This Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe combines tender chicken, crisp celery, juicy grapes, crunchy almonds, and fresh herbs in a creamy, mayo-free dressing.
author’s note
The No-Mayo Chicken Salad I’m Completely Sold On!
This original Chicken Salad is easily one of my favorite recipes on this site (yes, out of over 1,500!). I make it all the time and love serving it on mini croissants for baby and bridal showers.
Lately, I’ve been trying to add more protein into my meals without giving up flavor, so I started playing around with the dressing. I swapped the mayo and sour cream for Greek yogurt, and honestly… I wasn’t sure how it would compare.
But it turned out so good.
This is hands down my favorite healthy chicken salad. It’s still creamy, packed with flavor, and if you use a good Greek yogurt, you’d never guess it isn’t loaded with mayo.
Ingredients
Here’s what we’ve got going on in this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe:
- Chicken: Rotisserie chicken is quick, easy, and already seasoned. Many stores even offer it pre-shredded.
- Celery: Thin slices add a nice crunch to the salad.
- Green Onions: Use both the whites and greens for extra flavor. Prefer a sharper taste? Try red onions. Not a fan of onion? Skip it!
- Grapes: Seedless and diced to mix in well. I like to halve small grapes or quarter larger ones.
- Toasted Almonds: Many stores sell pre-toasted almonds, but they’re easy to toast at home if needed.
- Parsley: Adds a fresh flavor, but you can leave it out or swap with basil. A smaller amount of rosemary or thyme would also work well.
Dressing
What makes a chicken salad healthy? A protein-packed dressing! Greek yogurt is rich in protein and makes up most of the dressing:
- Greek Yogurt: Choose a good, full-fat plain yogurt you enjoy. Greek God’s Traditional Plain is my favorite. Use the leftovers and make some Tzatziki sauce!
- Lemon: I like to use a grater to get the lemon zest and a juicer to get the juice.
- Honey: Balances the tang of the yogurt nicely. Adjust to taste.
- Dijon Mustard: Adds great flavor and thickens the dressing.
How To Make Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe
- Shred Chicken: Use rotisserie chicken for ease.
- Prep Veggies: Thinly slice celery and green onions, dice grapes, and chop parsley.
- Toast Almonds: If not pre-toasted, toast them in a dry pan until lightly browned.
- Dressing: Whisk together yogurt, zest, juice, honey, and Dijon mustard until smooth.
- Combine: Add chicken, veggies, grapes, almonds, and parsley to the dressing. Mix.
- Season: Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Featured Comment
“This truly is the best chicken salad sandwich I have ever had. Thanks, Chelsea, for sharing the recipe!”
– Rebecca
Quick Tip
If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, pop it in these Rotisserie Chicken Tacos or Rotisserie Chicken Stir-Fry!
Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe Serving Suggestions
Here’s how to I like to serve up this chicken salad:
- On Toasted Bread: Make a sandwich with your favorite whole-grain bread.
- In Lettuce Wraps: Spoon into large lettuce leaves for a low-carb option.
- With Croissants: Serve on mini croissants for a party!
- Over Greens: Place on top of a bed of mixed greens for a salad.
- In a Wrap: Roll it in a whole-wheat or spinach tortilla.
- Stuffed in Pita: Use whole-wheat pita pockets.
- As a Dip: Serve with crackers or sliced veggies.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Keep in Fridge: Put any leftovers of this chicken salad recipe in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Eat Soon: Enjoy within 3-4 days.
- Don’t Freeze: Freezing can change the texture, so avoid it.
More Chicken Salad Recipes:
Healthy Chicken Salad
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped cooked chicken see note 1
- 3/4 cup thinly sliced celery 2–3 stalks
- 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions 5 green onions
- 1 cup seedless red grapes halved
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds see note 2 for toasting
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley optional
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt see note 3
- 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- Serving suggestions see note 4
Instructions
- Zest lemon with zester to get 1/2 teaspoon zest. Juice using a citrus juicer to get 1 tablespoon juice.
- Shred and chop chicken to get 3 cups. Slice the celery, green onions, and grapes. Finely chop parsley, if using. If desired, toast the almonds (see note 2).
- In a large bowl, whisk yogurt, lemon zest and juice, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Add chicken, celery, green onions, grapes, almonds, and parsley (if using) to the dressing. Gently stir until well mixed. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- See note 4 for serving suggestions.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love this salad. What is a serving size? Under the size it just says one serving. I am really counting calories and I need single servings to break this up into and I just need to know how much is a single serving. Thank you so much
Hey Sandra! I’m so thrilled this salad has been a hit! There are 6 servings in this recipe, so if you divide the salad into 6 equal portions, one portion would be considered a serving.
you’re not a lover of Greek yogurt can I use mayonnaise instead
Yes, but I have a chicken salad with mayo if you want to try: https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/chicken-salad/.
I can not wait to make this! Tomorrow!
Thank you!
Yay! I can’t wait to hear what you think!
I made this yummy chicken salad and loved how fresh it tasted. It was so light and tasty and was so good one some thick soft bread.
I love hearing this! Thanks Julia!
Hi, just wanted to say it looks good; however, I would use about 1/2 of the yogurt; otherwise, it is like ALL deli salads, potato salad, mac salads; can’t eat it due to much mayo!!
Thanks Sandra! You can absolutely half the yogurt!
I love this chicken salad
Yay! Thanks Lee!
I just made this recipe 10 minutes ago. I didn’t change anything except swap mayo for the yogurt. I don’t like Greek yogurt. This is hands down the best chicken salad recipe I’ve ever had. Do yourself a favor and make it now! If you need the ingredients go to the store and make it!!
I’m so happy to hear this! Thanks so much Julio!