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Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad: A Creamy, Healthy Twist

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

A creamy, tangy chicken salad made with Greek yogurt, fresh vegetables, grapes, herbs, and optional crunchy nuts. Serve it in lettuce cups, on whole-grain bread, with crackers, or over salad greens.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chicken Salad
  • 3 cups Cooked chicken, cooled and diced or shredded
Dressing
  • 1/2 cup Plain Greek yogurt, preferably 2% or whole-milk
  • 2 tablespoons Mayonnaise, optional
  • 1 tablespoon Fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon, plus more to taste Kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon Freshly ground black pepper
Mix-Ins
  • 1/2 cup Finely diced celery
  • 1/4 cup Finely diced red onion
  • 1/3 cup Halved seedless red or green grapes
  • 2 tablespoons parsley or 1 tablespoon dill Chopped fresh parsley or fresh dill
  • 1/4 cup Chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds, optional

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. If preparing the chicken from raw, gently poach or bake about 1 pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts until the thickest part reaches 165°F (74°C), which generally takes 15-20 minutes. Cool the chicken completely before dicing or shredding.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise if using, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, kosher salt, and black pepper until smooth and well combined.
  3. Add the cooled chicken, celery, red onion, grapes, parsley or dill, and optional nuts to the bowl. Fold gently until every ingredient is coated without crushing the grapes or breaking the chicken into a paste.
  4. Taste the chicken salad and adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or Dijon mustard as desired. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
  5. Serve the chilled salad in lettuce cups, on whole-grain bread, with crackers, or over salad greens. If you want the nuts to stay especially crisp, stir them in shortly before serving.

Notes

For a lighter, tangier variation, omit the mayonnaise and use 2/3 cup Greek yogurt total. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and use within 3-4 days. Do not leave the salad at room temperature for more than 2 hours.