Low Fat Chicken and Quinoa Salad

If you’re rebuilding your lunches after gallbladder surgery, salad can feel like a safe bet — right up until you realise most of them are held together with oil, cheese or mayonnaise.

This chicken and quinoa salad is the one I keep coming back to. It uses up leftover roast chicken, it takes about ten minutes if the quinoa is already cooked, and it comes in at roughly 9g of fat per serving — which makes it a genuinely low fat chicken salad rather than one that just sounds like it.

It’s also filling, which matters. A lot of low-fat lunches leave you hungry by three o’clock and reaching for something you’ll regret.

Why This Chicken Salad Works Without a Gallbladder

Without a gallbladder, bile drips steadily into your small intestine instead of being released in a timed burst when fat arrives. Eat a high-fat meal and there simply isn’t enough bile ready to handle it — which is what causes the urgency, cramping and bloating so many people get after eating.

Keeping the fat low and the portion sensible is most of the answer. This recipe does three things that help:

• Skinless chicken breast gives you around 29g of protein per serving with very little fat — the skin and dark meat are where most of it sits.
• Quinoa brings fibre and a complete protein, and it’s gentler than a heavy grain salad while still being satisfying.
• A single tablespoon of dressing spread across four portions gives you the flavour of olive oil without the fat load.

The original version of this recipe used three tablespoons of oil, plus a drizzle to serve. That’s around 10g of fat per portion from the dressing alone — fine for most people, but not if your digestion is still settling down. Cutting it back to one tablespoon makes far more difference than you’d expect, and honestly you don’t miss it once the balsamic is doing the work.

How it compares

Ingredients

Serves 4 · Prep 15 minutes · Cook 15 minutes

For the salad

• 170g (1 cup) quinoa, uncooked — rinsed well
• 475ml (2 cups) water or low-salt chicken stock
• Around 300g cooked skinless chicken breast, cut into strips
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½ cucumber, deseeded and cubed
• 5 sundried tomatoes, finely chopped — dry-packed, not in oil

For the dressing

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

A note on the sundried tomatoes: most jars are packed in oil, which quietly adds several grams of fat you haven’t accounted for. Buy the dry-packed ones if you can find them. If you’ve only got the jar, lift them out and pat them firmly between kitchen paper before chopping.

Why the water in the dressing? Cutting the oil right back leaves the balsamic quite sharp on its own. Two tablespoons of water softens it, loosens the dressing so it coats properly, and costs you nothing.

How to Make Chicken and Quinoa Salad

1. Cook the quinoa. Rinse it thoroughly in a fine sieve — this washes off the bitter coating and makes a real difference. Add to a pan with the water or stock, bring to the boil, then simmer covered for 12–15 minutes until the water has gone and the grains have little white tails. Take off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
2. Prep everything else. While the quinoa cooks, finely chop the celery, pepper and sundried tomatoes. Deseed and cube the cucumber. Cut the chicken into strips.
3. Make the dressing. Put the oil, balsamic, water, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a jar and shake hard until it comes together.
4. Combine. Tip the vegetables into a large bowl, add the quinoa and pour over the dressing. Mix thoroughly. Warm quinoa is fine here — it actually soaks up more of the dressing.
5. Serve. Divide between four bowls and lay the chicken strips over the top. No extra drizzle needed — the dressing is already through the salad.

Deseeding the cucumber matters more than it sounds. The seeds hold a lot of water, and if you’re taking this for lunch tomorrow they’ll leave you with a puddle at the bottom of the box.

Adjusting It for Where You Are in Recovery

This isn’t a first-week recipe. Raw vegetables and a full portion of quinoa are a lot to ask of a digestive system that’s still settling. Here’s roughly when it fits, and how to soften it if you need to.

If you still have your gallbladder

If you’re managing gallstones and waiting on surgery, this recipe works well — fat is what tends to trigger an attack, and there’s very little here. Two things to consider adjusting:

• Drop the oil to 0.5 to 1 tsp and add another tablespoon of water. It’ll still coat everything.
• Halve or skip the garlic and onion powder if strong seasonings set you off. Plenty of people find they do.

What to Serve With It

The salad stands up on its own, but if you want to build it out, it’s worth knowing which additions are genuinely low fat and which need holding back.

Add freely

• Rocket or watercress — peppery, and no fat worth counting
• Grated carrot — sweetness and crunch
• Roasted sweet potato or asparagus — done on a lined tray with a spray of oil, not a glug
• Fresh parsley, mint or coriander — lifts the whole thing
• A squeeze of lemon — sharpens it up if the balsamic feels flat
• Tinned sweetcorn — drained, adds bulk for almost no fat

Small amounts, once you know you tolerate them

• Houmous — around 5g fat per tablespoon. One spoonful, not three. The reduced-fat versions are worth buying here.
• Nuts or seeds — a level tablespoon is roughly 5–9g of fat. Easy to overdo without noticing.
• Avocado — a quarter is about 7g. Delicious, but it doubles the fat in the dish.
• Feta — 20g crumbled is about 4g fat and a lot of flavour for the amount.

Leave these out

• Tortilla strips or croutons — fried, and the fat adds up fast for very little in return
• Creamy or Caesar-style dressings — these are exactly what the recipe is designed to avoid
• Chicken skin or thigh meat — if you’re using leftovers from a roast, take the skin off

Storage and Meal Prep

• Fridge: keeps for 3 days in an airtight container. It’s arguably better on day two once the quinoa has taken on the dressing.
• Batch prep: make the quinoa and dressing at the start of the week and store them separately. Assemble each morning and it takes two minutes.
• Freezing: not recommended. The cucumber and pepper go soft and watery.
• Chicken safety: use leftover cooked chicken within 2 days of roasting it, and don’t reheat this salad.

Nutrition per serving

For context, most shop-bought chicken salads sit between 20g and 35g of fat per serving. At 9g, this one leaves you plenty of headroom for the rest of the day — which is the whole point when you’re spreading fat evenly across meals rather than loading it into one.

More low fat ideas ?  If this one worked for you, there are plenty more where it came from. Have a browse through my gallbladder friendly recipes — all tested at home, all genuinely low in fat.

Low Fat Chicken and Quinoa Salad

A filling low fat meal of tender skinless chicken breast strips with a mixed quinoa salad.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: British

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

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For the salad

• 170 g 1 cup quinoa, uncooked — rinsed well
• 475 ml 2 cups water or low-salt chicken stock
• Around 300g cooked skinless chicken breast cut into strips
• 2 sticks celery finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
• ½ cucumber deseeded and cubed
• 5 sundried tomatoes finely chopped — pat dry if in jar of oil

For the dressing

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp cold water
• 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp onion powder
• Salt and black pepper to taste

Method

 

1. Cook the quinoa. Rinse it thoroughly in a fine sieve — this washes off the bitter coating and makes a real difference. Add to a pan with the water or stock, bring to the boil, then simmer covered for 12–15 minutes until the water has gone and the grains have little white tails. Take off the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
2. Prep everything else. While the quinoa cooks, finely chop the celery, pepper and sundried tomatoes. Deseed and cube the cucumber. Cut the chicken into strips.
3. Make the dressing. Put the oil, balsamic, water, herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a jar and shake hard until it comes together.
4. Combine. Tip the vegetables into a large bowl, add the quinoa and pour over the dressing. Mix thoroughly. Warm quinoa is fine here — it actually soaks up more of the dressing.
5. Serve. Divide between four bowls and lay the chicken strips over the top. No extra drizzle needed — the dressing is already through the salad.

Notes

A note on the sundried tomatoes: most jars are packed in oil, which quietly adds several grams of fat you haven’t accounted for. Buy the dry-packed ones if you can find them. If you’ve only got the jar, lift them out and pat them firmly between kitchen paper before chopping.

Why the water in the dressing? Cutting the oil right back leaves the balsamic quite sharp on its own. Two tablespoons of water softens it, loosens the dressing so it coats properly, and costs you nothing.

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is chicken salad low fat without a gallbladder?

It depends entirely on the dressing. Chicken breast itself is very low in fat, but a classic mayonnaise-based chicken salad can carry 20–30g of fat per serving. This version uses one tablespoon of olive oil across four portions, bringing it down to around 9g — low enough for most people to manage comfortably after gallbladder removal.

Can I eat quinoa after gallbladder surgery?

Yes, once you’re past the first couple of weeks. Quinoa is low in fat and a good source of protein and fibre. Because it’s higher in fibre than white rice, some people find it a bit much early on — start with a half portion and see how it sits before going to a full one.

How much fat should I eat in one meal after gallbladder removal?

Most people do best keeping individual meals under 10–15g of fat and spreading intake across the day rather than concentrating it in one sitting. Your own tolerance may be higher or lower, so treat that as a starting point rather than a rule, and speak to your GP or dietitian if symptoms persist.

Can I use a different protein?

Yes. Cooked turkey breast, tinned tuna in spring water, flaked white fish or cooked prawns all work and keep the fat low. Chickpeas are a good vegetarian option, though they’re higher in fibre — go steady if you’re still in the early weeks.

Can I make this dairy free or gluten free?

It’s already both. There’s no dairy in the recipe as written, and quinoa is naturally gluten free — just check your stock cube and balsamic vinegar labels if you’re coeliac.

Why does my quinoa taste bitter?

Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin that tastes soapy or bitter. Most packets are pre-rinsed, but not all of them are, and it’s worth rinsing under cold running water in a fine sieve for 30 seconds regardless. It’s the single biggest difference between quinoa people like and quinoa people don’t.

A Last Word

Lunch is where a lot of people come unstuck after gallbladder surgery — breakfast gets planned, dinner gets cooked, and lunch ends up being whatever’s nearest. Having one reliable low-fat option you can batch prep on a Sunday takes that decision away entirely.

Twenty years on, this is still in my regular rotation. Not because I have to eat it, but because it’s genuinely good.

This article is for general information and isn’t a substitute for medical advice. If you’re experiencing ongoing pain, diarrhoea or weight loss after gallbladder surgery, please speak to your GP.