This Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt brings everything back to basics without compromising on flavor or texture! Pre-marinated and grilled chicken breasts are chopped and tossed in an array of fresh salad ingredients, coated in a light and citrusy Greek yogurt dressing – ready to be eaten straight from the bowl!
The combination of crunchy celery, sweet red onion, creamy avocado, and fresh cilantro proves that a chicken salad recipe doesn’t need to be complicated or have a long list of ingredients in order for it to be a knock-out dish! This chicken salad made with Greek yogurt was inspired during a time when I needed a little diet overhaul, swapping out sugar-rich mayonnaise for a lighter option while still getting that classic tangy flavor.
Of course, there’s no end to the ways that a simple chicken salad can be adapted. In fact, this recipe with it’s short list of ingredients is an ideal base to build on. Check out my Chicken Bacon Ranch Layered Salad and Chinese Chicken Salad for ideas of other tasty add-ins. This Chicken Chopped Salad uses a cilantro-lime dressing that would be the perfect dressing for this chicken salad with Greek yogurt if you want an extra boost of flavor.
Enjoy this chicken salad with Greek yogurt as a snack, a light lunch, or double it as a mouthwatering salad for your backyard BBQs, potlucks, and brunches. Leftovers are just as good on buns, croissants, bagels, or by the spoonful!
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🫐 Ingredients:
This chicken salad with Greek yogurt recipe contains a number of basic ingredients, and all of them are easy to find at your local grocery store. Let’s talk about the most important ingredients.
- Salad dressing – This salad dressing is light and citrusy, made with plain Greek yogurt as a healthier alternative to mayo, and flavored with honey, fresh lime juice, and salt and pepper.
- Grilled chicken breast – Pre-cooked chicken is ideal for chopping and tossing as the main source of lean protein for this chicken salad. While I’ve used grilled chicken breast, feel free to use other cuts of leftover cooked chicken, or even rotisserie chicken.
- Fresh salad ingredients – I love to keep things simple while still adding loads of flavor and texture to this chicken salad with Greek yogurt. Diced celery, red onion, creamy avocado, and chopped cilantro worked out to be the perfect mix!
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Optional Garnish:
Top with an extra sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro, if you like. Crumbled feta or blue cheese would also be a delicious garnish.
Substitutions and Variations
- Kind of chicken – This recipe calls for grilled chicken breast, but you can roast a whole chicken and use some of the dark meat too, or cook your chicken breasts in the instant pot.
- Shrimp – I’ve substituted the chicken in this recipe for shrimp on previous occasions, and it’s incredibly yummy too!
- Creamy base – A mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream can be used as the creamy base for this chicken salad made with Greek yogurt, if you prefer a richer, more indulgent version. For something completely different, try this chicken salad with my homemade ranch dressing or cilantro lime dressing.
- Mix-ins – The great thing about a chicken salad is that it’s incredibly versatile. Toss your favorite salad ingredients to suit your preferences, such as diced bell pepper, cucumber, tomatoes (cherry or grape), slivered almonds or other nuts, pumpkin seeds, or some crispy bacon pieces!
- Sandwich filling – Make delicious chicken salad sandwiches with this recipe. Store-bought sandwich bread or homemade rustic sourdough bread would be perfect.
- Lettuce wraps – For a low-carb meal, pile your chicken salad with Greek yogurt dressing onto crispy lettuce leaves.
- Tex-Mex – Add black beans, sweet corn, crushed tortilla chips, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, and cheddar cheese into this chicken salad for a Tex-Mex twist.
- Asian chopped chicken salad – Follow my Chinese chicken salad recipe if you love Asian cuisine flavors. You could also add in edamame, shredded carrots, and mandarin oranges.
- Fall-inspired chicken salad – As the seasons start to change, you may like to incorporate certain ingredients, such as craisins, pecans, and chopped apples with a complementary balsamic vinegar based dressing.
🔪 Instructions:
PREP: Wash, dice, and chop your fresh salad ingredients.
Step 1: Whisk together the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Toss the salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
Pro Tip: Leave the chopped avocado out if you know that you won’t be serving the salad immediately as it can start to brown. You could also coat the chopped avocado in a shallow bowl of fresh lemon or lime juice to slow down the process of oxidation.
Step 3: Drizzle the Greek yogurt dressing over the salad.
Step 4: Toss again to fully combine and serve immediately or cover and refrigerate until ready to enjoy.
SERVE: Serve immediately just as it is or load it onto lettuce leaves or sliced bread as an open chicken salad sandwich!
Recipe Tips for Chicken Salad Made with Greek Yogurt
- If you make this salad ahead, press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the salad to minimize browning from the oxidation of the avocado. A little extra lime juice can also help preserve the color.
- Chop and dice your fresh salad ingredients into uniform size pieces for a more appealing presentation. You can chop and dice to make a chunkier salad or a more refined salad.
- To minimize meal prep time, I like to marinate and grill a pile of chicken breasts all at once. I usually do this in bulk so that I can eat them with a simple side of veggies or in a quick salad for lunch or those nights when I don’t feel like cooking. A typical chicken marinade combines olive oil, fresh lemon, salt, pepper, and garlic.
- For meal prep, store this delicious chicken salad in a small mason jar with the Greek yogurt dressing at the bottom or on the side.
- Remove any remaining pieces of avocado from your chicken salad if you plan to store it for longer than a day. You may like to also mix in some extra yogurt dressing to the leftover salad if some of the ingredients have absorbed it.
Fun Fact
The first known American recipe for chicken salad was published in 1847 in The Carolina Housewife cookbook by Sarah Rutledge. Her version, which called for chicken mixed with a creamy, mayonnaise-based dressing, established the standard for this modern dish. – Kitchen Switchen.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! This recipe is so simple to make that it can easily be doubled or tripled depending on how many people you want to serve.
No. You can assemble and serve this chicken salad immediately. That said, this salad can be chilled for up to 3 hours before serving and the flavors will meld together and intensify. I don’t recommend assembling too far in advance with the avocado as it will start to brown.
This chicken salad is so delicious and healthy – perfect for eating straight out of the bowl! You can also load it on sandwich bread or lettuce leaves, mix it with healthy grains or pasta, or enjoy it as a snack on crostini.
I’ve ditched the mayonnaise in this chicken salad recipe and used a lighter alternative – plain Greek yogurt! This instantly offers you a salad with reduced calories and no added sugar that most store-bought mayonnaise brands include.
Satisfying Main-Meal Salads
If you tried this Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt
Ingredients
Dressing
- ½ cup Greek yogurt Plain
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Lime juice Juice of 1 lime
- Salt and pepper To taste
Salad
- 2 cups chicken breast Grilled and chopped
- 2-3 celery stalks About 1 cup
- ¼-½ red onion About ½ cup
- 1 avocado Diced
- ½ cup cilantro Chopped
Instructions
- Whisk together dressing ingredients in a bowl.
- Toss salad ingredients together in a large bowl.
- Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to fully combine.
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Comments & Reviews
Karin Marie says
I NEED to get on strict diet as well! I have “IBS” but its a lame term but I so understand “living” in the bathroom or at least having to know where one is at all times. Its deff not a fun way to live and I have problems with lactose in milk but I can have cheese and yogurt (as long as its not the cheap stuff). But I started going gluten free and limiting sugar but its sooo hard and expensive! I need to get back on track with buying good foods and prepping them. I have a bad sweet tooth and need to start eating fruits, instead because I deff regret it later…I need to get more creative with the natural healthy foods. This salad looks divine tho! Thanks for the recipe! How do you make yogurt? that sounds awesome! I love your blog! You make me want to start sewing again! I use to do it all the time but from going from 2 girls to 3 girls I lost my mojo but I need to get it back! I deff miss it! 🙂
nest full of eggs says
I feel for you with your food restrictions, I’ve been gluten-free for 3 years, it has taken me 2 years to reduce my dairy to about 1 serving of cheese per week (dairy was really difficult to reduce), I’m also reduced egg yolk, no avocado, no coffee…
I know it is difficult, but keep up the good work !
Anonymous says
Have you ever tried the medication called Asacol? It works like a charm for ulcerative colitis patients because it only works (breaks down) in the colon. Might be worth a try if you have not already
Stef says
I did try Asacol, but for me, it made my disease much worse and nearly landed me in the hospital. I understand that it works great for a lot of people, but it didn’t for me. Thanks though!!
Vanessa@Designs By Sessa says
FINALLY! A blogger that is crafty that has UC! Hahaha! I didn’t even know those existed! lol Okay, for reals, I had UC and it was CRAZY terrible. I actually had a flare up so bad that no meds worked. I too had been on a crazy crazy extreme diet and rarely ate “normal” foods, juiced everything known to man and drank it daily, but unfortunately God had other plans for me and my colon ruptured, which made me septic, which then resulted in an emergency surgery to take out the entire darn thing, which wouldn’t you know you can actually survive and live quite well without. I had an ostomy for 9 months, which was crazy, but taught me alot, then I qualified for reconstructive surgery and now live with a jpouch all inside made out of my small intestines! It’s the best thing in the world! Anways, I don’t really know if you know me as a craft blogger or not, but I love being inspired by your frilly girly stuff and I think it’s really awesome to relate to you in this way, too. I actually started telling my story on Designs By Sessa and really need to write the last segment of it. Let me know if you ever need to talk about UC or whatever and I’m so glad that your crazy healthy diet is working for you! That salad looks yummy!
Leah Roy says
My son is has some food allergies and my husband is lactose-intolerant. So, we have food limitations here as well! I’m glad you are lengthening your distance from your house/bathroom, as that is NOT easy or fun. The salad looks tasty, you guys need an avocado, lemon, and lime tree in your yard (if you don’t already have them)!
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
Oooh this looks delish! I am definitely going to try it soon! I eat GF and am *trying* to eliminate dairy. I’ve found that Pinterest is awesome for finding recipes, quickly.
Will you share your yogurt recipe? That’s the hardest for me to not eat. I can’t believe yogurt is such a big temptation but I’m strange and it is- ha.
KK
Erin says
Yum!!!! Will be making this this summer! Thanks!
Kristie Clower says
Looks yummy! I’m glad you’re feeling better and managing your condition without meds. I’m dairy-free right now since I’m nursing. If I slip up I end up cleaning projectile spit up and bouncing a gassy baby.