Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad (No Mayo, 15 Minutes, 35g Protein)

Greek yogurt chicken salad is the healthy chicken salad I have been packing for lunch every week since spring — shredded rotisserie chicken, sweet grapes, crunchy celery and toasted almonds in a tangy lemon-Dijon yogurt dressing, with no mayo at all and 35 grams of protein a serving.

I was skeptical that yogurt could replace mayonnaise without tasting like, well, yogurt. It can, as long as you balance it: Dijon for sharpness, a little honey to round off the tang, lemon for brightness and plenty of salt. It is the same trick I use in the creamy sauce for my buffalo chicken bowls, and it is ready in 15 minutes if you start with a store-bought rotisserie chicken.

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Why this Greek yogurt chicken salad beats the mayo version.

• It is creamy, but it is not heavy. Whole-milk Greek yogurt is thick enough to coat every piece of chicken, and it has a clean tang that makes the grapes taste sweeter. Mayonnaise-based chicken salad is about 400 calories a scoop; this one lands around 290 with more protein.
• Thirty-five grams of protein in a lunch that takes 15 minutes. Rotisserie chicken plus Greek yogurt is about the easiest protein you can put together. If you are counting, the protein calculator shows how one serving covers a big chunk of a high protein day.
• It has real texture. Grapes for juicy sweetness, celery and red onion for crunch and bite, toasted almonds for a nutty crunch that stays crisp. A chicken salad without texture is just paste; this one tastes like the version from a good café. It is a nice change from my Greek chicken bowls when I want lunch cold.

Here's what you'll need.

A rotisserie chicken (or about 4 cups of cooked chicken), celery, red onion, red grapes, plain Greek yogurt, Dijon mustard, a lemon, honey, fresh dill, sliced almonds, salt and pepper — plus lettuce leaves, bread or crackers for serving.

Here's how it all comes together.

STEP 1 — SHRED THE CHICKEN

Pull the meat off a rotisserie chicken, discard the skin and bones, and shred or chop it into bite-size pieces in a large bowl — you want about 4 cups. I like a mix of white and dark meat because the thigh meat keeps the salad juicy for days. Let it cool completely if it is warm, or the yogurt will thin out.

STEP 2 — CHOP THE CELERY, ONION AND GRAPES

Dice the celery small, mince the red onion very finely and halve the grapes. Small pieces mean every forkful gets a bit of everything instead of one big hit of raw onion. If raw onion is too sharp for you, rinse it under cold water for 30 seconds and pat it dry.

STEP 3 — WHISK THE YOGURT DRESSING

In a small bowl, whisk the Greek yogurt with the Dijon, lemon juice, honey, salt and pepper until smooth. Taste it on its own: it should be tangy, a little sweet and well seasoned. Under-salted yogurt dressing is the reason most healthy chicken salads taste flat, so do not be shy.

STEP 4 — POUR IT OVER

Add the celery, onion and grapes to the chicken, then pour the dressing over the top. Start with about three quarters of it; you can always add more, but a drowned chicken salad turns watery in the fridge.

STEP 5 — FOLD IN THE ALMONDS AND DILL

Toast the sliced almonds in a dry skillet for 2 to 3 minutes until golden, then fold them into the bowl with the chopped dill until everything is evenly coated. Taste once more and add the rest of the dressing, a squeeze of lemon or a pinch of salt as needed. It tastes even better after 30 minutes in the fridge.

STEP 6 — SCOOP INTO LETTUCE CUPS

Spoon the chicken salad into crisp butter lettuce or romaine leaves for a light lunch, or pile it onto whole-grain toast or crackers. It is also great stuffed into a halved avocado or a cottage cheese flatbread if you want even more protein.

If you want more lunches like this one — high protein, high fiber, quick to make and easy on a smaller appetite — this is the book I built for exactly that, the Ultimate GLP-1 High Protein High Fiber Cookbook.

Things I learned while testing this recipe.

• Use whole-milk or 2% Greek yogurt. Nonfat Greek yogurt works, but it is sharper and a little chalky. Whole-milk yogurt is closer to the richness of mayo and still keeps the salad light. Always use plain, unsweetened yogurt, never vanilla.
• Cool the chicken first. Warm chicken makes the yogurt loosen and weep, so the salad turns soupy by the next day. Rotisserie chicken straight from the store should rest in the fridge for 20 minutes before you mix it.
• Toast the almonds and add them late. Untoasted almonds taste raw and soften quickly. Toasting takes three minutes and makes the whole salad taste nuttier. For meal prep, store the almonds separately and sprinkle them on each portion so they stay crunchy.
• Season it twice. Season the dressing, then taste again after everything is mixed. Chicken and grapes soak up salt, and cold food needs more seasoning than warm food. A final squeeze of lemon wakes everything up right before serving.

Why this healthy chicken salad lives in my fridge.

• Fifteen minutes and no cooking. With a rotisserie chicken, the only heat involved is toasting the almonds. It is the lunch I make on Sunday night while dinner is in the oven.
• Thirty-five grams of protein and 290 calories a serving. The chicken and yogurt carry all the protein, and swapping the mayo for yogurt cuts the fat by more than half. It is a satisfying, high protein low calorie lunch that does not feel like a compromise.
• It works a dozen ways. Lettuce cups, sandwiches, wraps, crackers, stuffed avocados or a scoop on top of greens. I make a batch and eat it differently every day so it never gets boring.

Here's what I'd serve with this.

• Mediterranean chickpea salad — a scoop on the side adds fiber and makes it a full plate.
• Cottage cheese flatbread — roll the chicken salad inside for a 50g-protein wrap.
• Creamy tomato basil soup — the soup-and-sandwich lunch, done lighter.
• Egg white breakfast wraps — prep both on Sunday and breakfast and lunch are covered.
• Greek yogurt chocolate bark — a cold, sweet, high protein snack for the afternoon.

Just in case you have leftovers.

Storing: Store the chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Keep the almonds separate if you want them crunchy, and give it a stir before serving since a little liquid can settle at the bottom. I do not recommend freezing — the yogurt, celery and grapes turn watery when thawed.

Reheating: This one is meant to be eaten cold, straight from the fridge. If it has thickened overnight, stir in a spoonful of yogurt or a squeeze of lemon to loosen it. For a warm version, spread it on bread, top with cheese and toast it open-faced under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes.

More easy high protein recipes...

Cottage cheese pizza bowls Cottage cheese flatbread Egg white breakfast wraps Cottage cheese egg bites

If you like quick high protein lunches, my egg white breakfast wraps and cottage cheese pizza bowls are in the same rotation. And today's other new meal prep recipe is my hot honey beef and sweet potato bowls — 40g protein and the viral bowl that deserves it.

High protein lunches for a GLP-1 appetite.

The Ultimate GLP-1 High Protein High Fiber Cookbook is full of quick lunches like this chicken salad — small, filling, protein-first meals that fit a lighter appetite without leaving you hungry an hour later.

Get the cookbook on Amazon

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