Healthy Chicken Salad

I can't believe it's taken me this long to post my classic Chicken Salad recipe on the website. This really was the recipe that turned me on to sharing my recipes. It's creamy and so so basic. I regularly make a big batch of it to keep in the fridge for a protein packed lunch or snack option.

I love chicken salad because you can get super creative with your ingredients and the product itself is so versatile.

By swapping out the majority of the typical mayonnaise based sauce with greek yogurt you save 700 calories and 85g of fat.

For reference 4 oz of mayonnaise is about 770 calories, 0.6g of carbs, 85g of fat and 1g of protein vs the equivalent of plain greek yogurt is about 68 calories, 4.5g carbs, 0g fat and 12g protein.

I recommend you pay attention when choosing your yogurt. Plain yogurt should always have more protein than carbs and have very few added sugars. I typically use #siggis or #oikos in my recipes. Also, if you're someone who craves that classic mayo taste, I recommend you opt in to the optional 1 tbsp mayo ingredient!

Healthy Chicken Salad

4 servings | Prep: 20 minutes | Assemble: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 12-16oz chicken breast

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp salt

• 4 oz plain greek yogurt

• 1 tbsp dijon mustard

• Optional: 1 tbsp mayonnaise (I typically omit this because I'm not a fan of it but if you like the flavor, a little goes a long way)

• 1 cup celery, chopped (~100g)

• 1/4 chives, chopped

• 4 cup raw spinach, arugula or other lettuce

• 4 wraps (I usually use #tuamros or 1/2 a #josephspita lavash wraps)

Directions:

1. Cook chicken according to your preference. I typically use an instant pot and place raw chicken in with 1/2 cup water and some salt and pepper. Cook on poultry for 15 minutes for defrosted chicken and 20 minutes for frozen chicken. Alternative methods would be grilling it, boiling it, baking it or using rotisserie chicken (about 3 cups).

2. Use 2 forks or a food processor to shred the chicken.

3. In a large bowl mix yogurt, dijon, spices and (optional) mayonnaise. Mix in shredded chicken, chopped chives and chopped celery until evenly coated in dressing.

4. Serve with spinach or other lettuce in your favorite wrap.

Pro tip: for a little extra bite, sometimes I'll sprinkle in some #traderjoes everything but the bagel seasoning or a few dashes or hot sauce for good measure!

Alternatives:

I love the classic celery and chive combination in my chicken salad but some of my other favorite mix ins are quartered grapes, chopped pears, chopped apples or chopped carrots. Try a combination of ingredients and see what your favorite recipe is!

Nutrition facts are provided for the basic recipe for chicken salad with celery and chives on half a #josephspita lavash wrap. Nutrition facts do not include optional 1 tbsp of mayonnaise. If you choose to include mayonnaise, simply add 2.6g of fat/serving to account for it.