Savory Chicken Salad
This savory chicken salad recipe is an easy recipe that is a healthier remake of a classic chicken salad. It’s the best chicken salad made with the right mix of ingredients to make it taste like a classic chicken salad with a little bit of a twist.
Serve this as a delicious chicken salad sandwich, or on top of a bed of lettuce for a true chicken salad.
This is my favorite way to make chicken salad, and the best part is that it’s easy to make!
It’s a great way to use up leftover chicken or you can use shredded chicken from boneless chicken breasts or rotisserie chicken from your supermarket for a quick and easy meal.
Why you will🤍this recipe
- It’s healthy! Made with Greek yogurt and a just a touch of mayonnaise.
- It’s customizable, see below for recipe variations.
- Chicken salad is perfect for meal prep.
Here is what you will need
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This is an overview of the ingredients and steps to make this recipe, scroll down to see the ingredients notes and substitutions as well as a printable recipe card with exact measurements and instructions.
🛒Ingredients
- Cooked chicken
- Celery
- Greek yogurt
- Mayonnaise (optional)
- Fresh Herbs such as fresh dill, parsely, thyme
- Fresh lemon juice
- Green onions (optional for garnish)
🥄Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- Medium bowl
Here is How to Make This Easy Classic Chicken Salad Recipe
Prepare the ingredients: Chop the celery, herbs, and chicken. Measure the Greek yogurt and mayonnaise.
Step 1. Add ingredients
Place the prepared ingredients into a medium sized mixing bowl.
Step 2. Mix it together
Use a wooden spoon to thoroughly mix all of the ingredients together.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
The complete list of chicken salad ingredients is above. Below are notes about some of the ingredients, along with ideas for substitutes.
Chicken – If you don’t have leftover chicken, you can easily make shredded chicken with boneless chicken breast meat. Here is my recipe for shredded chicken. You can also use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.
Yogurt – The best yogurt to use in this recipe is plain full-fat or low-fat Greek yogurt. It’s just the right texture to make a creamy chicken salad. If Greek yogurt is not available, it can be substituted with sour cream.
Mayonnaise – I use mayonnaise that is made with avocado oil in this creamy chicken salad, but you can use any typical mayonnaise of choice.
Fresh Herbs – Just about any combination of fresh herbs works in chicken salad. We like fresh thyme and dill. Other suggestions are; parsley, basil, oregano, rosemary, and mint.
Celery – Crisp celery adds a nice amount of crunch to this chicken salad, if you don’t like celery, and you still like a little bit of crunch, add an equal amount of diced carrots.
If you like the celery flavor, but not the crunch, add a dash of celery salt.
How to Store Leftover Chicken Salad
Leftover chicken salad will last in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in a glass food storage container. Freezing chicken salad is not recommended.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this savory chicken salad for a quick dinner or lunch on a plate on top of a green salad, in lettuce cups or between 2 slices of bread, your favorite roll, tortilla wrap or stuff it into pita pockets.
Try this appetizer idea! Serve chicken salad and egg salad on top of slices of cucumbers or crackers.
Recipe Variations
There are many different variations of chicken salad. You can easily change up the flavors in this recipe by following the basic recipe, and try adding any of these combinations:
- Make it sweet and tangy. Add 1 tablespoon dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of dill or sweet pickle relish.
- Make it sweet. Use orange juice instead of lemon juice and add 1/4 cup dried cranberries or sliced juicy grapes.
- Make it spicy. Stir in a 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of sriracha sauce.
- Add Veggies such as 1/2 cup diced carrots or red peppers for extra veggies.
- Add Crunch Take the crunchy celery to the next level a nice crunch with a 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts, almonds, water chestnuts or pumpkin seeds.
Are you too tired to cook dinner?
If you’re feeling uninspired when it’s time to cook dinner, this free guide will help you make a quick and healthy dinner with ingredients you have in your kitchen.
💡Tips
- For the best tasting chicken salad use high quality chicken such as boneless chicken breasts and not canned chicken which will compromise the fresh flavor.
- If you have time, chill the chicken salad before serving for the best results.
Greek yogurt has similar texture to mayonnaise, but has more health benefits and it’s an excellent source of protein.
You might also like these salad recipes
- Macaroni Salad with Tuna
- Deviled Egg Salad
- Spinach Pasta Salad with Sun Dried Tomatoes
- Summer Cucumber Salad with Blueberries
Click on serving size to scale this recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken breast cooked
- 1/2 cup celery diced, about 2 stalks
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Dill or your favorite fresh herbs
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons mayonnaise Optional
Instructions
Notes
-
Make it sweet and tangy. Add 1 tablespoon dijon mustard and 1 tablespoon of dill or sweet pickle relish.
Make it sweet. Use orange juice instead of lemon juice and add ¼ cup dried cranberries.
Add Veggies such as a ½ cup diced carrots or red peppers for extra veggies.
Add Crunch Take the crunchy celery to the next level a nice crunch with a ½ cup chopped walnuts, almonds, water chestnuts or pumpkin seeds.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
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So simply and delicious. We loved this for an easy summer dinner!
Love this! So simple and still really good!
The perfect summer salad! I love the creamy dressing!
Simple, elegant and so delicious! The herbs make the dressing extra good!
So quick & easy and I have all the ingredients on hand for today’s lunch. Thanks 🙂
Looking for some new lunch ideas, the work and home sammies are getting boring! Thanks for the inspo~
I can never finish up a bunch of celery so this is the perfect way to use them up. Thanks!