Healthy Chicken Salad packed with Mediterranean flavors including roasted red peppers, black olives, fresh dill, feta cheese, and spices. This flavor-packed chicken salad will be your new lunchtime favorite. You also don't want to miss this Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad and classic Healthy Chicken Salad.
One of the things I get asked about most often is what to keep in the fridge for quick and easy meals, and one of my favorite options is Chicken Salad. There are so many different ways to make it and tons of options for serving it. This makes it the perfect versatile option for meal prep.
To keep things interesting, I always try out different flavor combinations and this Mediterranean version is so good. Between the creamy feta cheese, fresh parsley and dill, roasted red peppers, and black olives - it's just so good. I love it stuffed into sandwiches and wraps, served on a bed of spicy arugula, or stuffed into hollowed out cucumbers and tomatoes. I also would be lying if I didn't tell you that yesterday I ate it right out of the tupperware with carrot sticks and pita chips. Delicious.
How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is one of the easiest things to make and it is great to have in the fridge for quick lunches, snacks, and dinners. Here's how to make it:
- Make the dressing: The dressing for this salad is made with Greek yogurt (higher in protein with less fat) and a touch of mayonnaise to cut the tang of the yogurt. Then to kick up the flavor, this dressing has lemon juice, fresh dill, fresh parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery seed. It's super creamy and full of flavor.
- Prepare the chicken: In my house, 99% of the time I am making chicken salad, it is with a rotisserie chicken. Peel off the skin, chop it up, and you are ready to go. You can also use poached, grilled, or slow-cooked chicken. Really any cooked chicken will work.
- Grab your veggies: I love lots of crunch in my chicken salad, so I always add chopped celery. This version also has cucumbers and red onions.
- Go to the Mediterranean: To keep with theme, it's time for some roasted red peppers, black olives, and creamy feta cheese. Trust me - it's so good. You could also throw in some chopped artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, or cherry tomatoes.
How long does chicken salad keep in the fridge?
Chicken salad is best eaten within 3-4 days of preparing it. Make sure to store it in an airtight container. Also if you are prepping chicken salad for a party or get-together, it shouldn't be left out for more than 2 hours, possibly less if it's hot.
Ways to Serve Chicken Salad
Your imagination is the limit when it comes to ways to serve this. Here are the ones we reach for the most often:
- Grab your favorite bread, toast it, and make an open-faced chicken salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and greens.
- Hollow out some tomatoes and fill them with chicken salad. Sprinkle with extra feta cheese.
- Cut up English cucumbers and serve with dollops of salad on top.
- Add it on top of your favorite greens. This is so good as the protein option on a big green salad.
- Stuff it into celery stalks to create the best crunchy snack.
- Grab some butter lettuce and make lettuce wraps stuffed with chicken salad.
Recipe Ideas and Variations
Once you start making chicken salad, you will instantly want to experiment with all different flavor combinations. Here are some ideas that work really well with this Mediterranean Chicken Salad.
- Try chopped walnuts, almonds, or pistachios to add some extra crunch.
- Add some sweetness with dried cranberries, dates, or apricots. It's also great with fresh fruit like apples or grapes.
- Add some spice with chopped pepperoncini peppers or jalapeno peppers.
- Experiment with different types of olives to change the flavor. Kalamata olives take it in a Greek direction while green olives have a milder flavor.
- For something salty, add some capers.
- If you love fresh herbs, try adding some thyme or rosemary.
- Add fiber by tossing in some chickpeas.
Can you freeze chicken salad?
The yogurt and mayo in chicken salad makes it less than ideal for the freezer. The mayo will separate when you defrost it and the texture can get strange. Instead, freeze the chicken on its own. Then let it defrost overnight in the fridge. Use that to make a fresh batch of chicken salad.