Easy Chicken Salad Recipe made with Greek Yogurt

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My absolute favorite salad is chicken salad. You can eat it as a sandwich or just plain on a plate with some fruit or veggies on the side.

I’ve said this before, I absolutely love mayo-based salads. To make them something I could enjoy more often I had to lighten up the recipes. I’ve found that using 1/2 mayo and 1/2 Greek yogurt gives me the same creaminess without as many calories.

I’ve also found that you can use 1/2 the amount of dressing that most recipes call for and still have a very tasty salad. This recipe only uses a 1/2 cup of mayo and yogurt.

A floral-patterned plate showcases a delightful chicken salad nestled on crisp lettuce, paired with a deviled egg and vibrant berries—raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Beside this inviting meal sits a refreshing glass of iced tea and an elegant floral napkin.

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A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.
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Healthy Dilly Chicken Salad

This is a creamy chicken salad with fewer calories
Prep Time30 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken salad
Servings: 6 servings
Calories:

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 cups chopped cooked chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 2 tbsp green onions (greens only)
  • 1 tbsp fresh dill
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (juice of 1/2 lemon)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Chop cooked chicken breast into bite-sized pieces
  • Mix yogurt, mayo, lemon juice, green onions, dill, and spices.
  • Add peas to a mixing bowl.
  • Finally, add the diced chicken breast
  • Garnish with additonal dill sprigs
  • Serve on lettuce or as a sandwich on bread or a roll

Notes

You can use rotisserie chicken or chicken breast that has been poached (boiled) for 15 minutes or until cooked through. 
Yum
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.
A close-up of a creamy salad featuring diced chicken, peas, and celery, garnished with a sprig of fresh dill. The salad is coated in a light dressing.

Alternatives

While my recipe is simple and delicious, there are other things you can add or swap in or out of this recipe:

Salad Additions

You can also add any other these to this salad:

  • red or sweet yellow onions
  • slivered almonds
  • chopped walnuts
  • sliced green grapes
  • steamed broccoli
  • hard-boiled eggs
  • dill pickles
  • fresh herbs; parsley, thyme, basil, rosemary

What to Serve it On

There are lots of things you can serve chicken salad on:

  • Bread: White, Rye, Wheat, Multi-Grain, Pita
  • Croissants or other rolls
  • Lettuce Leaf or Bed: Romaine, Head Lettuce, Bibb Lettuce, Mixed Greens
  • Make a wrap with a tortilla.

Layer It

Build a complete meal:

  • Lettuce
  • Tomato Slices
  • Onion Slice
  • Sliced Cheese
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.
A plate of deviled eggs, each topped with a sprinkle of paprika and a sprig of fresh dill, complements the nearby chicken salad. The eggs are neatly arranged on a white plate with a green rim, set elegantly on a white tablecloth.

What to Have on the Side

I’m fine with a plate full of chicken salad but sometimes I like to have a little something extra on the side:

  • fruit salad
  • deviled eggs
  • sliced dill pickles
  • potato chips
  • raw veggies and hummus
  • cottage cheese
fun facts
A close-up of a creamy salad featuring diced chicken, peas, and celery, garnished with a sprig of fresh dill. The salad is coated in a light dressing.

Early American chicken salad recipes can be found in 19th-century Southern cookbooks, including Sarah Rutledge’s The Carolina Housewife: Or, House and Home (1847) and Abby Fisher‘s What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking (1881). Rutledge details a recipe for “A Salad To Be Eaten With Cold Meat Or Fowl” that explains how to make a mayonnaise from scratch, before adding it to cold meats (chicken and seafood)

There is nothing better than classic chicken salad sandwiches. However, you can make this classic chicken salad recipe your own by adding or subtracting some ingredient suggestions.

Enjoy!

A blue background with hand-drawn elements sets the stage. A heart symbol flanked by two lines adds charm, while the text "Lynn xoxo" in cursive whispers a promise to make food prep easier and more delightful.
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.
About the elderly woman: With long gray hair and glasses, she wears a white knit sweater and hoop earrings, her gentle smile radiates warmth against the plain light gray background.

Meet Me

My name is Lynn. I live in the suburbs of Chicago in a 1,300 sq. ft. home with my Handy husband, Keith.

I’m an open book about my life on my blog. You can find out more about me by visiting my About page.

about Me
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.

A great way to save this recipe is to add it to one of your Pinterest boards. You can find the pin button on the top left of the photo when you click on it. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest.

A close-up of creamy chicken salad garnished with dill and celery pieces. A label reads "New!" Below the salad, text says "How to Make Healthier Chicken Salad" with a tagline, "So tasty, you won't miss the mayo.
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.
A cozy kitchen with white cabinets, black countertops, and a door leading outside. Utensils sit neatly in a holder on the counter. Text overlay reads "What's in my cart this week at the small house kitchen—perfect ingredients for a holiday cocktail.
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.

Featured

  • Logo for "the spruce" featuring a simple outline of a house in light blue with an open door and neutral Halloween decor elements, followed by the text "the spruce" in a stylized gray font.
  • The image features the word "WANDER" in large, bold letters, evoking a sense of recollection. Below it, in smaller text, are the phrases: "LIVE WELL | EAT WELL | TRAVEL WELL." The entire text is set against a plain, light background.
A decorative horizontal line with symmetrical blue floral patterns and a steaming coffee cup icon in the center, evoking the warmth and simplicity of a cozy meal like ricotta and lemon pasta.

This post originally contained these two posts from some of my blogger friends

Sweet Valley Acres

Golden Fried Chicken with Crisco

Erin Evolving

The Best Deviled Eggs

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6 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Great post Lynn! Love all the details and I like that your recipe is a healthy one!!!

    Reply

    1. Thank you Crystal – This was really a fun book to grab inspiration from.

      Reply

  2. Lynn, this chicken salad recipe looks so good. I love making chicken salad. I can eat just off a plate or in a sandwich. And those deviled eggs look good too. I was drooling my way through this post. -Meagan

    Reply

    1. I love it too – that’s why I had to cut the mayo! 🙂 I don’t even wait for the plate, I eat it out of the bowl I made it in 🙂

      Reply

  3. Thanks for the blast to the past. What fun it is thinking of those social, bridge, lunch clubs. Sounds like fun (except the cigarette smoke). I’m looking forward to making the chicken salad.
    Btw, I LOVED your post about the ghost. So interesting!

    Reply

    1. Hi Robin – It would be fun to revive the old social club ideas. I’m with you on the smoke. My Dad smoked when we were little in our house and I can’t even imagine. I don’t remember it as being awful but I think everyones house smelled like smoke back in the day???

      I’m glad you liked my ghost post. She is as real to me today as she was then. I’ve often thought of ringing the door bell of that house and asking if the current occupants still have an issue with her.

      Reply