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This Healthy Chicken Salad is creamy, super flavorful and loaded with protein. A great lighter alternative to the traditional version.
I have quite a few chicken salad varieties on my site already, like Curry Chicken Salad and Southwest Chicken Salad. But this version is just a little different. It uses mostly Greek yogurt to make it creamy and bump the protein and other nutrients.
I know I have said this before, and I can’t be alone, but lunch is the hardest meal for me. I am not a huge fan of leftovers, so figuring out lunch can be a challenge. Which is also why I have Chicken Salad with Grapes and Avocado Chicken Salad on the blog as well…..variety!
Chicken salad usually has a heavy mayo base that is seasoned with a few spices. To make this a Healthy Chicken Salad I used mostly Greek yogurt and just a little mayo. You really could use all Greek yogurt if you wanted as well. The Greek yogurt bumps the protein and makes it more nutritious that all mayo.
What You’ll Need
Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post for the FULL PRINTABLE recipe card.
- Shredded Chicken – great for leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or even canned chicken
- Greek Yogurt – you can use non-fat or full fat
- Mayo – not a fan, you can just use more Greek yogurt
- Red Onion
- Lemon Juice
- Dijon Mustard
- Parsley
- Sliced Almonds
- Salt and Pepper
How To Make Healthy Chicken Salad
- Make Dressing. In a bowl combine the yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, mustard and salt and pepper.
- Mix. In a large bowl add chicken, red onion, parsley and almonds. Pour the dressing over and mix until well combined.
- Serve. You can serve immediately or store in the fridge until ready to use.
How To Serve Healthy Chicken Salad
This is really so similar to a classic chicken salad, most people won’t even know you made it a little bit better for you! So go ahead and serve how you would your traditional version.
- Sandwich – serve on sliced bread, a croissant, a toasted English Muffin or even a hamburger bun.
- Wrap – if you are watching your carbs this is delicious inside a low carb/high fiber tortilla! Or a regular tortilla/wrap works well too.
- Salad – serve over a bed of greens for a great salad. You could add diced tomatoes and cucumbers to for a fresh meal.
- Dip – I love dipping crackers in chicken salad. Here I used triscuits and it was delicious!
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- This is great for any cooked chicken that you have on hand. It can be rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken, chicken you throw in the Instant Pot or Slow Cooker and then shred.
- Mix up the spices. You could add fresh dill instead of parsley, you could add garlic powder, use green onions instead of red onions. Whatever you like will works great!
- I used non-fat yogurt for this, but if you have whole milk variety it will work great, it really is up to you and what you have.
- Add veggies or other mix-ins. I am not personally a big fan of celery, so I left it out of this version, but you can definitely mix it in. If you don’t like almonds, skip them. Add dried cranberries or grapes if you want sweetness. Bell peppers would be a great veggie you could add as well.
Storage
Cover or place healthy chicken salad in an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. It is really great to make and have ready for lunches during the week.
I don’t like to actually assemble a sandwich or wrap until the day of, so it doesn’t get soggy. But it is really nice to have on hand and make mornings quick and easy.
More Easy Chicken Recipes
Healthy Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken
- ¼ cup finely chopped red onion
- 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- ½ cup sliced almonds, optional
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayo
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix together yogurt, mayo, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper until well combined.½ cup plain Greek yogurt, ¼ cup mayo, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Add chicken, onion, parsley, and almonds to a large bowl. Add yogurt mixture and mix until well combined.3 cups cooked chicken, ¼ cup finely chopped red onion, 2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, ½ cup sliced almonds
- Serve immediately or store in fridge until ready to use
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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