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
This flavor combination was delicious and refreshing. I wish I had made more!
Love your recipe!!!!
This is a great recipe! It’s simple and the ingredients all taste great together. I made this yesterday following the recipe to the T and tonight I just added some cayenne pepper and sriracha to give it a light kick at the end. I’ve been looking for some new recipes to try and these are great. I like that it is for 1 serving since I live on my own and they aren’t expensive. If a 23 year old man can do it anyone can. Thanks for the good eats!
Hi!
I am trying to translate this recipe into WW Smart Points with the nutrition info you provided (Thank you). The only thing missing is the Saturated fat amount. (It is required to determine the points.) Would you happen to know this information? Thank you for your recipes, your humor, your encouragement and your inspiration!
I don’t know that info, sorry!
Thank you for this post! Being a dietitian I couldn’t agree with your advice more! We need food not starvation to build good habits and fuel our bodies appropriately. Love all of your recipes!
I’ve had this the last two days and love it!! It’s made me excited for lunch again! I didn’t have apples or almonds so I subbed strawberries and cashews… Yum!! The only bad thing about it is that my 3 year old loves it too and eats half my sandwich!!
Just made this today using rotisserie chicken leftovers….so.yummy! I made a double batch so I am already excited about lunch tomorrow ;). I love the “healthy meals for one”. I am also excited about your upcoming weight loss posts. I saw your before & after on Instagram…….amazing and inspiring!! 😉
I’ve had this twice already and it is delicious! Perfect for a high protein lunch to help me get through the day!
What would you suggest to substitute curry powder?
There’s not really a good sub for curry, it’s a mix of several different spices and has a very distinct flavor.
How do you know when your metabolism has stalled? Maybe that is my problem.
It’s the combo of eating healthy every two hours and especially the weight training. Cardio won’t make huge changes in your body, weights will change your body like crazy, partly because the more muscle you have, the higher your metabolism is and burns through fat more.