Weight Watchers Chicken Salad Recipe With Greek Yogurt

Weight Watchers Chicken Salad Recipe With Greek Yogurt

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad is the perfect healthy meal. Made with no mayo, high in protein, low fat and low carb. Great for weight loss, easy & yummy! Keep it keto with no fruit, or make it with apples! You can serve it on a sandwich or a salad.

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad on a bed of mixed greens on a grey background

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Up until a few years ago.. I had never had chicken salad. Most chicken salad is made with mayo which I findabsolutely repulsive. (Sorry if you like it… it's justnot for me)

I figured I could probably make my own version of it with greek yogurt.. and once I tried it..I was hooked!

If you're like me and you hate mayo – you're going to love this greek yogurt chicken salad. It's everything you love about regular salad (creamy/crunchy/yummy!) but better for you! Here's why we like it:

Why we love this healthy chicken salad:

  • No mayo –Like I said before.. mayo is just not for me. Plus, it's relatively high in fat and offers little to no nutrition value. Greek yogurt is higher in protein, low fat and low calorie
  • Low fat/high protein– Greek yogurt helps to make this chicken salad low in fat and high in protein. In 3/4 cup there are 24g of protein and only 9g of fat which comes from the pecans. You can omit them if you're looking for less fat!
  • Great texture – This chicken has a mix of crunchy pecans, apples and celery, with the creamy yogurt and chunks of moist chicken breast. Lots of good texture!
  • Light and fresh! – This chicken salad is super filling while tasting really light and fresh!
A greek yogurt chicken salad sandwich cut in half on a white plate

This greek yogurt chicken salad is also really versatile in terms of how you serve it. Sandwich, salad, lettuce wrap.. you can choose! Let me show you how simple it is to make!

Ingredients for Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

To make this greek yogurt chicken salad you'll need:

  • shredded chicken
  • non fat plain greek yogurt
  • apples
  • celery
  • pecans
  • salt, pepper
  • parsley
Ingredients for Greek Yogurt Chicken salad laid out on a grey background in small white bowls.

This healthy chicken salad is pretty easy to customize/substitute your ingredients, so check below for ideas on how to make it just the way you like!

How to make Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad:

Making chicken salad is REALLY easy.

  1. First, cook your chicken. There are instructions below to make it in the instant pot, crockpot, or the stove (or you can buy/use a rotisserie chicken).
  2. While the chicken cooks, chop your veggies/nuts.
  3. Stir all the ingredients together in a bowl.
  • An overhead image of healthy chicken salad in a white bowl before being mixed together
  • Healthy Chicken Salad being mixed together

Serve it however you like!

How to make Shredded Chicken:

The only 'cooking' this recipe requires is for the chicken. You can cook your chicken in instant pot, crockpot, or by boiling on stove top. Even better – buy rotisserie chicken to save time! Here are different methods for cooking your chicken:

Instant Pot: Cook 1 lb chicken with ¼ cup water on manual for 14 minutes. You can also follow this instant pot shredded chicken recipe if you need help

Crockpot: Cook 1 lb chicken with ¼ cup water on low for 6 hours. You can also follow this crock pot shredded chicken recipe if you need help

Stovetop: Boil 1 lb of chicken in water for 10-14 minutes until thoroughly cooked

Rotisserie chicken : Simply buy a cooked chicken and pull the meat off with forks to save time! (Make sure to save the bones and make bone broth with it!)

Tip for shredding chicken: You can pull apart chicken with two forks – but if you want to save time – place your cooked chicken breasts in your kitchen aid mixer and give a few quick turns with the paddle attachment. You can also 'mix' them with the beaters of a hand mixer.

A fork taking a bite out of healthy greek yogurt chicken salad

Substitutions for Healthy Chicken Salad:

This chicken salad is SO versatile. You can easily customize it with whatever you like/don't like or have on hand. Here are some ideas for you:

Chicken – You can sub chicken for tuna if you'd like. We also have a Greek Yogurt Tuna Salad recipeI have not tried canned chicken in this recipe but I think it would work.

Yogurt – I like to use plain, unflavored, non-fat greek yogurt in this recipe. You can use 1%, 2%, or full fat yogurt if you like. We don't recommend using a flavored/sweetened yogurt in this recipe.

Parsley- If you don't have fresh parsley, you can sub with 1/4 the amount of dried parsley. If you don't have or like parsley you can substitute with some fresh dill, thyme or even basil!

Dairy Free – I have not tried this with dairy free yogurt, but I think it would work. Make sure that your yogurt is unsweetened, plan yogurt.

Grilled Chicken – This salad is great with leftover grilled chicken. We love it with this balsamic chicken!Fruit- You can omit the fruit if you'd like to. Apples can also be subbed for grapes or berries. If you're going to use a dried fruit like raisins or cranberries – I'd recommend cutting the amount in half.

Celery– If you don't like or don't have celery omit it.

Weight Watchers – The only points in this recipe for the blue plan come from the pecans. You can omit them or cut back on the amount to save points

Keto – If you are following a strict keto diet – it's best to omit the apples from this recipe.

Honey – If you want a hint of sweetness, add a teaspoon of honey or maple syrup

Mustard – 1-2 teaspoons of mustard is a delicious add in!

Greek yogurt chicken salad meal prepped on a bed of mixed greens in a glass container

Storing/Serving Healthy Chicken Salad without Mayo

This healthy chicken salad is great for meal prep because it lasts for a while in the fridge!

Storing:You can keep this chicken salad in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. After that it will lose it's freshness

Can you freeze chicken salad? Wedo not recommend freezing this chicken salad. The fruit/yogurt will get funny after freezing

Will it be okay out of the fridge in a lunch box/on the go?Because this has cooked chicken in it and dairy, we wouldn't recommend leaving it out of the fridge for more than 2 hours.

Serving:You can serve this chicken salad however you like! We like it on a sandwich or a salad, but it's also great on top of apple slices, in lettuce wraps, or even as a healthy 'dip'.

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad FAQ:

Can I use greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise?

Greek yogurt can be used instead of mayonnaise pretty much interchangeably. It's great in baked goods, savory recipes and especially chicken salad.

Is Greek yogurt better than mayo?

Greek yogurt is better for you than mayo. It's higher in protein, lower in calories, and lower in fat!

How do you make Greek yogurt taste like Mayo?

The easiest way to make greek yogurt taste like mayo is to add a little bit of fat to it, or buy a higher fat greek yogurt. Adding a little olive oil to your greek yogurt will help thin it out and give it a similar 'mouth feel' to mayo.

How bad is chicken salad for you?

Chicken salad really isn't bad for you, but it could easily be made healthier with a few swaps. Using greek yogurt in place of mayo considerably cuts down on the fat content. Using chicken breasts/lean meat instead of dark meat can also help make chicken salad better for you!

A hand holding up a greek yogurt chicken salad sandwich with a plate in the background

Other ways to use shredded chicken:

If you have leftover shredded chicken, you can also use it in these healthy recipes!

  • Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Lemon Chicken Soup
  • Greek Chicken Spaghetti Squash Bake
  • Pineapple Mango Salsa Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad is the perfect healthy lunch or dinner. High in protein, low fat and low carb – it's great for weight loss, easy and delicious!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword greek yogurt chicken salad, healthy chicken salad

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 229 kcal

3*

WW Freestyle Points 3*

  • 2.5 cups cooked shredded chicken about 1 lb
  • 1/2 cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped finely
  • ½ cup celery diced finely
  • 1 cup apples chopped
  • ½ cup pecans chopped
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Cook chicken. Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil chicken for 10-14 minutes. You can also cook chicken in the instant pot, crockpot or buy a rotisserie chicken.

  • While chicken is cooking, chop parsley, celery, apples and pecans.

  • Once chicken is cooked, shred the chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks.

  • Add chopped ingredients, spices, greek yogurt and shredded chicken in a bowl.

  • Toss together using a spatula until all ingredients are thoroughly coated with yogurt.

  • Serve on a sandwich or over a salad.

Nutrition Facts

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Amount Per Serving (0.75 cup)

Calories 229 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g 14%

Saturated Fat 1g 6%

Cholesterol 61mg 20%

Sodium 276mg 12%

Potassium 506mg 14%

Carbohydrates 8g 3%

Fiber 2g 8%

Sugar 5g 6%

Protein 24g 48%

Vitamin A 186IU 4%

Vitamin C 4mg 5%

Calcium 51mg 5%

Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. This is an estimate and can vary pending your ingredients

Weight Watchers Chicken Salad Recipe With Greek Yogurt

Source: https://thecleaneatingcouple.com/greek-yogurt-chicken-salad/

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