17 Healthy Chicken Salad Recipes in 30 Minutes

March 24, 2020

Chicken salad is the perfect option for lunch or a light dinner. These chicken salad recipes use different combinations, like chicken and avocado or chicken and pesto, to create a delicious meal. Recipes like Thai Chicken Salad and Broccoli-Bacon Chicken Salad are healthy, flavorful and can be adapted to whatever you have in your fridge.

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Chicken & Kale Taco Salad with Jalapeño-Avocado Ranch

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This healthy, super-fast salad recipe swaps out romaine for kale, giving you more than 10 times the vitamin C. Easy flavor hacks like store-bought ranch and pickled jalapeños help make a creamy, tangy and spicy dressing you'll want to drizzle on everything from salad to sliced veggies and shredded poached chicken. Source: EatingWell Magazine, July/August 2018

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Thai Chicken Salad

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Sweet chili sauce spikes the creamy yogurt dressing in this healthy chicken salad recipe for a fun taste of Thai flavors. If you don't have sweet chili sauce, try substituting 1 tablespoon ketchup, 1 teaspoon Sriracha, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Serve the salad open-face on toasted bread or scoop it atop more shredded napa cabbage. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2016

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Avocado Ranch Chicken Salad

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Avocado makes an exceptionally creamy and healthful dressing for this chicken salad. A bit of ranch dressing with pickled jalapeño adds a tangy spin to the lunchtime classic. Serve it on a slice of whole-wheat toast for an open-face sandwich or in a lettuce cup for a low-carb lunch. Source: EatingWell.com, July 2018

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Warm Chicken Salad with Peas & Polenta

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Typical kid-friendly fare gets a zap of fresh flavor from pesto in this easy 15-minute dinner. Make a quick creamy chicken salad with Greek yogurt, pesto and peas and serve over pan-fried polenta. Serve with a salad of greens and balsamic vinaigrette for a healthy dinner the whole family will love. Source: EatingWell.com, August 2018

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Chicken, Fennel & Grape Quinoa Salad

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Leftover cooked chicken? This healthy grain-salad recipe is the perfect way to use it up. We like the color of red quinoa, but yellow works well too. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2017

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Broccoli-Bacon Chicken Salad

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In this healthy chicken salad recipe, a combo of mayonnaise and plain Greek yogurt makes up the lightened creamy dressing. Serve this main-dish twist on broccoli salad as an open-face sandwich on toasted bread or scoop it on top of fresh salad greens. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2016

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Creamy Pesto Chicken Salad with Greens

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For a healthy variation on creamy chicken salad, we've replaced half the mayonnaise with basil pesto. Serve over greens or make it into a sandwich for a healthy lunch. Source: EatingWell Magazine, March/April 2015

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Mason Jar Chicken Salad with Japanese Hibachi Dressing

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This vibrantly colorful and healthy make-ahead salad is sure to become a go-to weekday lunch, though it's pretty enough to serve to guests. Fresh ginger gives a pleasant bite to the toasted sesame salad dressing, which is inspired by the dressings served at Japanese hibachi restaurants. Source: EatingWell.com, April 2019

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Classic Dill Chicken Salad

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We lightened up the creamy dressing in this healthy chicken salad recipe with a combo of mayonnaise and plain Greek yogurt. Dill, grapes, celery and walnuts make up this classic chicken salad but feel free to experiment with your favorite fruit, vegetables and herbs. Serve it open-face on toasted bread or scoop it on top of fresh salad greens. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2016

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Honey-Mustard Chicken Salad

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A simple dressing, using yogurt rather than mayo, moistens the chicken in this tasty lightened-up chicken salad. Plus, it's flavor-packed thanks to a quick-to-fix honey mustard. Whip up a batch while you're meal prepping for easy, packable lunches. Source: EatingWell.com, September 2018

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Lemon-Lime Chicken, Kale & Mango Salad

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Hazelnuts, blueberries and fresh ginger are welcome additions to this kale and chicken salad. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

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Italian Pesto Chicken Salad

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Prepared pesto is the secret ingredient in this lightened-up, healthy creamy chicken salad recipe. For the prettiest dressing, go for a bright-green colored pesto. Serve the salad open-face on toasted bread or scoop it on top of fresh salad greens. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2016

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Asian-Style Chicken Salad Bowls

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Everything you need (just 4 ingredients!) to prepare a week's worth of healthy, low-carb lunches can be found at your neighborhood grocery store. A bag of prechopped red and green cabbage serves as the crunchy low-carb base in these chicken salad bowls, which only require 10 minutes to assemble. Top with sesame-flavored almonds and a sesame dressing and you have one irresistible lunch you'll look forward to all week. Shopping at Trader Joe's? See Tip (below) for our product recommendations. Source: EatingWell.com, December 2019

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Poached Chicken Salad

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A healthier twist on a classic, this recipe uses Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. Serve over fresh greens to make it a delicious lunch or simple dinner. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

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Mediterranean Chicken Salad

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The next time you grill or broil chicken breasts, cook some extra pieces to use in this salad. Or if you prefer, pick up some packaged cooked chicken breast strips or cubes at the grocery store. Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

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Creamy Buffalo Chicken Salad

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In this Buffalo wings-inspired chicken salad, Greek yogurt replaces more than half of the mayonnaise. We like the flavor of Frank's RedHot hot sauce, but Sriracha and Tabasco are delicious options too. Serve this healthy chicken salad as an open-face sandwich or scoop it on top of fresh salad greens. Source: EatingWell Magazine, May/June 2016

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Moroccan Chicken Salad

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Leftover chicken and rice come together in this flavorful main dish salad. Serve over fresh greens. Source: EatingWell Magazine, September 1997

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