Healthy Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Without Mayo
This creamy Healthy Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Without Mayo has a Mediterranean flavor twist! A protein packed, gluten free and low carb lunch!
We are opening up a whole can of worms this Friday. Like, today.
Because everyone, their grandma and even their DOG has an opinion on chicken salad. Should it have nuts? Should it have fruit? What about the dressing? Runny or super thick and creamy?
I think the only that that we can agree on is that there shouldn’t be any worms involved amIright? I’m not even going to try to disguise it as my usual “extra protein….?”
We’re just not going to go there.
BUT, we are however going to go FACE first into the creamiest Greek yogurt chicken salad of ALL the land. The kind that your inner-pre-judgey-only-eat-chicken-salad-one-certain-way will be ALL ABOUT.
Even though there are no usual suspects in this chicken salad with Greek yogurt. Thasss right. No grapes. No mustard, and no celery. <– Is that not the most pointless vegetable on the planet? It’s ONLY good with chocolate and peanut butter. Which kind of defeats the whole CRUNCHY, FRESH, HEALTHY thang that it supposedly has going on.
On the topic of things that are good for your body, this healthy Greek yogurt chicken salad without mayo is made with GREEK YOGS. AKA YOGURT aka perfectly creamy-tangy dressing that justsohappens to have Z-E-R-O fat and ALL the protein. It’s like when we used it in the healthy chicken cobb salad recipe just, liiiike, without lettuce!
I’ll let you have a moment of silence for beloved grandma Bettie’s mayonnaise COVERED chicken salad that you spent happy days eating on her porch swing when you were just a wee little tyke. Not that I hate mayo. It works in some recipes, like my whole30 chicken salad, but NOT TODAY.
AAAND moment done. We don’t dwell on the past. It’s about moving FORWARD.
Or moving behind, or to the side or up or down. Whatever. Just as long as you’re moving (really quickly) towards a big bowl overflowing with tender pieces of herb-infused shredded chicken that are all mixed up with tangy artichoke hearts, sweet sun-dried tomatoes, vibrant bursts of fresh lemon and crunchy pine nuts.
Did you just read that paragraph? Creamy, sweet, tangy. Crunchy, VIBRANT. FRESH.
And you thought the superfood Greek yogurt chicken salad sandwich was good. THIS chicken salad has your taste buds dancing right out of your HEAD.
Maybe you should pick those up before someone steps on them.
How to make chicken salad with Greek yogurt:
- BOIL you chicken in flavorful, salty water. I think boiling making the chicken super tender and perfect for shredding into this healthy greek yogurt chicken salad without mayo.
- Once it’s boiled and cooled, shred the chicken up. Leave some big chunks for TEXTURE!
- Mix-mix-mix up your Greek yogurt and ALL the other delicious flavoring component.
- Toss in that chicken and FOLD in until creamy and DELISH!
- THAT’S IT. DONEZO.
You PROBABY already figured out that this Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad is far from typical. BUTTTT, if you didn’t read anything and you’re just here for the food, well, I FEEL YA.
But then you wouldn’t have even read that anyway. Whatever.
I’m just trying to tell you that this bowl of protein-deliciousness is like a trip to the Mediterranean between two slices of bread, if you choose to make a greek yogurt chicken salad sandwich. OR lettuce. If lettuce wraps are more your thang.
OR, on ONE slice of bread, if your fancy-person-self wants to make a hoity-toity chicken salad crostini.
Your noggins have been opened to a WHOLE NEW WORLD (cue Disney music) of salad eating.
The possibilities, my friends, they are endless. The world is YOUR chicken salad to eat it HOWEVER you please on WHATEVER you please. Runny, thick, nuts, fruits, WHATEVER.
Actually, scratch that.
Just make THIS healthy Greek yogurt chicken salad without mayo.
Pinky promise you’re gonna like it.
Chicken Salad with Greek Yogurt Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast cut into quarters
- 2 1/2 cups reduced sodium chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup plain greek non fat yogurt
- 1/2 cup fresh basil packed and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice about one medium lemon
- 1 cup artichoke hearts roughly chopped and divided – about 12 hearts (packed in water)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup sundried tomatoes lightly packed in olive oil with herbs, minced
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 1/4 cup red onion minced
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
Instructions
- Place the chicken breast into a large pot and cover with the chicken broth, water and bay leaves. The chicken should be covered by about 1 inch of liquid.
- Turn the pan to medium high heat until it just begins to simmer, and bubbles form along the outside of the chicken. Once simmering, turn the heat down to medium and cook until the chicken is no longer pink inside and comes to 160 degrees F, about 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and strain a little bit of cooking liquid of top of the chicken to keep it moist while it cools.
- While the chicken cools, combine the Greek yogurt, basil, garlic, lemon juice, ½ cup Artichoke hearts, salt and pepper in a small food processor (mine is 3 cups) and blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary. Set aside.
- Place the cooled chicken on a cutting board and shred with 2 forks. You should have about 2 3/4 cup of shredded chicken. Toss it into a large bowl.
- Scrape in the yogurt mixture along with the minced sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, red onions, Italian seasoning. Finely chop the remaining artichokes and add them in as well. Stir until well combined and adjust salt/pepper to taste.
- DEVOUR.
Nutrition
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