This Chopped Chicken Salad is a PCOS-friendly recipe with 290 calories, 25g protein, and 12g carbs per serving. Ready in 26 minutes. High in fiber (5g), which supports insulin sensitivity.
Nutrition per Serving
Ingredients
Instructions
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Gently remove the insides of the avocado from shell. Cut avocado into thin slices.
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In a large salad bowl, add salad ingredients, except salad dressing, and toss.
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In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients.
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Divide salad evenly among 5 bowls. Top each with about 2 tablespoons salad dressing.
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Dietitian quick tips: You can either use leftover chicken breasts for this recipe or purchase a cooked rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store. You can also buy cooked bacon pieces.
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MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE: Confirm all ingredients are gluten-free and this recipe can be made gluten-free.
How This Recipe Supports PCOS Management
Understanding the nutritional profile of what you eat is a powerful step in managing PCOS. Here is how the key ingredients in this Chopped Chicken Salad contribute to your health goals:
- Chicken: Protein-rich meals help manage insulin resistance common in PCOS
- Egg: Contain choline which supports liver function and hormone metabolism
- Avocado: Healthy fats support hormone production and help reduce inflammation
- Tomato: Antioxidants help combat oxidative stress elevated in PCOS
- Onion: Support cardiovascular health and blood sugar regulation
PCOS Diet Principles in This Recipe
The PCOS diet focuses on three core principles: reducing inflammation, managing insulin resistance, and supporting hormonal balance. Every recipe in our collection is evaluated against these principles. This recipe excels in providing protein-rich ingredients that help regulate appetite hormones (ghrelin and leptin), and healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that support cell membrane health and hormone synthesis. As part of a balanced PCOS meal plan, we recommend pairing recipes like this with a variety of nutrient-dense foods throughout the week to ensure you are meeting all your micronutrient needs.
Meal Prep Tip: This Chopped Chicken Salad can be prepared ahead and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Meal prepping is one of the most effective strategies for sticking to a PCOS-friendly diet, as it removes the temptation to reach for processed convenience foods when time is short.
Why this Chopped Chicken Salad works for PCOS
With 25g of protein per serving (about 34% of calories), this Chopped Chicken Salad sits at the top end of the 25-35g per-meal range that the 2023 International PCOS Guideline recommends for managing insulin resistance and supporting lean mass. Higher-protein meals also blunt the glucose response when carbohydrates are included, which matters for women with PCOS because chronic insulin elevation drives androgen excess and irregular cycles.
The 12g of carbohydrates here come paired with 5g of fibre, which slows glucose absorption and produces a flatter post-meal blood sugar curve. Fibre is one of the most under-rated tools for PCOS: it feeds gut bacteria that produce short-chain fatty acids linked to improved insulin sensitivity, and it modestly lowers circulating androgens by binding bile acids in the gut.
Fat makes up about 47% of calories in this dish. Dietary fat plays a load-bearing role in PCOS because sex hormones are synthesised from cholesterol, and very-low-fat eating can suppress hormone production over time. The 2023 PCOS guideline does not specify a strict fat target, but most clinicians recommend at least 25-35% of calories from a mix of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, and saturated sources.
Lunch is where most PCOS meal plans either succeed or collapse. A meal like this Chopped Chicken Salad that combines adequate protein, fibre-rich carbs, and fat keeps blood sugar stable for the rest of the workday and reduces the late-afternoon energy crash that drives sugar cravings around 3-4pm.
PCOS-Friendly Foods in This Recipe
This recipe contains the following foods that may benefit PCOS management: Romaine Lettuce, Chicken Breast.
Romaine lettuce contains chromium, which helps maintain normal blood glucose levels by making insulin more efficient. The chromium in romaine lettuce also promotes weight loss due to its ability to help control cravings, reduce hunger, and control fat in the blood. Skinless chicken breast, often heralded for its lean nutritional profile, is undeniably a powerhouse when it comes to protein content. With an impressive 21 grams of protein packed into every 100 grams of the breast, it emerges as a p...
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Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, this Chopped Chicken Salad recipe is designed to be PCOS-friendly. At 290 calories per serving with 25g of protein, it supports balanced blood sugar and hormonal health. It also provides 5g of fiber, which helps with insulin sensitivity.
This recipe takes about 26 minutes total. Prep time is 26 minutes. It makes 5 servings, so you can meal prep for multiple days.
Per serving: 290 calories, 25g protein (34%), 12g carbs, 15g fat. Plus 5g fiber. PCOS meal plans typically aim for 30% protein, 35% fat, 35% carbs to support insulin sensitivity.
Yes, this recipe works well as a PCOS-friendly Lunch. At 290 calories, it fits within typical PCOS meal plan targets for Lunch. Pair it with other PCOS-friendly foods throughout the day for balanced nutrition.
This recipe can be part of a structured PCOS meal plan. It makes 5 servings, making it great for meal prep. For a complete weekly plan tailored to your PCOS type, take our free 60-second quiz at pcosmealplanner.com/pcos-quiz to get a personalized 7-day meal plan.
Cook Another PCOS-Friendly Lunch
Each recipe you add to your rotation makes PCOS management easier. Variety keeps you from getting bored and quitting.
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