Healthy California Chicken Salad Recipe
This Healthy California Chicken Salad is a fresh, flavorful, and nutritious dish perfect for a light lunch or dinner. Combining creamy Greek yogurt and mayonnaise dressing with tender cooked chicken, sweet grapes, crunchy celery, and pecans, it delivers a delightful balance of textures and tastes. Quick to prepare and versatile, it's great served on bread, in a wrap, or over a bed of greens.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Salad
- Method: No-Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Fat
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds
- 1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Salad
- 2 cups cooked and chopped chicken (rotisserie or boiled)
- 1/2 cup grapes, halved
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the dressing: In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, maple syrup, poppy seeds, seasoned salt, and pepper. Mix thoroughly until the dressing is smooth and well blended.
- Chop ingredients: Finely chop the cooked chicken, grapes, celery, pecans, and green onion so that they are bite-sized and ready to mix.
- Combine salad components: Add the chopped chicken, grapes, celery, pecans, and green onion into the bowl with the prepared dressing. Stir gently but thoroughly to ensure all ingredients are evenly coated.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle fresh chopped parsley over the salad for a vibrant finish. Serve the salad on bread, in a wrap, or over a bed of fresh greens as desired.
Notes
- Using rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken breast can save preparation time.
- For a nut-free version, omit pecans or substitute with seeds like sunflower or pumpkin seeds.
- You can adjust the sweetness by varying the amount of maple syrup to taste.
- This salad can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days for best freshness.
