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
Wow, yum! This looks awesome. I’ve been thinking that I need to change up our normal lunch routine (usually peanut butter sandwiches every day!) so I’m really excited to try this! And you really are a huge inspiration already in so many ways, so thank you! 🙂
I just happened to have everything for this hanging out in my fridge.It was so delicious!!! I am also so looking forward to hearing your story! I need to lose 15 pounds to lose all the baby weight plus more to be where I want to be. I have always struggled with losing the weight. I lose five pounds and then it comes back. Yada Yada… This post really inspired me though! I have already been doing the whole eat more often but more healthy thing and it has been going really well. I started last week and am already down 5 pounds (which was weird to me because I am eating way more than what I used to). Yay! Thanks again! I think you guys are great!
Oh and I also think Craisins would be such a delicious add in! I feel like there is about a million different ways to take this recipe to suit your tastes. My sister-in-law has Prader Willi Syndrome (something in her brain never shuts off so she never feels full but she has a VERY slow metabolism so she can only have 800-1000 calories a day) They are going to start using this as a healthy snack for her.
Last January I committed myself to getting healthier. I started running and lifting weights but nothing really seemed to happen, although I definitely felt better and stronger. Then I started keeping track of my food intake on an online calorie counter. I’ve always been a fairly healthy eater but quickly realized that certain foods I thought were “healthy” were not so much in the amounts I was eating…..nuts and cheese, I’m talking about you! :). I loved your post, Sara! For me, it truly has been a balance of exercising and eating well and eating right.
You look amazing! I lost some weight last year too. I have always been an avid exerciser, but the real result came when I made some changes in my eating. Can’t wait to read more!
wow. Just wow. I have been following you for almost three years and I had no idea that you were ever heavier, I love that you still enjoy food, take care of yourself and respect the journey. Thanks for including us in it, and congratulations on your hard work!
That’s because I have been very selective of what photos I share! haha
I like to call that ‘artful cropping’ it’s amazing how much thinner I look just by smidging off the edge of my arm, ha ha!
Yum please post more recipes like these. I’m sick of the usually super unhealthy ones all over Pinterest it weird diet food. This looks delicious.
Excellent informative helpful post! I had never see your “before” picture – so big kudos to you there……..you look great!
I wholeheartedly agree: Being chronically ill, I rarely feel hungry. Hubby notes I get ditzy and unfocused when I don’t eat, but my weight has not budged (kept 100# off for 7 years so far.) I love chicken salad with tarragon and the grapes though will definitely try the apples as we have lots of local apple orchards. Not much of a mayo fan, I use more homemade greek yogurt and sour cream with just a dab of mayo. Thanks for all your inspiration.
I can’t wait to read the upcoming posts! Way to go! It is inspiring, I feel like I try to lose the same 15 pounds over and over. How do you find the determination to keep at it? I’ll lose, then have a bad weekend and have a heck of a time wanting to start back up, even though I feel so much better when I’m trying to be healthy. Ugh. I can’t wait to hear what worked for you! Your recipes are always fantastic, thank you thank you for the delicious food. 🙂 I’m going to go bake up some chicken to have on hand!
Way to go! I am SO looking forward to your posts. I have recently begun my journey back to health and fitness. I am trying not to be overwhelmed by the 60+ lbs I need to lose. You are so inspiring to me! This recipe and the others like it will be great additions to my menu of lunches. I am always looking for healthful meals that I can box up and take to work. Thank you!