Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Aug 21, 2013, Updated Mar 05, 2017
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Tangy and full of flavor. This Greek yogurt chicken salad is no boring chicken salad…
This is one of those posts where I tell you weird random facts about myself.
When I was a kid I was obsessed with a couple different movies. I went through my phases but I could normally be found watching one of these movies:
I was such a weird little 7 years old.
Now, this particular salad is based off my memories of watching Urban Cowboy. There is a scene where Bud’s aunt brings over tuna salad (don’t worry I will get back to the chicken) and Sissy is complaining about how it contains too much onion and not enough apple and pecans. I remember every time I heard that line I thought “who in the world puts apple and nuts into their tuna salad?”
Well, I’m now grown up and I still don’t like pecans and apples in my tuna salad. However, when put into the chicken salad it’s amazing. Now why it took a roundabout movie reference in order for me to try this I have no idea. And not just any movie reference might I add. A movie that is heavily based on riding a mechanical bull…
Good lord.
Ok, enough about cheesy 80’s movies and more about chicken salad. Especially chicken salad made with Voskos plain Greek yogurt! Yes, that is correct there is no mayonnaise in this salad. The plain Greek yogurt gives it just the right tang without being overpowering. Plus it works wonderfully with the sweet fruit and crunchy toasted pecans.
I served my chicken salad over a delicious spinach salad but it would be great on a toasted croissant too.
Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
This tangy Greek yogurt chicken salad is the perfect lunchtime meal. Packed full of chicken, apples, grapes, pecans and Greek yogurt.
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
- 4 bone-in whole chicken breasts
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup red seedless grapes, halved
- 1 fuji apple, diced
- 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Directions:
Preheat you oven to 350 degrees.
Drizzle each chicken breast with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Add to a baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes until fully cooked. Set aside to cool until room temperature.
Once the chicken has cooled pick all the meat off the bone and add it to a bowl of an electric mixer. Add in yogurt and celery.
Mix the chicken on medium/low speed until shredded and mixed.
Stir in the grapes, apples and pecans. Add more yogurt if needed and season with salt and pepper.
Lay out 2 cups baby spinach onto each plate and top each plate with equal amounts of chicken salad.
Wow that is a beautiful chicken salad! Great job, sounds delicious 🙂
Thank you! It was perfect for lunch 🙂
Pecans in chicken salad are the best! I love that you made it with yogurt, I’ll have to try that sometime.
I never knew how great it could be to add a little crunch until I tried it. Love it!
i love lightened up chicken salad..
Thanks! The best part is that it’s lightened up but without taking away any of the flavor.
Can I have this for lunch please?
Lunch date? 🙂
I was ob.sess.ed. with Dirty Dancing as a little kiddo! What were my parents even doing?! lol
Hahaha me too! Luckily I didn’t get half of the stuff that was going on in that movie. I just loved all the dancing 🙂
Beautiful photos!! I love LOVE chicken salad, and with greek yogurt it’s just that much better! YUMMY!
Thank you! I was surprised at how much I didn’t miss the mayonnaise.
The Urban Cowboy reference made me laugh out loud- how random of a movie for a 7 years old to love! But I agree- apples and nut in my chicken salad are a must. Love the grapes and yogurt, too! So deliciously Greek-ish. Who needs mayo?
I know! I was such a random kid.
Why haven’t I thought of swapping Greek yogurt for the mayo before? Brilliant. I love pecans and apples in chicken salad too. 🙂
The yogurt switch was the best decision ever! Hope you give it a try 🙂
I’ve been meaning to make chicken salad with Greek yogurt and THIS is the exact recipe I will use. Looks delicious 🙂 Thank you!
I hope you love it!
Dirty Dancing was one of my faves too! I remember watching it obsessively when I was way too young to be watching it!
I need to make this for my husband. He’s on a paleo kick and I’m sick of roasting whole chickens for him. This will shake things up a bit.
Yes! That was totally me. Thank goodness I never really understood the Penny situation until I was a teenager…haha. The chicken salad is great for Paleo!