipe as much as I do. 🙂

Warning:  This recipe features honey.  Do not give honey to children or infants under the age of 2 since it can potentially cause a type of food poisoning called botulism.

Affiliate disclosure: This post contains several affiliate links (marked with a * symbol).  As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you!

Ingredients

Cooked chicken breast

Chicken is a naturally sucrose-free, protein-dominant food. 

In this recipe I like to use plain rotisserie chicken, but you can also use any leftover baked/grilled chicken breast.

Red grapes

I find that just 6 or 7 sliced red grapes is plenty when it comes to adding an element of freshness, sweetness, antioxidants and a burst of color to this recipe.

Note:  If you don’t tolerate starch, but you tolerate grapes, you may even want to have additional fresh red grapes on the side for carbohydrates.

Unsweetened mayonnaise

There are many variations of sucrose-free, unsweetened mayonnaise products out there,

But my top two fave product picks for mayo are unsweetened avocado-based mayonnaises like Chosen Foods* or Primal Kitchen* because they are made with high quality ingredients like avocado oil and eggs.

Celery

A little bit of fresh diced celery (a naturally low sucrose veggie) goes a long way to add crunch and vitality to this chicken salad recipe, if you can tolerate celery! 

• If you don’t tolerate the FODMAPs in celery, rest assured the serving of celery in this recipe is low FODMAP so it should not trigger any adverse reactions.

Dijon or whole grain mustard

Aside from providing us with antioxidants and health benefits, a little hint of good quality mustard (such as  dijon or whole grain in this case) will add a nice element of tanginess and extra flavor.

Raw honey (optional)

Honey is a natural, unrefined low sucrose sweetener which happens to also be prebiotic, offering a variety of potential gut health benefits if you can tolerate it in small to moderate quantities.)

It adds a nice element of sweetness to complement the grapes, if you can tolerate honey in small amounts!

Even if you have a fructose intolerance (honey is higher in fructose), many of my clients with fructose intolerance can tolerate up to 1 teaspoon of honey.

I prefer raw honey which is higher in vitality and live enzymes compared to its pasteurized counterpart.  

Warning:  Do not give honey to children under the age of 2 since it can potentially cause botulism.

The recipe (single-serving)

Ingredients

• 1 cup shredded cooked plain chicken breast
• 6 to 7 fresh red grapes, sliced
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened mayonnaise of choice
• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon celery, diced
• 1 teaspoon Dijon or whole grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon raw honey or agave nectar (optional but recommended)

Directions (step-by-step)

1. Shred and chop the cooked chicken breast.
2. In a bowl, combine the chicken with all remaining ingredients.
3. Mix well.
4. Eat immediately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Suggested serving ideas

• Add more fresh grapes to have on the side, for energy and low-sucrose carbohydrates (recommended serving size: ~3/4 cup to 1 cup)
• Enjoy alongside some fresh-sliced bell peppers, cucumbers, or more celery
• Serve over a bed of fresh leafy greens of your choice (spinach, arugula, bok choy, baby kale, power greens, etc.)
• If you can tolerate starch, consider enjoying this low sucrose chicken salad as a sandwich with 1 or 2 slices of low sucrose + low FODMAP bread (and/or gluten free bread, if applicable) of your choice 

Variations

Scallions instated of celery

You can use 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of sliced scallions in place of (or in addition to) the celery if desired. for extra crunch. (Scallions are low sucrose and usually well-tolerated among most with CSID!)

Add walnuts or pecans

If well tolerated, a tablespoon of nuts (such as walnuts or pecans) will add even more crunch to this chicken salad recipe. 

Agave nectar instead of honey

If you don’t have honey on-hand, or you’re allergic to honey (like a few of my clients who have a propolis allergy), you can swap the honey for agave nectar which is also a low-sucrose sweetener.

Low fructose + low sucrose

If you don’t tolerate fructose, limit the grapes to less than 5 or 6 total, and omit the honey/agave nectar.

Low FODMAP + low sucrose

Many of my clients with an acquired, adult-onset sucrose intolerance (which is often caused by an underlying case of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth / “SIBO”) also don’t seem to tolerate a lot of high FODMAP foods.  

To make this chicken salad recipe low FODMAP, limit the grapes to 6 or less, and omit the honey/agave…

OR, limit the honey (or agave nectar) to 1 teaspoon or less per serving and omit the grapes.

Lower sulfur + low sucrose chicken salad

For a lower-sulfur version of this recipe…

• Use dark meat chicken instead of white meat
• Swap the mayo for 3 TBSP avocado
• Omit the mustard

Oral Allergy Syndrome

If you suffer from Oral Allergy Syndrome (like yours truly) and find that even just a bite of raw celery makes your mouth/throat/lips itchy and swollen, omit the celery or try swapping it with scallions.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ’s)

Is this recipe Paleo-friendly?

Yes, all the ingredients in this recipe can be considered Paleo-friendly. Just make sure as you’re serving this chicken salad with a side of fresh fruit (like grapes) and/or veggies instead of bread or crackers (which are excluded on a Paleo diet).

Can this chicken salad be considered a GAPS diet recipe?

Yes!  All the ingredients in this chicken salad recipe are allowed on a full Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAPS) diet, as long as you tolerate them well and are serving with grapes and/or fresh veggies instead of bread/crackers.

The key with mayo is to make sure you are using an avocado-based, unsweetened mayo made exclusively with real food ingredients.

Is this chicken salad recipe low FODMAP?

This recipe can easily be made into a low sucrose AND low FODMAP chicken salad!  

• Up to 6 grapes and up to 1 teaspoon of honey are considered low FODMAP (low in fructose) according to the Monash FODMAP App.  However, to avoid FODMAP stacking, you may need to omit either the grapes or the honey if you have a fructose intolerance.

Is this a gluten free chicken salad recipe?

Yes!  This recipe can be considered gluten free as long as you’re serving it with a gluten free variation of bread/crackers (and/or fresh veggies).  

This may be necessary if your sucrose intolerance was caused by an underlying case of celiac disease, and/or you happen to have a non-celiac gluten/wheat intolerance.

Related recipes & articles

• Low Sucrose Tuna Salad with Grapes 
• Low Sucrose Cacao Avocado Pudding

If your sucrose intolerance is mild and you can tolerate small quantities of dates, note that this recipe is a spin-off of my low FODMAP chicken salad recipe (featuring dates and scallions)!

More resources & next steps

CSID Diet Meal Plan & eCookbook

If you feel better on a low sucrose diet but need more inspiration and ideas, 

and/or you want to reserve some mental energy and creativity for other areas of your life that don’t involve food…

I invite you to order the 7-day CSID meal plan and eCookbook! [Features food lists, product picks, a week of different meal/snack/dessert options, and 21+ tasty, flavorful, simple low sucrose + low starch recipes.]

Let’s work together!

Looking for more ideas on what to eat on a sucrose intolerance diet, but needing customization and expert guidance to get you to your goals faster? 

I’d love to support you!

• If you live in the U.S. and you’d like support with CSID/ASID, apply for 1-1 nutrition services here.  
• Our team will review your application carefully.  If it sounds like we could be a great mutual fit, you will receive an email with a booking link for an initial holistic health consultation and instructions on next steps!

Wishing you all the best on your journey no matter what path you take.

XX – Jenna