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Macro Friendly Chicken Salad – Easy & Delicious!

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This healthy & flavorful macro friendly chicken salad is a quick and easy highย protein meal prep. This dish is creamy and flavorful without any mayo! This is a great option for healthy lunches that can keep you within your calorie targets.

chicken salad on plate.

Chicken salad was one of my favorite cold lunches on hot summer days in childhood. My mom made a delicious and easy chicken salad recipe that was so much better than anything you’d get in the grocery store deli.

However, it was also loaded with mayo, and I wanted to find a way to lighten that up to enjoy it more often.

At first, I tried a simple Greek yogurt chicken salad where I just swapped mayo out for Greek yogurt. That was pretty good, but not quite what I was going for.

I wanted some of the same savory flavor that mayo brings to the traditional chicken salad.

As I continued to test the recipe, I decided to add some light sour cream in with the Greek yogurt. THIS was it! It was creamy and savory, but the sour cream took some of the tart edge off of the yogurt which helped it more closely resemble the mayo version.

With a blend of delicious dried herbs and spices to give the dressing a ranch-style flair for the best flavor, this delicious chicken salad was made perfect.

Give this a try! You’re going to love it. 

With the particular brands of ingredients I used, you get just over 200 calories per serving, 32 grams of lean protein, only 5 grams of fat, and just 7 grams of carbs! This is the chicken salad fitness dreams are made of.

chicken salad on plate next to greens.

Ingredients

To make this great recipe for macro friendly chicken salad, you need the following simple ingredients:

Rotisserie Chicken – I like leftover rotisserie chicken to make this quick and easy, and you can’t beat the Costco $5 chicken. However, you can use any cooked chicken meat you want.

Celery – Sliced crunchy celery stalks add lovely texture to the salad.

Red Grapes – Also for crunch and a pop of sweetness. They are the best part of the salad in my opinion! Grapes are always my go-to because that’s how my mom made the salad, but you could also use cherries or apples.

Plain Greek Yogurt – I use non-fat Greek yogurt (plain) as that’s what I always have on hand. You could use 2% for a little added creamy texture.

Light Sour Creamโ€‹ – I love the way a bit of light sour cream balances the flavors of the dressing on this salad.

Lemon Juiceโ€‹ – A bit of lemon juice adds brightness and fresh flavor to the creamy dressing.

Dried Herbs & Spices – This dressing has a ranch-style flair, so I use salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried dill.

Sliced Almonds – A couple of tablespoons of sliced almonds add some crunch with some healthy fats.

macro friendly chicken salad ingredients on cutting board.

Instructions

To make this low calorie & healthy chicken salad recipe, follow the steps below:

chopping chicken on cutting board.

1. Prep Chicken

Shred or chop your rotisserie chicken meat. You need about 400 grams of chicken, which is between 3-4 cups. Put shredded chicken in a large bowl.

slicing celery.

2. Add Grapes and Celery

Slice your grapes and celery, then add them to the mixing bowl.

whisking dressing in glass bowl.

3. Make Dressing

In a small mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, light sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dill, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.

mixing bowl of chicken salad.

4. Combine Salad

Pour the Greek yogurt mixture over the bowl of chicken, celery, and grapes. Add the sliced almonds, then stir to thoroughly mix everything.

That’s it! This macro friendly chicken salad is super easy and absolutely delcious.

Tips & Variations

You can use any kind of chicken meat you want for this. My macros include the breast meat from a rotisserie chicken. Swapping for other types may slightly alter macros, but it will certainly be fine to do!

Try my dutch oven chicken for an easy way to meal-prep chicken breasts for this salad.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts are also a good choice. You can cook them in a slow cooker (3-4 hours on low) or Instant Pot (8-10 minutes on high pressure with a 10-minute natural release) with a cup of broth. When they’re done cooking, chop and cool in the fridge.

Try using fresh cherries or chopped apples in place of grapes. Dried fruit is an option, but it often has sugar added so make sure you read the label.

Adding some sliced green onions or fresh dill in place of dried is a lovely touch.

Serving Suggestions

This macro friendly chicken salad is a delicious healthy lunch option. Some of my favorite ways to serve it include:

  • on top of a bed of greens (or even better, serve it with my Kale Crunch Salad or my cucumber blueberry salad!)
  • inside halved bell peppers
  • in lettuce wraps
  • in low carb tortillas as a wrap
  • as a sandwich with slices of bread and thinly sliced red onion and some Dijon mustard
chicken salad meal with grapes and chips and salsa.

Nutritional Information

This recipe makes four servings. For one serving using breast meat, the macros are as follows:

  • Calories: 207
  • Protein: 32
  • Fat: 6 grams
  • Carbs: 7 grams

Recipe Notes

Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It is good for 3-4 days.

Check out my Chicken & Poultry recipes page for more healthy chicken meals.

Did You Make This Recipe?

If you love this healthy & low calorie chicken salad recipe, please leave a comment and review! It means the world!

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chicken salad with bite on fork.
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Macro-friendly Chicken Salad

Creamy, delicious, crunchy chicken salad that is low fat, high protein, and full of flavor!
Prep Time10 minutes
Total Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course, Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: greek yogurt chicken salad, healthy, healthy lunch meal prep, low calorie chicken salad, macro friendly chicken salad, macrofriendly
Servings: 4
Calories: 207kcal
Author: Holly Lee
Cost: $6

Ingredients

  • 3-4 cups rotisserie chicken about 400 grams
  • 1/2 cup grapes quartered or sliced
  • 2 stalks celery sliced
  • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt 110 grams
  • 2 tbsp light sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp dried dill
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp sliced almonds 15 grams

Instructions

  • Shred or chop your rotisserie chicken meat. You need about 400 grams of chicken, which is between 3-4 cups. Put chicken in a large mixing bowl.
    3-4 cups rotisserie chicken
  • Add your sliced celery and grapes to the mixing bowl.
    2 stalks celery, 1/2 cup grapes
  • In a small mixing bowl, add the Greek yogurt, light sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, dill, and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
    1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp light sour cream, 1/4 tsp dried dill, 1/2 tsp sea salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp lemon juice
  • Pour the Greek yogurt mixture over the bowl of chicken, celery, and grapes. Add the sliced almonds, then stir to thoroughly mix everything.
    2 tbsp sliced almonds

Video

YouTube video

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 668mg | Potassium: 182mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 127IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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4 Comments

    1. Hi Amy! This recipe makes 4 servings, so you can divide into 4 equal portions. One serving size would be 207 calories, 32g protein, 6g fat, 7g carbs. Volume-wise, it will be a little over 1 cup per serving.

5 from 1 vote

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