Healthy Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad (Printable version)
Tangy Greek yogurt coats chicken, celery, red pepper, herbs, and optional nuts or grapes for a light, high-protein meal.
# What you need:
→ Chicken
01 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded (about 2 large breasts)
→ Dressing
02 - 1 cup plain Greek yogurt (non-fat or low-fat)
03 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
04 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
05 - 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
06 - 1 garlic clove, minced
07 - ½ teaspoon salt
08 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
→ Vegetables & Mix-ins
09 - ½ cup celery, finely chopped
10 - ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
11 - ¼ cup red onion, finely diced
12 - ¼ cup fresh parsley or dill, chopped
13 - ¼ cup sliced almonds or walnuts (optional)
14 - ½ cup seedless red grapes, halved (optional)
# How To:
01 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
02 - Add the cooked chicken, celery, red bell pepper, red onion, parsley or dill, and optional nuts and grapes to the bowl with the dressing.
03 - Gently toss all ingredients together until everything is evenly coated with the dressing, taking care not to break apart the chicken pieces.
04 - Taste the salad and adjust the salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed to suit your preference.
05 - Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld together for the best results.
06 - Serve cold on its own, over a bed of fresh greens, in lettuce cups for a low-carb option, or as a sandwich filling on whole grain bread.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Swapping mayo for Greek yogurt cuts the heaviness while giving you a creamy, tangy dressing that actually tastes brighter and more alive than the original.
- It comes together with zero cooking if you use leftover or rotisserie chicken, making it the ultimate throw together meal for chaotic weeknights.
02 -
- Do not skip the chill time because the dressing needs those minutes to tighten up and the flavors need to marry, otherwise the salad tastes flat and wet.
- If you are using leftover chicken straight from the fridge, let it sit out for ten minutes before mixing so the cold fat in the meat does not seize the yogurt dressing.
03 -
- Shred your chicken with two forks while it is still warm for the most tender, sauce grabbing texture that absorbs the dressing like a sponge.
- Toasting the nuts is the one extra step most people skip, and it is the single thing that elevates this from a good weeknight dinner to something people will actually request again.