This recipe was previous titled “Skinny Chicken Salad” but many years have passed since I first shared it and I no longer like recipes with the word skinny in the title! This is simply a great, nourishing, flavorful chicken salad that’s heavy on flavor and protein and lighter in mayo than other similar recipes. It’s got tons of crunch with chopped apple, celery, and almonds, and It’s one of my favorite things to meal prep. Bonus: my kids love it, too! Try it in a lettuce wrap, with crackers, in a wrap, or on a sandwich.
Ingredients Needed
- Cooked Chicken Breast- rotisserie chicken works great!
- Celery
- Green onions
- Apple – Choose a sweet apple that’s extra crisp, like Honeycrisp. You could also sub grapes, sliced in half
- Mayo – light mayo or regular if you prefer
- Sour Cream or Greek Yogurt
- Curry powder
- Red wine vinegar
- Toasted sliced almonds
- Salt and Pepper
- Optional: Chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or other herb
I love a lot of crunch in my chicken salad, so there must, must be celery in there,
along with green onions for flavor. Another must.
I also need a little sweetness. Red grapes are always great in chicken salad, so you can certainly use those, but I choose to use a sweet apple. It not only adds crunch and sweetness, but also has a much more favorable nutritional profile than the grapes. Apple (leave that skin on!) will add fiber, and they’re also very low on the glycemic index.
I also love the color of the red apple in there. Just make sure you’re choosing a variety that is both sweet and crisp. Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, and Pink Lady are all faves of mine.
For the “sauce” we’re not doing anything crazy here- I’m staying with traditional flavors of mayo and sour cream. There are a lot of options out there for lower-calorie mayonnaise and I would not recommend all of them. Honestly, a little bit of a bad mayo can totally ruin a recipe. One of my favorites is this Best Foods Light (Or Hellemans’s on the East side of the country) – I always just remember the lid color because there’s so many options! I also like this one, made with olive oil. It’s great for recipes like this, and on sandwiches, etc. The only thing I absolutely will not make with low fat/light mayo is ranch dressing. It just isn’t worth it!
Along with a tablespoon of the light mayo, add a tablespoon of light sour cream or greek yogurt. For the seasoning, I keep it simple with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper (to taste) and curry powder for flavor. I also put in just a tiny bit of red wine vinegar (honestly any kind of vinegar is fine- white wine, rice vinegar, even balsamic) because I think it’s benefited from a little acidity. But if you don’t have vinegar, it’s no biggie.
Another optional is fresh parsley or cilantro. I usually have some in my fridge so I toss it in there. Fresh herbs brighten everything. No prob if you don’t have any.
Then just mix it up. If you have time to think ahead, I think the flavor is significantly improved by an hour or so sit in the fridge. So this is a great one to make in the am (or even the night before) and take to work, or just have it ready to go at home when hunger strikes. Right before serving, stir in a few toasted almonds.
This is a good-sized salad. It’s enough that you can eat it plain and still be filled up, or you can put it on a piece of whole grain bread, wrap it in a tortilla, or pop it in a pita.
Light and Healthy Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cooked chicken breast about one cup diced or shredded
- ¼ cup finely diced celery
- 2 tablespoons sliced green onion
- ¼ cup diced apple choose a sweet, crisp apple
- 1 tablespoon light mayo or regular if you prefer
- 1 tablespoon light sour cream or Greek yogurt or regular if you prefer
- 1 tablespoon fresh herbs optional, such as parsley, cilantro or tarragon
- ⅛ teaspoon curry powder
- ¼ teaspoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except almonds and stir to combine. If possible, chill for an hour or so before eating.
- Before serving, mix in almonds.
- Eat in a lettuce wrap, on whole grain bread, in a wrap, or in a pita.
Notes
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
Do you think it’s healthier to bake your own chicken breasts or are the rotisserie ones ok to use too? I’ve never tried using that in chicken salad. I actually have this on my menu board for tomorrow night. Almost same exact recipe, except I use grapes! I also have apples in my fridge so maybe I’ll try it using both!
yum! Thanks! Perhaps you could create a “skinny” category of recipes? Skinny but still tasty! I certainly can’t totally eliminate desserts, breads, etc from my diet, but I can limit how much I eat (well most days!).
Sally, check out our “healthy” tab. They are all recipes that are great tasting, and not horrible for you! I think I’ll start sub-categorizing these at some point as well, and add a “lunch for one” section with recipes like this chicken salad. But for now, at least browse these!
https://fit-over50.news/category/browse-recipes-by/healthy-meals/%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
I realize this is a recipe blog, not a weight loss one, but would you be willing to share some ideas of what you eat every two hours or the kind of strength training you use? Would love more tips; you are awesome!
I second this!! 🙂
Winnie, I’ve had a lot of requests for this, so I’m working on a little post series right now on this very topic. I’ll be sharing my experience in the next month or so, so stay tuned!
Looking forward to this!
Excited for this weight loss series- thanks!
This looks delicious! I love homemade chicken salad. Thank you for the weight loss advise as well. It is time to jump back into a healthy life again.
Looks delicious! And just a hint for readers in my neck of the woods…Best Foods mayo = Hellman’s mayo. Same stuff, literally. Thanks for another great recipe, Sara!
Yes, I forget that not everyone knows that- I’ll add a note in my post!
Ooh, this sounds really yummy. I really need to find better things to eat for lunch other than grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas. This would be easy enough, and I have a lot of it already in my fridge! My husband would probably love it on a sandwich for his lunch box too. I think it’s an awesome idea to eat more while trying to lose! The body will totally hold onto fat and food as survival mode kicks in if you don’t eat enough. I also think it’s great that you reminded us that while we’re losing, we can actually gain muscle weight as we get stronger! What a great post. Thanks!
I really appreciate your post today – I am needing some encouragement to lose weight (a lot of weight) and this is just what I needed! Thanks!
Michelle- stay tuned. I’m working on a little post series on this topic because there seems to be a lot of interest. I’ve lost over 60lbs in the past 18 months or so, so I have a lot of thoughts, and tips! I’ll be sharing my experience soon, and hopefully it will give you an extra boost of encouragement!
Yay! I have noticed your weight loss in pictures and have been hoping you would post about your experience!!!
60 pounds?! That’s fantastic! I need to lose about that much. I’m a pretty avid runner, and I eat fairly well, but I definitely get in ruts. I am really excited to see your other posts. I don’t know why, but I guess I just always saw you as being tiny!
Well that’s because that’s all I ever posted! haha There was a period of time where I literally hid from the front end of cameras, lol.
I do greek yogurt plus dijon mustard and a bit of lemon juice. I wasn’t happy with the taste of greek yogurt by itself, but the dijon mustard really made all the positive difference!
I sometimes put dijon in mine too- good tip! Adds tons of flavor! I can’t do plain Greek yogurt either :/
I love this diet advice. It seems so much healthier than cutting out entire food groups. For me it’s way more sustainable to say “I will eat a healthy, balanced diet with lots of veggies” than to say “I will never eat bread again,” which I will break by 9:45 a.m. on the first day. Thanks for a good reminder and for another fabulous recipe!
p.s. I think losing 1 1/2 pounds in December IS something to rave about. If you count the 3 1/2 pounds you didn’t gain you’re really down 5 pounds. 🙂
I was just reading and article yesterday about eating more to lose weight. It is so hard!! I feel guilty and I just think it ruins all the effort I put in my workouts. I need to lose 15 lbs by May, I will definitely use your advice. Thanks for sharing the info Sara!!!
15 lbs by May- You can totally do it Wendy. Go get it!