Recipe Ideas For Healthy Chicken Salad
There are so many different options for adding flavor to this chicken salad with veggies, spices, herbs, and more. Here are some of my favorite options:
- Add extra crunch with carrots, red onions, cucumbers, or even chopped cabbage.
- Add fiber by folding in some drained chickpeas. This turns this salad into a super filling option and is delicious over some salad greens.
- Make your salad spicy by adding some fresh or pickled jalapenos. You can also try pepperoncini peppers for a milder option. And for a simple option, just add some red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
- If you love fresh herbs, toss in some chopped dill, tarragon, chives, or cilantro.
- For some sweetness, try adding chopped apples, red grapes, dried cranberries, or raisins.
- Switch things up by adding some seasoning. Try steak seasoning, Everything Bagel seasoning, lemon pepper, Cajun seasoning, or curry powder.
More Tips To Avoid Soggy Sandwiches:
Now that Ive shared all my tips and tricks for the best chicken salad sandwiches, I will share the delicious healthy chicken salad recipe. You can pin, share, even print this recipe card for easy referencing later.
If youre looking to cut carbs, later in the article I will show you 10 ways to serve this healthy chicken salad recipe that cut the carbs by half or more!
Helpful Tips To Make This Recipe
- Pre-chop grapes and celery for a faster prep time.
- If making this chicken salad ahead of time, do not add grapes until the day you serve it. The grapes will get mushy and make the salad watery.
- Do you like some crunchiness in your salad? Try snap pea crisps, which are gluten-free and are a great source of fiber and plant protein.
- I specifically use the Costco Kirkland canned chicken for this recipe, because I think it is the best quality.
Recommended Reading: Dressing For Potato Salad With Mayo
Customize Your Healthy Chicken Salad
As I mentioned, this greek yogurt chicken salad is absolutely delicious as-is, but feel free to customize with what you have on hand:
- Make it vegetarian: if you want to keep the recipe vegetarian you can swap the chicken for chickpeas or even cubed tofu.
- Make it dairy free: simply use your favorite plain, dairy free greek yogurt.
- Use mayo: if you are a big mayo lover , no shame! Feel free to use it in place of the greek yogurt, or do half and half.
- Choose your mix-ins: feel free to also use toasted, sliced almonds, dried cranberries or raisins.
Fresh Spring And Summer Salad Recipes
This time of year is all about bright, farmers market fresh flavors. From cherry tomatoes to light leafy greens, theres tons of in-season produce to work with. And the best part is that you dont really need to prep a lot of meat for these salads. The veggies and dressings speak for itself.
- Greek Salad: When it comes to simple, healthy salads, it doesnt get better than this classic salad tossed with my all-star greek salad dressing.
- Mediterranean Chickpea Salad: Turn that last can of chickpeas sitting in your pantry into this super fresh and flavorful salad! Bonus its loaded with protein and fiber.
- Shrimp, Asparagus, and Avocado Salad: Come asparagus season, toss fresh stalks with shrimp, avocado, spinach, and a lemon vinaigrette for ultimate spring vibes.
- Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh: This veggie packed salad loaded with herbs makes for the perfect side on a Mediterranean spread.
- Taco Salad: This salad honestly works for any season. But once tacos are in full swing for outdoor parties, use some of those leftover ingredients for this hearty taco salad!
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How To Make A Chicken Salad Recipe:
The most traditional way to eat chicken salad recipes is in a sandwich so we will outline that recipe next before getting to the printable recipe card.
If youre looking for a sandwich chicken salad recipe thats up next!
Healthy Salad Recipes Are On A Rise
As I was putting this fun delicious roundup together for you, I was looking at all the salad recipes from my site. I realized I had an overwhelming amount of chicken salad recipes, dont get me wrong Ive got a good amount of steak salads too! But chicken is the winner by far and large! Sooo here they are. All of my favorite light & easy chicken salad recipes in one spot and for your pinning, printing and making pleasure. Even if you go through each and every one of these recipes I guarantee you still wont be board of salads. In fact, youll be begging for more!
Bon Appetit friends!
An easy light Blackberry Kiwi Balsamic Chicken Salad thats naturally gluten free. This baby is filled with fresh fruit, feta cheese, tender chicken then covered in Balsamic Dressing!
Watch out Taco Tuesday! This 30 Minute Chicken Fajita Salad is gonna be a new favorite! Filled with chipotle chicken, sautéd peppers and onions, creamy avocado and drizzled with a zesty Chimichurri Dressing.
Any Buffalo Wings lovers out there? Well now you can have your wings and not feel guilty about it! This Grilled Buffalo Chicken Salad is smothered in buffalo sauce and filled with grilled vegetables for one delicious bite!
A meal done in 15 minutes? Yes please! This LIGHT & EASY CRANBERRY CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE is high in protein and gluten free! Made with yogurt, dijon mustard, herbs, and fresh lemon then tossed with pecans and cranberries.
DONT MISS A RECIPE ->
Recommended Reading: What Do You Put In Taco Salad
Ranch Chicken Salad Cups
This Ranch-inspired chicken salad makes the most of bright, tangy flavors like sour cream, buttermilk, scallion and dill to create a chicken salad that compliments the vibrant summer produce at your local farmers market . Mixed with tomatoes, avocado, bacon and lots of shredded chicken, this homemade Ranch dressing will highlight the sweet tomatoes, creamy avocado and salty bacon. If you want to add more veggies to your meal, serve the salad in lettuce cups and top with additional tomatoes.
Get the Recipe: Ranch Chicken Salad Cups
Notes On Healthy Chicken Salad:
- The chicken for this recipe needs to be cooked and cooled, so please plan accordingly.
- You can use all mayonnaise for this recipe or you can substitute part or all of the mayo for plain Greek yogurt . I like a half-and-half ratio.
- Also, start with the 1/3 cup of combined mayo and Greek yogurt called for and add extra as needed, to get the salad to your desired creaminess and consistency.
- The pickle cubes are traditional in my family, but you could skip them if youd like.
- Love grapes in your chicken salad? Feel free to add some here! Id recommend about 1/2 cup of halved red grapes.
Also, I wanted to address the actual chicken part of this chicken salad.
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Storing/serving Healthy Chicken Salad Without Mayo
This healthy chicken salad is great for meal prep because it lasts for a while in the fridge!
Storing: You can keep this chicken salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. After that it will lose its freshness
Can you freeze chicken salad? We do not recommend freezing this chicken salad. The fruit/yogurt will get funny after freezing
Will it be okay out of the fridge in a lunch box/on the go? Because this has cooked chicken in it and dairy, we wouldnt recommend leaving it out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.
Serving: You can serve this chicken salad however you like! We like it on a sandwich or a salad, but its also great on top of apple slices, in lettuce wraps, or even as a healthy dip.
Substitutions For Buffalo Chicken Salad
This chicken salad is SO versatile. You can easily customize it with whatever you like/dont like or have on hand. Here are some ideas for you:
Chicken You can sub chicken for tuna if youd like. We also have a Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad recipe. I have not tried canned chicken in this recipe but I think it would work. If you need an easy recipe for cooking chicken, try either our crockpot shredded chicken or instant pot shredded chicken.
Yogurt I like to use plain, unflavored, non-fat greek yogurt in this recipe. You can use 1%, 2%, or full-fat yogurt if you like. We dont recommend using flavored/sweetened yogurt in this recipe. I have not made this recipe without yogurt. Mayo might work but I cant be sure without trying it.
Parsley- If you dont have fresh parsley, you can sub with 1/4 the amount of dried parsley. If you dont have or like parsley you can substitute with some fresh dill, thyme, or even basil!
Dairy Free I have not tried this with dairy free yogurt, but I think it would work. Make sure that your yogurt is unsweetened, plain yogurt.
Grilled Chicken This salad is great with leftover grilled chicken.
Celery If you dont like or dont have celery, you can omit it.
Lower Salt: Buffalo Sauce is a high sodium food and makes this recipe high in sodium. If you eat a low sodium diet, look for a low sodium buffalo sauce.
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How To Serve It
Sometimes I find myself eating this chicken salad by the spoonful straight out of the bowl because its that good. But to turn it into a meal, heres a few ideas.
- Sandwich: Stuff it between sandwich bread with layers of lettuce, spinach, or tomato slices.
- Wrap: Turn it into a wrap with homemade cassava flour tortillas.
- Lettuce Wrap: For a lighter, low-carb option, use large romaine or butter leaf lettuce to wrap it.
- Extra Green Salad: Pour a spoonful on top of a bed of greens such as spinach.
- Dip: Serve it with flax seed crackers or chips.
Serving Recommendations For Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
- Chicken salad sandwich: With sprouted whole grain/wheat bread like Ezekiel.
- Over salad greens: Lettuce, spinach or kale leaves, or add a scoop to spinach salad or lettuce salad.
- Low carb: On Swiss chard leaves or any lettuce. Kind of like chicken lettuce wraps or try it will grilled romaine!
- Whole grains: Serve with cooked quinoa or brown rice or in a whole grain tortilla.
- Cold pasta salads: As part of a picnic spread with veggie pasta salad or tomato pasta salad.
- With a vegetable platter: Fresh raw veggie such as carrots, peppers, snap peas, cucumber with veggie dip or hummus or hot veggies such as parmesan zucchini sticks and roasted asparagus.
- Cold beverage: Refreshing on a hot summer day when washed down with lime iced tea or healthy iced coffee.
Read Also: Who Has The Best Grilled Chicken Salad
How To Store Buffalo Chicken Salad
This healthy buffalo chicken salad is great for meal prep because it lasts for a while in the fridge!
Can Buffalo Chicken Salad be made ahead of time? Yes! You can make this ahead of time and eat it later.
How long does buffalo chicken chicken salad keep in the fridge? You can keep this chicken salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. After that, it will lose its freshness.
Can you freeze buffalo chicken salad? We do not recommend freezing this chicken salad. The yogurt will get funny after freezing.
Will it be okay out of the fridge in a lunch box/on the go? Because this has cooked chicken in it and dairy, we wouldnt recommend leaving it out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.
Want to spend less time in the kitchen?
Chicken Avocado Salad Recipe Tips
This chicken avocado salad is healthy, perfect for busy nights, and makes a big enough batch so you can meal prep for work or school lunches. Since theres no mayo involved, its great for potlucks, picnics, and parties.
- To keep the avocado from turning brown, coat the avocado in either lemon juice or lime juice. It will act as an antioxidant.
- If your chicken breasts are too large, slice horizontally to make chicken cutlets. They will cook and cool faster.
- If you are short on time, use rotisserie chicken from your local favorite chicken place or grocery store. You could also use any left over roast chicken you have, it is still delicious!
- Additional add-ins for this healthy chicken salad: asparagus, hardboiled egg slices, corn, olives
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How To Shred Chicken
Oh, good ol shredded chicken! In these recipes, we used shredded chicken as our base because its super easy to make. Weve got two simple tutorials on Fit Foodie Finds where we show you how to shred chicken in no time.
The first one is done in the Instant Pot and the second one is done in the slow cooker. You can totally make shredded chicken in the oven and on the stove-top as well, we just find these two methods as the easiest!
Roast Chicken Salad Sandwiches
There are a variety of ways you can cook chicken to put in your chicken salad. You can poach, sear, bake, fry or roast it to create the best flavor profile for the type of chicken salad you are looking to make. For this recipe, roasting the chicken develops a beautiful brown, crispy skin and, with the addition of lemon and fresh herbs, creates a juicy, tender, bright meat to use as the base of the salad. To save prep and cook time, whip up some homemade mayonnaise and chop up lots of fresh herbs and celery while the chicken cooks.
Get the Recipe: Roast Chicken Salad Sandwiches
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The Best Healthy Homemade Chicken Salad Recipe
Chicken salad is the underrated and undefeated champ of the meal prep games, in my personal opinion. Its so easy to make and its packed with protein to keep you feeling full which makes it a great option for a healthy lunch or snack.
This healthy homemade chicken salad recipe is packed with fresh herbs, crunchy celery, nuts, and sweet cranberries. Its so easy to make at the beginning of the week for a quick and healthy lunch.
This recipe is Paleo friendly, naturally gluten free, and Whole30 compliant. I know youll love it!
How To Make This Chicken Salad
This is seriously SO simple to make. Just throw all your ingredients into a bowl and.MIX. Thats it! I do like to whisk the ingredients for the dressing in a separate bowl just to make sure that the flavors are evenly distributed, but you can definitely skip this step and just mix everything together at once.
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How To Make Shredded Chicken:
The only cooking this recipe requires is for the chicken. You can cook your chicken in the instant pot, crockpot, or by boiling it on the stovetop. Even better buy a rotisserie chicken to save time! Here are different methods for cooking your chicken:
Instant Pot: Cook 1 lb chicken with ¼ cup water on manual for 14 minutes. You can also follow this instant pot shredded chicken recipe if you need help.
Crockpot: Cook 1 lb chicken with ¼ cup water on low for 6 hours. You can also follow this crock pot shredded chicken recipe if you need help.
Stovetop: Boil 1 lb of chicken in water for 10-14 minutes until thoroughly cooked.
Rotisserie chicken: Simply buy a cooked chicken and pull the meat off with forks to save time!
Tip for shredding chicken: You can pull apart chicken with two forks but if you want to save time place your cooked chicken breasts in your kitchen aid mixer and give a few quick turns with the paddle attachment. You can also mix them with the beaters of a hand mixer.
How To Make Chicken Salad Without Mayonnaise
If you prefer to make your chicken salad without mayonnaise, you have a few different options. The first is to use all Greek yogurt in place of the mayo. Try full-fat Greek yogurt for a creamier option or use fat-free for the lowest calorie option. Personally, I find Greek yogurt a bit too tangy on its own so I like to use a combination of Greek yogurt with mayonnaise or sour cream. Both options mellow out the tang of the yogurt.
You can also use mashed avocado in place of the mayonnaise. Season the avocado with salt and pepper to make sure it still has plenty of flavor. Another option is vegan mayonnaise, which can give you a similar flavor without the eggs.
Read Also: Fruit Salad For Weight Loss
Healthy Chicken Salad Without Mayo
This post is in partnership with Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt who has compensated me to create a recipe using their product. All opinions are my own.
Continuing with tradition is so good in so many ways. But continuing to evolve is even better.
I mean, why use the answering machine when you have voice mail at your fingertips instead? And why tool your baby around in an old-fashioned pram instead of an easy-to-transport collapsible baby stroller? And just think of what wed all sound like if language didnt change over time If your great umbrage would care to meet my high dudgeon at 12 paces, I would be happy to entertain you at dawn.
Huh?
So while this avocado chicken salad has a whole lot of the classic flavors it has also taken a turn for the healthy by subbing in mashed avocado mixed with Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt in place of the typical mayonnaise binder.
This change is good, and good for you, friends.
Using Oikos Greek Nonfat Yogurt as a substitute for mayonnaise is just one of the many reasons for adding it to your diet, including these healthful yogurt facts:
And those are just a few reasons that putting a new spin on a classic can be a really good thing.