As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This Healthy Chicken Salad is a delicious and healthier twist on the classic chicken salad recipe. Mix up a batch of this no-mayo chicken salad for a tasty sandwich, or put it in ripe avocado halves for a gluten-free option.
This healthy chicken salad is a fresh take on a classic. Even better, it’s made with Greek yogurt instead of mayo.
It’s creamy, tangy, and packed with tons of flavor.
Chicken salad is such a great meal prep dish. It’s easy to make ahead and even better, the taste improves after 24 hours.
You might love some other mayo-free dishes: Greek Yogurt Egg Salad, Healthy Green Pea Salad, Instant Pot Potato Salad, and Healthy Deviled Eggs.
While I am not a mayo fan, if you are, check out our Whole30 Chicken Salad for a mayo-based option.
Ingredients
This recipe uses:
- Cook and shredded chicken – use leftover shredded chicken from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, homemade roast chicken or our Air Fryer Chicken Tenders
- Green onions
- Chopped celery
- Dill relish
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Dried dill – though fresh will work great too
- Dried chives – feel free to use fresh
How to MAke Healthy Chicken Salad
*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.
Start with leftover cooked chicken breasts. Use two forks and shred it in a medium mixing bowl. You can also chop it depending on your texture preference.
Add the other ingredients, and stir everything to mix thoroughly. Refrigerate it for at least 4-6 hours prior to serving. Yup, that’s it!
RECIPE VARIATIONS & OPTIONAL ADDINS
You can throw in some chopped or grated apples, sliced grapes, or dried cranberries for a new take on this healthy chicken salad.
Looking for more color? Try some finely diced chopped red onion instead of the green onion.
I also love some Djion mustard in mine, and either a splash of apple cider vinegar, or a bit of the vinegar brine from the relish.
The celery gives the salad a delicious crunch, but adding in some chopped almonds or walnuts can also be a great option.
No leftover chicken? Try a few cans of canned chicken if you have some in the pantry.
How to Store and Freeze
Storing Leftovers: Store leftover chicken salad in an air-tight container for up to four days.
Freezing Leftovers: Freeze chicken salad in small portions for 3-6 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
It’s delicious on crusty bread like baguettes, no-knead dutch oven bread, even crackers, or a tortilla/pita for a wrap.
I also love it scooped into halved avocadoes or placed on top of chopped cabbage salad.
frequently asked questions
Yes, if you prefer mayo, by all means, use that in your healthy chicken salad recipe!
Store-bought mayo is fine, but if you’re looking for an easy homemade option, check out this homemade Whole30 Mayo.
Absolutely! Just double-check that it is plain/unflavored.
If you’re using a non-dairy yogurt that isn’t “Greek-style”, your chicken salad may seem a bit more watery. Add in another 1/4 cup of chicken, celery, onions, or throw in some grapes or chopped/grated apple.
Yes! You use whichever cut of chicken you prefer.
If you’re using a leftover whole or rotisserie chicken, you can mix in different cuts to use in the recipe.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Make this dish the day before you want to serve it. It gives the flavors a chance to meld together, and it tastes even better.
- Store in the fridge for up to four days. After that, the whey from the Greek yogurt will start to water down the chicken salad.
- Use your favorite store-bought relish, or finely chop some pickles you might already have in your fridge. Check out my Dill Pickle Relish canning tutorial if you’re a canner.
- Throw some Pickled Shallots on top; yum!
MORE EASY recipes YOU’LL LOVE:
Chicken Salad Without Mayo WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS
One serving has 0 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.
Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken {shredded}
- ½ cup celery {sliced thinly}
- 1 green onion {sliced}
- 2 tbsp dill relish
- 5 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
- 3/4 tsp dried dill
- 1/2 tsp dried chives
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Shred cooked chicken in a medium-sized bowl.2 cups cooked chicken
- Add all the remaining ingredients together and mix to combine.½ cup celery, 1 green onion, 2 tbsp dill relish, 5 tbsp plain Greek yogurt, 3/4 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp dried chives, Salt and pepper to taste
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 5 hours prior to serving for best results.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is delicious! And it was perfect for a quick meal before yet another evening of baseball. ????
Ha, oh baseball season. When will you end?
So glad you enjoyed it Nicole!
Not soon enough! Lol
This salad is gorgeous! I can’t wait to make it for family.
We do love it!
We just had this for dinner! Sooo yummy! As my husband says, with his mouth fully stuffed with this deliciousness: Yes! Very Good! It’s like a fancy sloppyjoe.
So glad you both liked it! I would have never considered the fancy sloppy joe connection before but now I love it. 🙂
I was brought up by a mother who cooked: roasted fish, roasted chicken, roasted pork, roasted beef – you get the idea. Chicken salad? – mix some chicken and mayo (skip the comment, please) and call it good.
So when I saw URBAN COWBOY and there was the scene when they complained about the tuna salad and explained how they’d make it IF they made it (the ungrateful jerks), it was a real eye opener for me. I am now a very adventurous cook, not that the movie was the turning point for me. Like other commenters, I now make some pretty nice chicken salads. I will try this without the pickle. Don’t you know that pickles are to be eaten out of hand – not IN anything? And you think mayo is a problem? ; )
Roasted meats for the win!! 🙂
Pickles are meant to be in things and out of hand. I’m always eating my fridge pickles and the pickled Honduran vegetables I posted about this week as snacks throughout the day.
I also use greek yogurt in my chicken salad, but I put in toasted almonds, celery, dried cranberries, salt/pepper, and smoked paprika. It’s so good (especially after it chills in the fridge overnight) that sometimes I just eat it out of the container with a fork. For breakfast. That’s normal, right? But if I can be bothered, it’s also delicious with veggies or as a sandwich (I originally got the recipe to make tea sandwiches for a bridal shower)
Yes that is soooo tasty. I have a similar recipe to that (but use smoked almonds and dried tarragon) for a more traditional chicken salad. The smoked paprika totally makes the whole dish!
Looks yummy! You should try it with cucumber slices! It has the same satisfying crunch as crackers, without all of the carbs! 🙂
Sometimes I add diced apples or raisins depending on what I have in the fridge. Other times I add a little bit of spicy mustard to kick it up a notch.
Oh my, this sounds so good! I like the idea of just using white meat for chicken salad. And putting pickles in it. So basically, I just love everything about this.
Oh, that sounds really good and so simple. I’ve never done chicken salad, but I’ll have to earmark this and figure out about the ingredients. (I don’t have dill or buy celery a lot since I can’t use it before it goes bad)
Looks good, my sister makes a great homemade chicken salad, also with greek yogurt. Ill get the recipe and share if you would like?