May 14, 2020

by Olena

Healthy Chicken Salad

chickengreek yogurtnuts and seeds

May 14, 2020

by Olena

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★★★★★

4.9 from 35 reviews

Easy and low fat Healthy Chicken Salad that is a must for hot summer days, lunches and quick dinner.

It is also low in calories and sodium but big on flavor. 🙂

Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe

My goal with this healthy chicken salad was to keep it super simple, so we can pull it off any time. Cold and creamy, with celery and red onion, this salad is flavorful, protein packed and tasty.

During our Southern California road trip I had chicken salad for lunch at Legoland. While an 8 oz serving cost US $10 and made my teeth cringe from sodium, it was extremely satisfying in 115 degrees F heat.

Of course, I kept thinking we can do better, of course. 🙂

Is Chicken Salad Healthy?

Traditional chicken salad with mayo contains 310 calories, 25 grams of fat and 700 milligrams of sodium per 1/2 cup serving. Yikes!

iFOODreal chicken salad is only 145 calories, 11 grams of fat and 186 grams of sodium. That’s a huge nutrition difference.

Also to use cooked at home chicken breasts vs. store bought rotisserie chicken reduces sodium a lot.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Cooked chicken: You can use any leftover cooked chicken. Here is simple baked chicken breast recipe and super easy Instant Pot chicken breast.
Mayo and yogurt: Yogurt adds creaminess with less calories – I recommend to use more than 2% fat for better taste. And IMHO, a bit of mayo makes chicken salad real. 🙂
Celery and red onion: These veggies add crunch and flavor. White or green onion are OK too.
Nuts: I used pecans and toasting them lightly on a skillet adds more crunch and flavor. You can use any nuts like cashews, almonds, pine nuts and walnuts.
Fresh herbs: Parsley, dill, basil or even cilantro add a lot of flavor making missing mayo unnoticeable.

Tip: Add grapes. As much as I love grapes I know they are expensive. And I would like to keep this recipe simple.

How to Make Healthy Chicken Salad

Cook chicken if you don’t have leftovers already – bake chicken breasts or make Instant Pot whole chicken.
Toast nuts in a small skillet on low-medium heat just until fragrant and brown-ish. You will smell them. 🙂 Cool and chop.
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl: Toasted pecans, chicken, celery, onion, parsley, yogurt, mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir gently to mix and adjust salt to taste, if necessary.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours as salad tastes best cold.

How to Serve and Store Chicken Salad

Refrigerate salad for up to 5 days. I like to place it in a glass container or bowl with tight plastic lid.

I have not tried freezing chicken salad but I don’t think chicken salad freezes well. It has a lot of fresh veggies to go limp once thawed. But maybe because they are coated in mayo and yogurt… Let me know if you try. 🙂 We never have any leftovers to freeze.

Chicken salad sandwich with sprouted whole grain/wheat bread like Ezekiel.
Add greens: lettuce, spinach or kale leaves.
Low carb on swiss chard leaves or any lettuce.
Whole grains: Serve with cooked quinoa or brown rice.

Low Fat and Low Calorie Chicken Salad?

I cut back mayo in half and add 1/2 cup plain (Greek) yogurt to make salad creamy, reduce saturated fat and calories. I recommend to use 2% and higher fat content yogurt because non-fat yogurt lacks flavour and is flat. Healthy fats are good for you, in moderation.

Tip: Buy organic or avocado oil mayo. It goes a long way and you avoid consuming GMO canola oil that comes with “regular” mayo.

More Healthy Protein Packed Salads

Healthy tuna salad – creamy and tasty with less mayo.
Healthy egg salad – perfect for lunches and hot summer days.
Thai chicken salad – you can make it even with chickpeas.
Grilled chicken salad – delish loaded with veggies and berries.
Healthy shrimp salad – from everyday lunch to a holiday table versatile.

Healthy Chicken Salad

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.9 from 35 reviews

Easy and low fat Healthy Chicken Salad that is a must for hot summer days, lunches and quick dinner. It’s also low in calories and sodium but big on flavor.

Author: Olena of ifoodreal.com
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: 12 servings 1x
Category: Salad
Method: No Cook
Cuisine: North American

Scale

Ingredients

1 lb (3 cups) cooked chicken, cubed
3/4 cup (3 large) celery stalks, diced
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup parsley or dill, finely chopped (optional)
1 cup pecans, almonds or cashews
1/2 cup plain yogurt (2+% fat)
1/4 cup mayo (I used avocado oil mayo)
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp any vinegar (except balsamic)
1/2 tsp salt
Ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

In a small skillet, add pecans and toast on low-medium heat until fragrant and brown-ish, stirring often. Transfer to a cutting board, let cool a bit and chop coarsely.
In a medium bowl, add toasted pecans, chicken, celery, onion, parsley, yogurt, mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and pepper. Stir gently to mix and adjust salt to taste if necessary.
Refrigerate for at least 2 hours as salad tastes best cold.
Serve with greens, quinoa, brown rice or make a chicken salad sandwich with whole wheat bread.

Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. I have not tried freezing the salad and am not sure fresh veggies and herbs will hold up well to it.

Notes

To cook chicken, you can use my baked chicken breast recipe.
If you have Instant Pot, you can make Instant Pot frozen chicken or Instant Pot whole chicken and use breasts from it. Or just make Instant Pot chicken breasts.
White or green onion would work well in place of red.
Add sliced grapes or chopped apple if you wish. Grapes are pricey often, so I keep them out.
Use any mayo – I just use avocado oil one because it is healthier.
Please do not use 0% yogurt. It tastes chalky and salad will taste flat. Plain or regular yogurt work.

★ Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.

chickengreek yogurtnuts and seeds

Hello and welcome to iFOODreal.

My name is Olena Osipov. I'm a mom to 2 boys and a wife to Alex. And this is our healthy family recipes blog. I grew up in Ukraine on real food. As an adult, I tried many diets without results. Now for over 10 years, I cook quick and easy healthy meals for my family. I can help you with “What’s for dinner?” too.

What You Will Find Here

Healthy family recipes with simple ingredients. Many are inspired by my Ukrainian heritage. I share mostly dinner recipes because it just never ends... I’m obsessed with healthy freezer meals. And more than in love with my Instant Pot.

A Little More About Me

Originally from Ukraine, I now reside on magic Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada with my family. I started this blog in 2012 when I ended up at home with 2 small kids unemployed and a wee bit chubby.

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