This Healthy Chicken Salad is made with tender chicken, crisp celery, juicy grapes, crunchy almonds, and fresh herbs, all tossed in a creamy, mayo-free dressing—it’s simply the best!
Try my other healthy chicken salad recipes — this Avocado Chicken Salad, Chicken Spinach Salad, and Curry Chicken Salad.
Healthy Chicken Salad
This original Chicken Salad is one of my favorite recipes on this site (yes, out of over 1,500!). I make it often at home and love serving it on mini croissants for baby or bridal showers.
As I’ve been trying to add more protein to my diet, I swapped the mayo and sour cream for Greek yogurt to create this recipe. And the result did not disappoint!
This is the best healthy chicken salad I’ve ever had; with a good Greek yogurt, you’d barely notice it’s not made with loads of mayo!
Quick Tip
Is Chicken Salad Healthy? Chicken salad can be nutritious if made with lean chicken, Greek yogurt, and fresh veggies. It’s high in protein and lower in fat, especially when served on whole-grain bread or in lettuce wraps.
Ingredients
Here’s what we’ve got going on in this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe:
- Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is quick, easy, and already seasoned. Many stores even offer it pre-shredded.
- Celery: Thin slices add a nice crunch to the salad.
- Green Onions: Use both the whites and greens for extra flavor. Prefer a sharper taste? Try red onions. Not a fan of onion? Skip it!
- Grapes: Seedless and diced to mix in well. I like to halve small grapes or quarter larger ones.
- Toasted Almonds: Many stores sell pre-toasted almonds, but they’re easy to toast at home if needed.
- Parsley: Adds a fresh flavor, but you can leave it out or swap with basil. A smaller amount of rosemary or thyme would also work well.
Dressing
What makes a chicken salad healthy? A protein-packed dressing! Greek yogurt is rich in protein and makes up most of the dressing:
- Greek Yogurt: Choose a good, full-fat plain yogurt you enjoy. Greek God’s Traditional Plain is my favorite. Use the leftovers and make some Tzatziki sauce!
- Lemon: I like to use a grater to get the lemon zest and a juicer to get the juice.
- Honey: Balances the tang of the yogurt nicely. Adjust to taste.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds great flavor and thickens the dressing.
How To Make Healthy Chicken Salad
- Shred Chicken: Use rotisserie chicken for ease.
- Prepare Veggies: Thinly slice celery and green onions, dice grapes, and chop parsley if using.
- Toast Almonds: If not pre-toasted, toast them in a dry pan until lightly browned.
- Make Dressing: Whisk together Greek yogurt, lemon zest, juice, honey, and Dijon mustard until smooth.
- Combine: Add chicken, veggies, grapes, almonds, and parsley to the dressing. Mix well.
- Season: Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Quick Tip
If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, pop it in these Rotisserie Chicken Tacos or Rotisserie Chicken Stir-Fry!
Healthy Chicken Salad Serving Suggestions
Here’s how to I like to serve up this chicken salad:
- On Toasted Bread: Make a sandwich with your favorite whole-grain bread.
- In Lettuce Wraps: Spoon into large lettuce leaves for a low-carb option.
- With Croissants: Serve on mini croissants for a party!
- Over Greens: Place on top of a bed of mixed greens for a salad.
- In a Wrap: Roll it in a whole-wheat or spinach tortilla.
- Stuffed in Pita: Use whole-wheat pita pockets.
- As a Dip: Serve with crackers or sliced veggies.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Keep in Fridge: Put any leftover chicken salad in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Eat Soon: Enjoy within 3-4 days.
- Don’t Freeze: Freezing can change the texture, so avoid it.
More Healthy Salad Recipes:
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with the best lemon dressing
- Pesto Chicken Salad with a delicious pesto dressing
- Taco Lettuce Wraps with an incredible seasoning blend
- Margherita Pizza made on Naan
- Chickpea Salad with a light dressing and loads of veggies
Healthy Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken see note 1
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery 2-3 stalks
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions 5 green onions
- 1 cup red seedless grapes halved
- 1/2 cup sliced toasted almonds see note 2
- 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley optional
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt see note 3
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Serving suggestions see note 4
Instructions
- Zest lemon with zester to get 1/2 teaspoon zest. Juice using a citrus juicer to get 1 tablespoon juice.
- Shred and chop chicken to get 3 cups. Slice the celery, green onions, and grapes. Finely chop parsley, if using. If desired, toast the almonds (see note 2).
- In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon zest and juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Add chicken, celery, green onions, grapes, almonds, and parsley (if using) to the dressing. Gently stir until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- See note 4 for serving suggestions.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It’s very healthy I added pineapple from the pineapple chicken salad and add sour cream 1-2tbsp to each bowl gives it a little more flavor otherwise it’s very good!
I am so thrilled you enjoyed this! Thanks for your comment Ruth!
I’ve made this with both chicken and tuna and subbing chopped apple for the grapes. Tastes good every time!
Delish! So happy to hear this! Thanks Andrea!
Who needs the bread!?! This salad is fantastic without. 😃 one of my favorites!
Hoping you will do a white bean chili and some fun summer meals!
Thanks Chelsea
Haha I totally agree, I can eat this Healthy Chicken Salad with a spoon! Thanks so much for your kind comment! 🙂
We enjoyed the healthy chicken salad with croissants. It’s delicious. This one is the best
So glad to hear it!!
Amazing! So excited to have found a delicious chicken salad recipe after paying way too much for Whole Foods store bought. I used chicken breast in the crock pot instead of a rotisserie chicken as I already had chicken breast. But rotisserie would make this recipe even better. Will definitely make again and again!
I’m so happy you’re loving this recipe! Thanks so much Erica! 🙂
Is that 260 calories for 8 small sandwiches or per sandwich?
Per sandwich
A new favorite and perfect to get my pregnancy craving fix of chicken salad! And double plus for quick lunches since I’m staying away from deli meat!
I’m so glad this is able to help with those cravings! So glad you are loving this recipe! Thanks Elizabeth and best of luck with the baby! 🙂
I definitely wanna try this on party potato rolls. Those sound so snackable, and perfect for any meal! I bet these sandwiches are so good!
Yummy!!!
So delicious! Thanks Kimberly!
My fav! A whole lot of yummy goodness!
I totally agree! 🙂 Thanks Stephanie!