Tangy and tasty, this is a delicious lunch, dinner, or snack and makes great leftovers! Calories were significantly reduced by using plain Greek Yogurt in the place of mayo and heavy cream.
You might cry tears of joy when you eat this. Maybe. I realize not everyone will have my reaction, but I’m just saying, don’t rule it out. Even as a dietitian, sometimes I am skeptical to take a favorite, classic recipe and healthify it. My friend and I were brainstorming recently about dinners to take to little league games and practices to keep us out of the drive thrus on the way home (or even worse trying to rustle up a meal for a ravenous family at 7:30 in the pm). She mentioned chicken salad sandwiches and I was gone. I could think of little else until I got these babies made and into my mouth, which was a couple – clearly unproductive – weeks later. My mom has a recipe I love for just about everything and this is no exception. I took her recipe omitted the mayonnaise and heavy cream and voila, a dream child (daughter) was born.
It’s probably no surprise that I used the glamour child, plain Greek yogurt in this little lady to make her so special. Greek yogurt substitutes for mayonnaise in this recipe and does the job so well that the heavy cream in the original recipe was not needed either. Greek yogurt can also substitute for butter, cream cheese, sour cream and whip cream in other favorite recipes. My kids love vanilla greek yogurt and I will often put it in their lunches or serve it as an afterschool snack. In our house we call it “colored yogurt” because from the time they were wee little things we would give them yogurt with the food coloring of their choice (I know a clean eater amongst us just fainted from the thought of adding food coloring, but stick with me!). I love that they love Greek yogurt because it is a good source of calcium, vitamin D (which helps your body absorb calcium), probiotics and excellent source of protein.
Another reason this recipe brought me to tears is her shelf-life. Like me, she just got better with age. For food safety reasons, I wouldn’t advise more than 3 days in the fridge, but she held her own like a champ each of those days.
Meal ideas:
- Chicken salad sandwiches on whole
– grain bread with lettuce - Chicken salad in pita bread
- Chicken salad with whole-grain crackers
The Recipe
No Mayo Skinny Chicken Salad
Tangy and tasty, this a delicious lunch, dinner, or snack and makes great leftovers to enjoy at a later time! Calories were significantly reduced by using plain Greek Yogurt!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cubed cooked chicken
- 3/4 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
- 3 T lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 cup seedless purple grapes (quartered)
- 1 T capers (optional)
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup chopped almonds
- 1 t dried mustard
- 3/4 t salt
Instructions
- Salt and pepper chicken breasts. Bake ~9 oz chicken breasts (mine were ~3 oz x 3) at 450 degrees for 15-17 minutes. If each breast is larger or thicker, they will take more time. Flip chicken breasts after 10 minutes of baking and continue baking until internal temperature of 165 is reached. Let them rest for 5 or more minutes before cubing.
- Combine chicken, celery, and lemon juice. Chill one hour. Do not skip this step! This is where the magic occurs!
- Add grapes and almonds to the chicken mixture.
- Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix. Add to chicken and mix well.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 172Total Fat: 4gSodium: 584mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gProtein: 20g
