This Light and Healthy Chicken Salad has a lemony Greek yogurt and mayo dressing that cuts down the richness without sacrificing flavor. Toasted walnuts and dried cranberries add just the right blend of crunch and tart-sweetness.
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If you haven’t noticed yet, we love chicken salad around here. From my Classic Chicken Salad to my Avocado Chicken Salad and everything in between. There are seven variations in my Sandwiches and Wraps category and I don’t plan to stop there!
This lightened-up version is one of my old favorites. It’s got so much going on but it’s fast and easy to throw together thanks to store-bought rotisserie chicken. Always such a great time-saver.
It’s flavorful, protein-packed, and ultra-satisfying for lunch or a light dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken: The breast meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken with the skin removed. Once it’s shredded, you should have plenty for this recipe.
- Greek yogurt: I use nonfat plain Greek yogurt but you can use 2% or full fat, if you’d like.
- Mayonnaise: Opt for a healthy fat mayo, like olive oil or avocado oil mayonnaise. You could go with all Greek yogurt, but I’ve found that adding a little mayo really improves the flavor.
- Nuts: I absolutely love the flavor of toasted walnuts in this chicken salad, but you can leave them out or swap in sliced or slivered almonds if you prefer.
- For the rest: A little Dijon mustard and the juice and zest of a fresh lemon brighten up the flavor and natural sweetness comes from chopped dried cranberries. We’ve also got some diced red onion, celery, and add a little salt and pepper to taste.
- Optional for serving: Bagged broccoli slaw adds even more fiber and great nutrition to sandwiches and low-carb wraps. Use any leftovers to throw into salads or add coleslaw dressing for a great summery side dish.
How to Make Light and Healthy Chicken Salad
- In a medium bowl, combine the dressing ingredients along with the onion, celery, and dried cranberries.
- Mix until well combined.
- Add the shredded chicken and toasted walnuts to the dressing and mix again.
Valerie’s Tips
Toast the Walnuts: For added flavor and crunch, place the walnuts in a small baking dish and toast them in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 5 to 7 minutes. Allow them to cool completely before chopping and adding to the chicken salad.
Make it Ahead: I recommend mixing this up the night before and refrigerating overnight to save time. The flavor will only improve with some time in the fridge.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3 to 4 days for the best quality.
Low-Carb Alternatives: Go beyond the sandwich! If you’re watching carbs, try tucking this Light and Healthy Chicken Salad into crunchy endive leaves, roll it into low-carb wraps, or spoon it over mixed greens or thick tomato slices.
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Light and Healthy Chicken Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken breast, skin removed
- ½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
- ½ cup nonfat plain Greek Yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise, like avocado oil mayo or olive oil mayo
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries, chopped
- ⅓ cup diced red onion
- 1 rib celery, diced
- 1 whole lemon, zested and juiced
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Optional for Serving
- sandwich bread or low-carb wraps and broccoli slaw
- endive lettuce, mixed baby greens, thick tomato slices
Instructions
- Remove and discard the skin from the breast portion of the rotisserie chicken. Pull white breast meat from the chicken to a cutting board and use your hands to shred it. You should have approximately 3 cups shredded chicken. Reserve the dark meat for another purpose.
- If using the walnuts, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place them in a small baking dish and bake for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and set aside. When cool enough to handle, chop them and set the aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl combine the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, chopped dried cranberries, red onion, celery, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper. Mix well to combine. Add the shredded chicken and chopped walnuts and mix until well combined.
- Enjoy on salad greens, tucked into endive lettuce, spooned on thick tomato slices, or on sandwich bread or wraps topped with broccoli slaw.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
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This post was originally published on August 10, 2013. It has been updated with new text and images.
I tried this and loved it!! I made a couple changes due to taste and what I had available. I used Miracle Whip instead of Mayo, grilled a chicken breast in my convection oven for the chicken, halved the recipe since I was only making it for myself for lunches, used bottled lemon juice (sorry, I never have fresh lemons on hand), and I didn’t use the chopped walnuts – I would have loved this, but didn’t have any – I just ran out the other day! It was delicious, and I especally loved the broccoli slaw and the greek yogurt!!! I am a huge greek yogurt fan and try to use it in recipes as often as possible, but I had never thought to use it this way, as a sandwich “sauce.” Thanks so much Valorie for this recipe and for the awesome info and recipes you have for us!
That’s great Cheryl! I just love that chicken salad.