Easy 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.
Healthy Chicken Salad
Easy low fat healthy chicken salad recipe that is a must for hot summer days, lunches and quick family dinner. It’s also low on calories and sodium but big on flavour.
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.
My goal with this chicken salad was to keep it super simple, so we can pull it off any time.
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.
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.
Healthy Ways to Serve Chicken Salad:
- Make chicken salad sandwich with sprouted whole grain/wheat bread like Ezekiel.
- Add greens: lettuce, spinach or kale leaves.
- For low carb version I eat this salad on swiss chard leaves or any lettuce.
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
- 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.
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
Easy, 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.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Salad
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: North American
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
- 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.
Notes
To cook chicken I used my Instant Pot frozen chicken recipe and made 3 meals out of it.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
I want to thank you for your delicious recipe for the healthy chicken salad!!!
I just made it with one of my homegrown. I’ll tell you what Ukrainian people really know how to cook! I had a neighbor that was from Ukraine. After several years of writing her to be husband that she met on a train. They finally married. He saved enough money to go and pick her up from Ukraine! That is how she became my neighbor. She was very talented cook and could bake cakes that looked like artwork. She worked hard in the yard. And built all kinds of sculptured things with plants and walkways out of stone. She made a room full of curtains. That again was amazing because they weren’t just any kind of curtains. So God bless Ukraine! God bless you for putting your recipe on there for the chicken salad. I just had it on some healthy bread!
★★★★★
Awe, thanks Debbie and what a great story! It is very true. Many Ukrainian women are women of all trades – they can cook, paint, saw, mend chickens and silicone windows lol. Life wasn’t easy so we had to learn it all. I am grateful to have gained many life skills during not so comfortable years of my young life. I cherish them, enjoy every day and hope to pass on many to my children. Now back to painting baseboards and caulking windows in our major reno haha. But I do enjoy my Canadian life now A LOT too hahahahahaha. It’s just so much easier!!! Glad you liked the salad!
I’m completely head over heels in love with this recipe. Well down on the talent. My word. The best I literally have ever had!!!!!
★★★★★
Haha thanks so much Nikki for your amazing review. Enjoy!!!
I am so happy I found this recipe! I can’t cook and I am tired of the same stuff when I try to cook. I am 24 years old, and these easy healthy recipes have been amazing! Not too many ingredients and everything comes out right. I just made this dish yesterday and it’s amazing! Thank you for this. Can’t wait to see what’s next!!
★★★★★
Yay. You are very welcome!!!
What do you mean by pale colour vinegar? I goggled it and no help :/
I’m not too savvy in the kitchen … still learning the lingo! But excited to try the recipe!
Any light colour vinegar will work. I mean any vinegar as long as it’s not balsamic. White, white wine, apple cider, rice or red wine vinegar. You are cute.:) I will change that so it’s not confusing.
This recipe is perfect, so yummy.
★★★★★
Discovered the recipe yesterday afternoon and ran to the store to grab chicken, yogurt and celery to make this. Let me say that this is the best recipe I have seen around the web.
Did not add pecans but loved the result anyway.
★★★★★
Glad the drive to to the store was worth it.:) So happy to hear you loved this healthy chicken salad recipe!
I made this using my Ninja, no nuts or salt and pepper added, so consistency is more like tuna salad. Add chunks of chicken, onion, and celery – mix and chop at the same time! mixed mayo, yogurt and other ingredients in a bowl till combined then mixed in the chicken, onion, celery from Ninja. Can also add the “sauce” to the Ninja and let it combine it all. I do not like yogurt but know I need to eat it – this recipe is great! Thank you for making me a little healthier! Husband suggested dried cranberries or cherries….I’ll be grabbing them on my next trip to the store.
★★★★★
Husband’s suggestion is a good one.:) Glad you liked it!
Delicious healthy chicken salad I have been taking to work for the past 2 weeks.
★★★★★