This Healthy Chicken Salad is creamy, fresh and packed with protein! Made with tender chicken, Greek yogurt in place of mayo, crunchy celery, grapes, and sliced almonds. A delicious easy lunch or meal prep option you’ll make on repeat!
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Everyone needs a good chicken salad recipe in their arsenal and this protein-packed Healthy Chicken Salad recipe tastes amazing! A classic combination of tender chicken, juicy grapes, crunchy celery, green onions and sliced almonds. Here we’ve swapped out the mayo for Greek yogurt along with some dijon mustard, fresh lemon juice and other seasonings! Perfect for quick lunches, easy meal prep, potlucks or a simple dinner when you don’t feel like cooking.
Why You’ll Love This
Lighter recipe – we are swapping out mayo for protein-packed Greek yogurt which keeps it creamy while cutting back on the heaviness. Packed with over 41 grams of protein per serving for the perfect lunch!
Quick and easy – this is the ultimate healthy chicken salad that comes together in just minutes with wholesome, simple ingredients.
Great for meal prep – this Greek yogurt chicken salad stays fresh and delicious for days making this great for meal prep for your lunches throughout the week.
Customizable – you can easily adapt this easy chicken salad recipe with your favorite mix-ins and flavors.
Chicken Salad Ingredients
chicken – any type of cooked chicken breasts will work in this recipe. I especially love to use rotisserie chicken (shredded or diced) because of how flavorful it is and simple to throw together. You can also use my air fryer chicken recipe to quickly cook some boneless skinless chicken breasts.
celery – this gives the chicken salad a nice crunch.
red grapes – fresh grapes add little bursts of sweetness with every bite! You could also substitute the grapes with dried cranberries, dried cherries, raisins or diced apples.
green onions – adds flavor and a pop of color without being too overpowering. You could also use red onion or white 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. I used plain Greek yogurt
dijon mustard – adds some zip to this chicken salad.
lemon juice – this brightens the salad right up and adds 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 add texture and a nice crunch. Other nuts you could add include 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.
salt + black pepper – needed to season the chicken salad and give it flavor.
Why Greek Yogurt?
Using Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise makes this chicken salad lighter, higher in protein, and lower in fat without sacrificing that creamy texture you love!
How to Make Healthy Chicken Salad
Prep the chicken. Shred or chop your cooked chicken into bite-sized pieces. You can either shred the chicken using two forks, use the paddle attachment of your stand mixer to shred the chicken, or use this simple chicken shredder tool.
Make the dressing. In a large bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, celery seed, salt and pepper.
Mix together the salad. Add the chicken in with the creamy , along with the celery, grapes, almonds, green onions and parsley. Mix well until everything is well coated.
Chill before serving. Cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy. Serve this flavorful chicken salad on slices of bread or on top of a salad. See all my serving suggestions below!
How to Serve Chicken Salad
In a sandwich – layer this on slices of whole grain bread, sourdough bread or croissants with some lettuce and tomato slices for delicious chicken salad sandwiches.
Stuffed in a wrap or pita – roll this up in a tortilla or stuff it in some pita bread for an easy and portable lunch.
Lettuce wraps – for a low carb option, swap the bread and serve with lettuce leaves for a light, fresh lunch.
On top of salad greens – for an extra protein boost, top it on a bed of lettuce leaves like romaine lettuce, spinach leaves or arugula for the ultimate salad.
With crackers or pita chips – serve it as a dip with some crackers or pita chips for a delicious snack.
With sliced veggies – serve with cucumber slices, bell peppers, celery, carrots or other crunchy vegetables for a healthy snack.
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 or sour cream.
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 making this 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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Healthy Chicken Salad
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