AIP Chicken Salad

Several months ago, I started a health journey that led to the discovery that I have Hoshimotos Thyroiditis. Hoshimotos is an autoimmune disease where your immune system mistakenly attacks your thyroid (a small gland in your neck that helps control your metabolism, energy and mood). Over time, this attack can damage the thyroid and lead to hypothyroidism. Thankfully, Hoshimotos and hypothyroidism can be managed with medication, but like all autoimmune diseases, symptoms from the inflammation show up throughout your body and affect your daily life.

How inflammation happens:

Your immune system is supposed to protect you from infections, but with autoimmune diseases, it gets confused and starts attacking your healthy cells and tissues. The immune system sends out inflammatory signals (to "fight" the tissue) which causes chronic inflammation–essentially your body staying in defense mode for too long. Over time, that inflammation can lead to tissue damage or symptoms like pain, swelling, fatigue, hormone imbalance–depending upon which part of the body is targeted and under attack.

The AIP diet is designed to help reduce inflammation and support healing in people with autoimmune diseases. Here's how it works:

• Eliminate foods (for 6+ weeks) that trigger inflammation or immune reactions–like gluten, dairy, processed foods, nightshades, alcohol, and added sugars.
• Focus on nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods like veggies, healthy fats, and quality meats (grass-fed, organic, crate-free, etc.).
• The AIP diet supports gut health which is key to calming the immune system during the elimination phase. During the re-introduction phase, it helps you identify food sensitivities and inflammatory triggers.

The goal of the AIP diet is to give the immune system a break and reduce inflammatory triggers which leads to improvements in symptoms like joint pain, brain fog and fatigue.

While following the strict elimination phase, I found that it was difficult to add enough fat into my diet to support my level of activity in the gym. I was hungry more often and in turn had to prep more and more meals to satisfy my hunger. Small portions of leftovers from the night before weren't cutting it for lunch! I stumbled upon a recipe for an AIP chicken salad –an easy-to-prep meal full of fat & protein, plus it's absolutely DELICIOUS! Here's my variation of the recipe:

CHICKEN SALAD (AIP, GF, DF)

Salad FIXIN'S:

• ~2 lb chicken, cooked/shredded (slow cooker recipe below!)
• ½ Cup celery, chopped
• 1 Cup red grapes, halved
• ¼ Cup shallots, fine chopped
• ½ Teaspoon salt
• ½ Teaspoon black pepper (omit for AIP)
• Optional: 1-2 Tablespoons horseradish (for some kick!) or switch out the grapes for green apples or raisins.

The SAUCE:

• 2 Avocados, peeled/pitted
• 1 Cup cilantro, packed
• ½ Cup coconut milk, canned/unsweetened (shake well)
• 3 Whole limes, juiced
• 1 Teaspoon salt

HOW to make it

1. For the sauce: Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. For the salad: Add the shredded chicken, chopped veggies, spices and the avocado cream sauce to a large bowl and stir with a large spatula until combined.
3. Enjoy! Try the chicken salad as lettuce wraps in romaine or pile it on top of mixed greens for some salad-on-salad action.

The NUTRITIONAL stuff:

This chicken salad is gluten free, dairy free, paleo and AIP. It's full of protein & fat, is low carb and contains only natural sugars!

Macros Per Serving (Serving size: ~1.5 Cups, 7 servings total)

Calories : ~375
Protein : ~24g
Carbs : ~11g
Fiber: ~5g
Total Sugar: ~4g
Including 0g added sugars
Fat : ~27g

Honestly, this chicken salad is basically my new best friend—packed with fat and protein to keep me full, fired up, and ready to crush whatever the day throws at me. Plus, it's so tasty, you might just want to eat the whole batch (no judgment). Give it a whirl and see how good eating for your body and your taste buds can be!

WHOLE CHICKEN - SLOW COOKER

Ingredients:

• 5 lb organic whole chicken
• 1 lemon
• 4 carrots, halved
• 1 onion, peeled & halved
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 Teaspoon black pepper (omit for AIP)
• 1 Teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ Cup water or chicken stock

Instructions:

1. Add carrots and onion to the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Remove the chicken from its packaging. Remove any extra parts from inside of the chicken & drain any excess liquid.
3. Add the chicken on top of the vegetables.
4. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze over the chicken.
5. Mix spices together and sprinkle evenly over the chicken.
6. Add water or stock to the bottom of the slow cooker.
7. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or until the internal temperature is more than 165℉.
8. Remove the chicken from the cooker and place in a pan to cool completely until you can de-bone the chicken.

Zero-waste option–make your own chicken stock!

• Take all of the chicken bones, skin, etc. after de-boning the chicken and put back into the slow cooker. Add 1-2 bay leaves, 1 Tablespoon of salt, 2-3 stalks of celery, parsley (fresh or dry) and 8-10 cups of water.
• Cook on LOW for 8-10 hours.
• Strain the stock into a bowl and cool completely. Freeze in gallon size ziplock bags (double up bags, freeze laying flat) or put in an air-tight container and place in the fridge. Stock is good in the fridge for 4-5 days and in the freezer 3-6 months.