I have this habit of forgetting about grapes.
As in, I have this habit of forgetting that grapes exist.
Do you ever do that with foods? Like, totally go for months without eating or seeing a certain food anywhere, and then suddenly it pops up on a random cheese platter and you realize that — oh my gosh — I totally forgot about grapes! And about how much I freaking love grapes!?
This exact scenario just might have happened to me while we were in New Zealand. And ever since we arrived home, I have been on a mission to make up for all of this lost time that apparently lapsed with me and grapes. Which means that I may have over-purchased a bit. And that my fridge may been transformed into a virtual vineyard. And I may now be racking my brain for all sorts of different ways to use these puppies up.
So my random throwback craving of the week has now turned into today’s new blog post. That’s right. Skip the mayo and toss in some Greek yogurt. But other than that, it’s the classic chicken salad that we will forever and always love.
How To Make A Lightened Up Chicken Salad | 1-Minute Video
I’ll admit — I probably haven’t had a classic chicken salad in about 10 years. But after whipping up this recipe, I’m convinced that it only gets better with age. And when lightened up with some Greek yogurt in lieu of mayo, I’m convinced it may be even better than the original. ;)
To make it, just chop up a bunch of cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie), celery, grapes, shallot, walnuts, dried cranberries, Greek yogurt, and lots of salt and pepper. (Next time I totally want to add in an avocado too!)
Toss it all together until everything is evenly coated with the Greek yogurt…
…and then within minutes, your lightened-up chicken salad will be ready to enjoy. Serve it up on some sandwich bread with lettuce, serve it in an avocado shell, serve it on a simple bed of arugula, serve it with an extra side of grapes (that you’re desperately trying to use up)…you know, you decide. ;) However you serve it, I hope you love it as much as I did.
Cheers!
Lightened-Up Chicken Salad
- Prep Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 6 -8 servings 1x
Description
This Lightened-Up Chicken Salad recipe is made with healthier Greek yogurt and many of the other classic ingredients we all love!
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
- 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
- 1 small shallot, peeled and finely-diced
- 1/2 cup toasted walnuts
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries or cherries
- 1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
Instructions
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl, and toss until combined and evenly-coated.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Recipe slightly adapted from Add A Pinch.
Yum! I love chicken salad with a lot of chunks like this! (that sounds a little gross, but you know what I mean haha)
-Jen
We hope you enjoy the recipe Jen!
I’ve never thought of using Worcestershire sauce in chicken salad. I’ll have to try it!
We hope you enjoy it Debbie! :)
Ooh, I love a classic recipe. I haven’t had chicken salad in ages but this looks worth a try. Thanks for not using mayo – ew!
This looks delicious and just in time for spring!
This looks super yummy and fresh, perfect for the nicer weather that’s just around the corner :-) I’m a grape fan myself, but I also love my mayo… I eat Greek yogurt daily however and always have it on hand. I’m thinking maybe I could cheat by using *mostly* Greek yogurt and subbing 1/4 cup with good-quality mayo. Thanks for putting Spring and fresh eating back into my head!
Thanks Anne Marie! We hope you love it! :D
You really can use greek yogurt for just about everything..
Sounds like the perfect thing to have on hand as we move into the warmer months!
Yes, we can’t wait! Come on Spring! :)
Beautiful sandwich (I’ll have to try your mom’s Dijon add too)!
Thanks Deborah — we hope you enjoy it! :)
Just like your mother makes except I add a squirt of Dijon mustard
Greek Yogurt is my favorite way to make things ‘lighter’. I use it in chicken salad a lot. Love the pop of color the grapes give it. Fabulous!
Thank you Melanie! We hope you can give this recipe a try! :)
I think I forget about random foods a lot, too (can’t remember any examples now of course) but luckily there’s food blogs to help me remember! This looks totally delicious, and I think it would indeed be even better with some avocado. Yumm!
Thank you Vivian — we hope you enjoy it (and we think the avocado would be a super yummy addition)! :)