How to Make Healthy Chicken Salad

We may earn money from the products/companies mentioned in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

This easy healthy chicken salad with Greek Yogurt and grapes makes a great chicken salad for meal prep. This recipe is also great for easy lunches and light dinners.

This Healthy Chicken Salad recipe is low fat, sugar-free, gluten-free, and can be either a Trim Healthy Mama E Fuel or Full Pull! If you love chicken salad, this will soon become a favorite!

IS CHICKEN SALAD HEALTHY?

This particular low fat chicken salad is very healthy! 

Traditional chicken salad is made with mayonnaise. Using Greek yogurt to replace the mayonnaise also adds another great source of protein to this Light Chicken Salad. 

I also add in some grapes for sweetness, crunch from the celery, and onions for a little bit of an onion flavor.

IS CHICKEN SALAD GOOD FOR LOSING WEIGHT?

This easy greek yogurt chicken salad contains a great amount of protein, which keeps you feeling full longer.  

In fact, 2 cups of Kirklands brand 0% Greek Yogurt (the brand I use from Costco) has 46 grams of protein!

The chicken breast is also a good protein source, so this Healthy Chicken Salad recipe becomes a powerhouse of protein!

It is also a lower-calorie chicken salad, which can help with weight loss. 

Plus this recipe is naturally low in fat and is great for those trying to lose weight!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN SALAD WITH GREEK YOGURT

I've found that using a rotisserie chicken or cooking your own chicken breasts ahead of time works best for this recipe. 

If you are using rotisserie chicken, simply shred the chicken with a fork or chop it into small pieces.

For cooked chicken breast, I like to either chop it into small cubes or use a fork to shred the chicken.

Once the chicken is prepped, add it to a large bowl with grapes, diced celery, and diced onion.

I also like to add in a little bit of salt and pepper at this point.

Next, add the Greek yogurt and mix everything together until combined.

That's it! Your Healthy Chicken Salad is now ready to eat!

You can either enjoy it right away or store it in the fridge for later.

LOW FAT AND LOW CALORIE CHICKEN SALAD

Since Greek yogurt is much lighter in calories than mayonnaise, this healthy chicken salad is naturally low fat and much lower in calories.

The perfect way to use leftover rotisserie chicken

You can make this classic chicken salad even easier by using leftover rotisserie chicken!

Of course, if you follow the Trim Healthy Mama style of eating, you'll only want to use the breast meat of the store bought rotisserie chicken and make sure there is no skin to keep it in FP or E mode (see the recipe card below for full instructions.)

How to make chicken salad from scratch?

If you don't have any leftover chicken on hand, no problem! You can easily cook some up just for this easy chicken salad.

I like to either bake or use my Instant Pot to cook chicken breasts. Then just take the cooked chicken breasts and shred them to make this delicious chicken salad.

You can also use smoked or grilled chicken to take it up a notch!

Then you'll just chop your vegetables, mix up your chicken salad dressing and mix it all together!

Substitutions for this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe

WHAT CAN I SUBSTITUTE FOR MAYONNAISE IN CHICKEN SALAD?

Have you ever wondered how to make chicken salad without mayonnaise?

When trying to lower your fat or calorie intake, you can easily sub plain Greek Yogurt for the mayonnaise in chicken salad. Super easy no mayo chicken salad!

You can use whole milk Greek Yogurt as well, but in this recipe, I chose to use 0% to lower the calorie and fat count even further. (Using whole milk Greek yogurt would make this recipe a THM-S or THM-XO.)

You could also replace the grapes with a diced apple for a healthy chicken salad with apples!

You can also use unsweetened dried cranberries, but you'll only need 1/3 cup or so.

WAYS TO SERVE HEALTHY CHICKEN SALAD

If you are eating keto or low carb, you will want to omit the sliced grapes and serve your low-calorie chicken salad as a lettuce wrap, or as a salad on a bed of salad greens.

If you are a Trim Healthy Mama, you may be interested in turning your Fuel Pull Chicken Salad into an E Fuel.

To do this, simply add 2 Cups of sliced grapes and eat it with sprouted wheat bread, or another healthy carb source.

With the 2 cups of grapes spread out over 8 servings, you could easily make your chicken salad into chicken salad sandwiches by using sprouted grain bread or artisan sourdough!

I like to serve chicken salad along with my Sweet Potato Salad.

THE BEST CHICKEN SALAD WITH GRAPES

You're going to start with your pre-cooked chicken. Use your Instant Pot to easily meal prep chicken breasts, or you can also use canned chicken (you could even use canned tuna in place of shredded chicken for a healthy tuna salad).

Dice your celery and onion and slice the grapes.

Next, mix up your chicken salad dressing. Remember, this is a healthy chicken salad recipe with no mayo, so we are going to use 0% Greek Yogurt.

When the chicken is shredded or chopped, the vegetables and grapes are diced and the dressing is made, simply toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours for the flavors to meld together!

Making Chicken Salad Recipe in advance

I like to make my chicken salad the night before we are going to eat it. This allows all the flavors to really come together and makes for a delicious next-day lunch!

Other flavor ideas for THM chicken salad

• add in some finely diced jicama for a little crunch
• substitute the grapes for diced apples
• use smoked chicken for a different flavor
• use leftover turkey in place of the chicken
• try adding curry powder or curry paste to the dressing for an easy curried chicken salad recipe!
• add green onion or other fresh veggies
• add garlic powder for more flavor
• add lemon juice for a bright flavor
• add dijon mustard for a little zing
• substitute greek yogurt with dairy-free yogurt (like coconut)
• add fresh parsley, fresh dill, or other fresh herbs for another pop of color

Storage Tips

HOW LONG DOES CHICKEN SALAD LAST IN THE FRIDGE?

As with most things, leftover chicken salad with grapes can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days for maximum freshness.

Use an airtight container for storage, and you can be sure it will taste great!

If this chicken salad is left out of refrigeration for over two hours, it would be best to toss it (especially if it is in the heat of summer). 

Can you freeze healthy chicken salad?

Unfortunately, I do not recommend freezing chicken salad. Freezing and then thawing can cause the grapes to become mushy and the texture of the salad to change.

OTHER GREEK YOGURT RECIPES

Plain 0% Greek Yogurt can be a very versatile protein source, and I use it often in my kitchen.

Here are a few other ways you can use Greek Yogurt in recipes:

• Rohnda's Best Ranch Dressing
• Power Yogurt Bowl 
• Oatmeal Cookie Frozen Yogurt

OTHER HEALTHY CHICKEN SALAD RECIPES

• Southwestern Chicken Salad
• Caprese Chicken Salad
• Caesar Salad Recipe with Chicken
• Blueberry Chicken Salad
• Buffalo Chicken Salad
• Cobb Salad Recipe

Healthy Chicken Salad

This easy healthy chicken salad with Greek Yogurt and grapes makes a great chicken salad for meal prep. This recipe is also great or for easy lunches and light dinners.

5 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: healthy chicken salad

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 109kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Shredded Cooked Chicken
• 4 Stalks Celery Diced (About 1 Cup)
• ¼ Cup Chopped Onion
• 2 Cups Sliced Grapes optional, this would make it closer to an E fuel
• 2 Cups 0% Greek Yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon Gentle Sweet
• 1 Teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• ⅛ Teaspoon Black Pepper

Instructions

• Mix all your ingredients together in a large bowl, and refrigerate for 2 hours for best results.

Notes

For an awesome E meal, eat this Healthy Chicken Salad on Sprouted Toast!

 

If you do not have Gentle Sweet, you can make my DIY version, or use 1/2 Tablespoon Pyure.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.5Cup | Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 1g

Tried this recipe?Mention @my_montana_kitchen_thm or tag #mymontanakitchen!