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!

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 for 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.
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 for a delicious, easy lunch or meal prep option you'll make on repeat!

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!

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 for a delicious, easy lunch or meal prep option you'll make on repeat!

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!
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 for a delicious, easy lunch or meal prep option you'll make on repeat!

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!
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 for a delicious, easy lunch or meal prep option you'll make on repeat!

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.

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 for a delicious, easy lunch or meal prep option you'll make on repeat!

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Hope you all enjoy this amazing Chicken Salad recipe! If you love this as much as we do, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating below. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using the hashtag #eatyourselfskinny! I love seeing all your delicious recreations!

4.72 from 7 votes

Healthy Chicken Salad

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 for a delicious, easy lunch or meal prep option you'll make on repeat!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings

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
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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.

Video

Notes

* This salad can be stored in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6th of recipe | Calories: 227kcal | Carbohydrates: 9.9g | Protein: 41.4g | Fat: 5.1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1.357mg | Fiber: 0.7g | Sugar: 7.2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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As a self-proclaimed foodie and fitness enthusiast, I have a passion for cooking and a huge desire to show that living a healthy lifestyle can actually be easy and fun!  Feel free to use the meal guide above to find your new favorite meal ideas or the dietary guides to the right to narrow things down even more!

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23 Comments

  1. TerryF says:

    5 stars
    This was excellent – thank you!

  2. Jessica says:

    5 stars
    DIVINE! I had to sub a couple of things that I thought I had, and then halfway through realized I did not. So mine has golden raisins and tarragon and pecans. I didn’t have grapes, celery seed, or sliced almonds. This recipe is so versatile! I’ve been using the same recipe for 20 years but it’s loaded with mayo and I’m working on making healthier choices. Thought I’d miss the mayo but I do not! This is better! Thank you!

  3. Mary says:

    5 stars
    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.

    1. Anna says:

      Keep some grapes on hand and add them to your serving. Best of both worlds.

  4. R says:

    Does this keep well in the freezer? I want to freeze single servings for meal prep.

    1. Kelly says:

      Yes! You can freeze this up to 3 months, however I recommend enjoying it within a month for the best taste and freshness.

    2. TerryF says:

      I would not suggest freezing this recipe – it will be watery and yucky when defrosted.

  5. Whirlycook says:

    5 stars
    I have been making this salad all summer. It’s flavorful and refreshing. So delicious!

  6. Diane says:

    5 stars
    Incredibly delicious!! I left out the almonds, being I’m allergic and I made homemade naan gluten free bread to go with it. Lets just say I’m so excited for my lunches this week!

  7. Kayla says:

    5 stars
    I will admit I was skeptical at first because of the grapes and almonds, but this was absolutely divine! I did swap out the Greek yogurt for lite mayo, I’m lactose intolerant. I served it on rye sourdough amazing! Try it I guarantee you will love it!

  8. Debbie says:

    5 stars
    Thank you for the wonderful recipe! Very tasty!!

  9. Carla says:

    5 stars
    This was probably the best chicken salad I’ve ever had! My fiance’ and I are trying to watch what we eat before our wedding and it is absolutely delicious!! I used rotisserie chicken which I think really made it! We’ve used it in a healthy wrap with lettuce like the other user did and we also served it over a romaine, tomato, cucumber, and onion salad with a light dressing and both were fantastic! We will definitely be using this in our monthly routine if not more and will be making it as a dip for a party as well! I’ve used many of your recipes and have loved them all! Thanks for making healthy food fun to make and eat! 🙂

  10. Tracy says:

    Really liked this recipe! Haven’t had chicken salad for years but I’ll definitely make this recipe again. Had in a wrap and added lettuce . Looking forward to trying it with other things also. Thanks for the great recipe!