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.
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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
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
- on top of apple slices
- in lettuce wraps
- as a healthy ‘dip’
FAQ for Low Calorie Chicken Salad
Greek yogurt can be used instead of mayonnaise pretty much interchangeably. It’s great in baked goods, savory recipes and especially chicken salad.
Greek yogurt is better for you than mayo. It’s higher in protein, lower in calories, and lower in fat!
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.
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.
- While chicken is cooking, chop parsley, celery, apples and pecans.
- 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.
Jessica says
I was a little skeptical about this recipe because I’m not a huge fan of Greek yogurt, but this is delicious. I make a batch at the beginning of the week and have enough for two or three lunches. I put it on top of mixed greens and add carrot and dried cranberry (maybe not the healthiest, but I like the little sweetness). Defiantly recommend this recipe.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Jessica! Love those additions!
Clara says
I made shredded chicken in my quick-cooker (super easy) & then added fresh dill & dried cranberries to this recipe!
I love the greek yogurt in place of mayo. I used it on salad & sandwiches. One of my new lunch favorites.
The Clean Eating Couple says
So glad you liked it, Clara! Thank you so much!
Shelly says
I also find mayo to be repulsive, so have never been a fan of chicken salad – Until now! This was so so good! I left out the apple and nuts, but added in some dried cranberries. Will definitely make again!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Thanks, Shelley! Mayo is the worst, LOL! I swear I never ate chicken salad until this!
Marlene says
This was the easiest chicken salad recipe I’ve ever made. Best of all it was a healthy version. I had to most of the time opt out of eating the chicken salad I would make for my family because I knew it was made with mayo and was full of calories. And for some reason my stomach always felt uncomfortable after eating it. However, this chicken salad to my surprise had a great taste full of flavor! I Loved it! It is definitely the only way I’ll be making my chicken salad from now on. Thank you for coming up with the Perfect Chicken Salad Recipe!
Maurita Kindle says
I just made this recipe and it was so delicious! The only thing I did different was toast my pecans. Thanks for all your delicious recipes!
The Clean Eating Couple says
Great idea, Maurita! I need to try that!
Jennica says
Very similar to my own recipe. I add just a dollop of Dijon mustard as well for a little kick!
The Clean Eating Couple says
That sounds delicious!
Leah says
I agree with you that mayo is super gross! I’ve been making a chicken salad with a rotisserie chicken, greek yogurt, lawry’s seasoning and a little bit of lemon juice. I’m excited to try it with apples too!
The Clean Eating Couple says
That sounds so great! Hope you love this!
Carolyn says
Going to make this Greek Yogurt
Chicken Salad.
My Family love’s Chicken Salad
Thank You
The Clean Eating Couple says
Hope you love it!
Kirsten says
I never really liked chicken salad before, but this one was great! I hate mayo, so the greek yogurt replacement was a life saver. I put a scoop over a bed of greens and added chopped strawberries on top—it’s my new favorite lunch!
Ann says
Super easy and very tasty. I like onion so I added a little finely chopped red onion. Used whole milk greek yogurt.
Amy says
Could you use plain dairy free yogurt substitute rather than Greek yogurt?
The Clean Eating Couple says
All of our blog posts have a green substitutions section. Here’s what this one says: 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.
Sara says
This recipe is amazing! To echo another reviewer, I don’t like Greek yogurt by itself or the way it smells, but love this chicken salad. I only had dried parsley in hand and it worked well. I will be making this regularly!
Elissa says
This is the BEST chicken salad! As always quick & easy to make too.
Jennifer says
I make shredded chicken every week for salads that I bring to work so I thought I would use some of the chicken to make your chicken salad. I was not disappointed. This was so good! I didn’t use the celery but I also added in some dried cranberry with the apples and pecans. Ate it on Ezekiel toast. Delicious.
I love your recipes. I love how you turn unhealthy foods healthy. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Ruth Hart says
I made this recipe today exactly as the recipe. Absolutely scrummy will definately be making again.
Loved it and really tasty and so easy and versatile.
The thing I did different instead of makining it into a sandwich or having with salad. I had celery, cucumber and carrot sticks and put the chicken filling inside slices of ham and made wraps. Had quite a few comments at work and have passed your recipe on.
Thanks for sharing.
Ruth
MTR says
I don’t cook. I don’t prepare food. When it comes time for office parties, I bring cups and plates and ice. I made this and brought it for lunch. People thought I had bought this at a restaurant. I’m a little insulted. Easy and good.
Marlene says
This was the easiest chicken salad recipe I’ve ever made. Best of all it was a healthy version. I had to most of the time opt out of eating the chicken salad I would make for my family because I knew it was made with mayo and was full of calories. And for some reason my stomach always felt uncomfortable after eating it. However, this chicken salad to my surprise had a great taste full of flavor! I Loved it! It is definitely the only way I’ll be making my chicken salad from now on. Thank you for coming up with the Perfect Chicken Salad Recipe!
Nicole says
So good! I love the greek yogurt substitute for mayo, can’t even tell the difference. Will definitely be making this again!
Beth McClary says
Holy moley! This is amazing!!!
Shannon H says
This is a great meal prep lunch. I used leftover grilled chicken that was seasoned. I wasn’t sure I could do a chicken salad without mayo, but I didn’t miss it at all.