Healthy Chicken Salad made with tender chicken, Greek yogurt instead of mayo, crunchy celery, grapes, and sliced almonds for a delicious spin on a classic favorite!
Everyone needs a good chicken salad recipe in their arsenal and this healthy chicken salad recipe tastes amazing! A classic combination of tender chicken, juicy grapes, crunchy celery, green onions and sliced almonds, but we’ve swapped out the mayo and used Greek yogurt along with some dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice and other seasonings! Quick and easy to throw together and can be served on slices of bread (or croissants!) as a sandwich, in a wrap or on a bed of lettuce as a salad.
I feel like I grew up on chicken salad sandwiches, so much so that I actually stopped making them for the longest time. Now that I’m older, I love making them for parties or other gatherings and this healthier version is always such a hit! If you’re short on time and want to whip these up quickly, just get a rotisserie chicken and chop up the chicken. Not only is the chicken SO flavorful, but this salad is ready in minutes!
Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- We’re swapping out mayo for protein-packed Greek yogurt!
- Quick and easy to throw together made with lean protein, healthy fats and half the fat and calories.
- Great for meal prep for your lunches throughout the week.
- So flavorful and great for a crowd!
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- chicken – any type of cooked chicken breasts will work in this recipe, but I especially love to use rotisserie chicken because of how flavorful it is and simple to throw together!
- celery – this gives the chicken salad a nice crunch.
- red grapes – not only do I love the color the grapes add to this salad, but they just add little bursts of sweetness with every bite! You could also substitute the grapes with dried cranberries, raisins or even chopped apples.
- green onions – these add just a touch of flavor (and color!) without being too overpowering. You could also use red onion in this if you like a stronger onion taste.
- greek yogurt – this is a great protein-packed substitute for mayonnaise that tastes delicious once mixed with all these other ingredients!
- dijon mustard – adds some zip to this chicken salad.
- lemon juice – this brightens this chicken salad right up and adds such a nice fresh flavor to it, you could also add in a little lemon zest.
- celery seed – a MUST in this recipe and really punches up the flavor of this salad.
- sliced almonds – just like with the celery, these almonds gives this salad texture and a nice crunch! Feel free to use any type of nuts you’d like such as pecans, walnuts or cashews.
- fresh parsley – I love adding fresh herbs to salads like this and you can never go wrong with parsley. You could also add fresh dill, tarragon, basil or cilantro to this for a different type of flavor.
How to Make Healthy Chicken Salad
This is seriously SO simple to make. Just throw all your ingredients into a bowl and….MIX. That’s 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.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
- Sandwich – layer this on slices of whole wheat bread with some lettuce leaves and tomato slices
- Wrap (or lettuce wrap!) – roll this up in a tortilla or even a lettuce wrap for the perfect lunch
- Leafy green salad – top it on a bed of leafy greens like romaine lettuce, spinach leaves or arugula for the ultimate salad
- Dip – serve it up with some crackers or chips for a delicious summer dip
- All on its own – eat this with a spoon, right out of the bowl, for a delicious high protein snack or lunch!
Substitutions and Variations
- Protein – we are using shredded chicken in this salad (rotisserie chicken works great!), but feel free to swap out the chicken for canned tuna fish for a healthy tuna salad.
- Veggies – feel free to add in some extra veggies such as sliced cucumber, shredded carrots or even more fresh herbs.
- Pasta – make this a fun pasta salad to serve a crowd by mixing in some elbow macaroni and a little extra of the sauce!
- Mayo – we are using Greek yogurt in this recipe to add creaminess and cut out half the calories and fat, but feel free to substitute the yogurt for mayonnaise, if you prefer.
- Cheese – there is no cheese in this particular recipe, but feel free to sprinkle in some crumbled feta or goat cheese for a different flavor.
How to Store Chicken Salad
Leftover chicken salad can be stored in a sealed, airtight container in your fridge for up to 3-5 days so it’s really great for meal prep! This tastes best cold so make sure to chill the chicken salad for about 2 hours before serving right after making it.
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More Salads You’ll Love
- Tuna Avocado Egg Salad
- Summer Pesto Pasta Salad
- Loaded Veggie Pasta Salad
- Egg White and Avocado Salad
- Chinese Chicken Salad
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Honey Garlic Chicken and Green Beans
- Firecracker Chicken Stir Fry
- Creamy Chicken Sausage Orzo Skillet
- Sun Dried Tomato Chicken and Gnocchi
Hope you all enjoy this Healthy Chicken Salad and if you love this as much as we do, please leave me ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below and don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!
Healthy Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 cup red grapes, halved
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced almonds
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 2 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp celery seed
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together chicken, celery, grapes, almonds, green onions and parsley.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, dijon mustard, lemon juice, celery seed and salt/pepper. Drizzle the dressing all over the chicken mixture and mix well until all combined.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy. Serve with crackers, on slices of bread or in a wrap, or serve on lettuce as a salad.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was excellent. I used canned chicken breast and left out the grapes because my husband thinks grapes make it girly….sigh. I think grapes would make it go from really good to outstanding. It was a little bit too salty but that could be due to the canned chicken and no grapes to even it out. I will definitely be making it again.
Does this keep well in the freezer? I want to freeze single servings for meal prep.
Yes! You can freeze this up to 3 months, however I recommend enjoying it within a month for the best taste and freshness.
I have been making this salad all summer. It’s flavorful and refreshing. So delicious!