Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad is the perfect healthy meal. Made with no mayo, high in protein, low fat and low carb. Great for weight loss, easy & yummy! Keep it keto with no fruit, or make it with apples! You can serve it on a sandwich or a salad. This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my policy and more about affiliate links.  Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt Up until a few years ago.. I had never had chicken salad. Most chicken salad is made with mayo which I find  absolutely repulsive . (Sorry if you like it… it’s just  not for me) I figured I could probably make my own version of it with greek yogurt.. and once I tried it..I was hooked! If you’re like me and you hate mayo – you’re going to love this greek yogurt chicken salad. It’s everything you love about regular salad (creamy/crunchy/yummy!) but better for you! Here’s why we like it: Why we love this healthy chicken salad: No mayo – Like I said before.. mayo is just not for me. Plus, it’s relatively high in fat and offers little to no nutrition value. Greek yogurt is higher in protein, low fat and low calorie Low fat/high protein – Greek yogurt helps to make this chicken salad low in fat and high in protein. In 3/4 cup there are 24g of protein and only 9g of fat which comes from the pecans. You can omit them if you’re looking for less fat! Great texture – This chicken has a mix of crunchy pecans, apples and celery, with the creamy yogurt and chunks of moist chicken breast. Lots of good texture! Light and fresh! – This chicken salad is super filling while tasting really light and fresh! This greek yogurt chicken salad is also really versatile in terms of how you serve it. Sandwich, salad, lettuce wrap.. you can choose! Let me show you how simple it is to make! Ingredients for Healthy Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt To make this greek yogurt chicken salad you’ll need: shredded chicken non fat plain greek yogurt apples celery pecans salt, pepper fresh parsley This healthy chicken salad is pretty easy to customize/substitute your ingredients, so check below for ideas on how to make it just the way you like! If you like buffalo sauce, you need to try our Buffalo Chicken Salad! How to make Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt Making chicken salad is REALLY easy. First, cook your chicken. There are instructions below to make it in the instant pot, crockpot, or the stove (or you can buy/use a rotisserie chicken). While the chicken cooks, chop your veggies/nuts. Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl. Serve it however you like! Substitutions for this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe Substitutions for this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe

This chicken salad is SO versatile. You can easily customize it with whatever you like/don’t like or have on hand. Here are some ideas for you: Chicken – You can sub chicken for tuna if you’d like. We also have a Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad recipeI have not tried canned chicken in this recipe but I think it would work. 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 don’t recommend using a flavored/sweetened yogurt in this recipe. Parsley- If you don’t have fresh parsley, you can sub with 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley. If you don’t 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, plan yogurt.  Grilled Chicken – This salad is great with leftover grilled chicken. We love it with this balsamic chicken! Fruit- You can omit the fruit if you’d like to. Apples can also be subbed for grapes or berries. If you’re going to use a dried fruit like raisins or cranberries – I’d recommend cutting the amount in half. Celery – If you don’t like or don’t have celery omit it. To make lower calorie- You can omit the amount of pecans or cut back on the amount to save calories. Keto – If you are following a strict keto diet – it’s best to omit the apples from this recipe. Honey – If you want a hint of sweetness, add a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup Mustard – 1-2 teaspoons of mustard is a delicious add in! How to make Shredded Chicken: The only ‘cooking’ this recipe requires is for the chicken. You can cook your chicken in instant pot, crockpot, or by boiling on stove top. Even better – buy 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! (Make sure to save the bones and make bone broth with it!) 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 Store Chicken Salad (with no Mayo) This healthy chicken salad is great for meal prep because it lasts for a while in the fridge! How long does chicken salad with yogurt last 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 it’s 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 wouldn’t recommend leaving it out of the fridge for more than 2 hours. How to Serve Healthy Chicken Salad You can serve this chicken salad however you like! We like it: on a sandwich or a salad with a healthy salad dressing on top of apple slices in lettuce wraps as a healthy ‘dip’ FAQ for Low Calorie Chicken Salad FAQ for Low Calorie Chicken Salad

Can I use greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise? Greek yogurt can be used instead of mayonnaise pretty much interchangeably. It’s great in baked goods, savory recipes and especially chicken salad. Is Greek yogurt better than mayo? Greek yogurt is better for you than mayo. It’s higher in protein, lower in calories, and lower in fat! How do you make Greek yogurt taste like Mayo? The easiest way to make greek yogurt taste like mayo is to add a little bit of fat to it, or buy a higher fat greek yogurt. Adding a little olive oil to your greek yogurt will help thin it out and give it a similar ‘mouth feel’ to mayo. How bad is chicken salad for you? Chicken salad really isn’t bad for you, but it could easily be made healthier with a few swaps. Using greek yogurt in place of mayo considerably cuts down on the fat content. Using chicken breasts/lean meat instead of dark meat can also help make chicken salad better for you! Other Shredded Chicken & Other Favorite Recipes If you have leftover shredded chicken, you can also use it in these healthy recipes! Love chicken? Check out our favorite healthy chicken breast recipes! Healthy Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt Ingredients 2.5 cups cooked shredded chicken about 1 lb 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped finely 1/2 cup celery diced finely 1 cup apples chopped 1/4 cup pecans chopped ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/4 teaspoon salt Instructions Cook chicken. Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil chicken for 10-14 minutes. You can also cook chicken in the instant pot, crockpot or buy a rotisserie chicken. Once chicken is cooked, shred the chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks. Add chopped ingredients, spices, greek yogurt and shredded chicken in a bowl. Toss together using a spatula until all ingredients are thoroughly coated with yogurt. Serve on a sandwich or over a salad. Video Nutrition Facts Calories 184 Calories from Fat 63 % Daily Value* Fat 7g 11% 6% Cholesterol 61mg 20% Sodium 274mg 12% Potassium 483mg 14% Carbohydrates 7g 2% 8% 4% Protein 23g 46% Vitamin A 191IU 4% Vitamin C 4mg 5% Calcium 46mg 5% Iron 1mg 6%