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Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad takes classic chicken salad and adds your favorite Mediterranean ingredients. Shredded or diced chicken is mixed with crumbled feta cheese, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and mixes it together with Greek yogurt, lemon juice and fresh herbs. This works great on a brioche bun, over a bed of lettuce or in a wrap.

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad in a white bowl.

Everyone loves a classic chicken salad recipe but sometimes you want to mix things up and try adding other ingredients to spice it up.

This Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad is the perfect twist on chicken salad using your favorite Mediterranean inspired ingredients.

It is a light chicken salad that is perfect as the weather gets warmer. Chicken Breasts are cooked and shredded and mixed together with crumbled feta cheese, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, cucumber, red onion and celery and then mixed together with Greek yogurt, lemon juice and a touch of honey along with fresh dill and parsley.

This chicken salad comes together in three easy steps making it the perfect meal-prep idea for the week, quick lunch option or a nice dish to bring to a summer potluck. It also is versatile and perfect for other ingredients like artichokes, banana peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mint or even capers.

Serve this salads on a bed of greens, on the side of a summer bbq in a large bowl or alongside brioche buns so your guests can make sandwiches.

This Mediterranean Chicken Salad is sure to be a hit this summer! If you like salads that involve chicken check out this Lightened Chicken SaladCurry Chicken SaladTropical Chicken Salad or this Grilled Greek Chicken Salad. 

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad over a bed of lettuce.

Why I Love this Mediterranean Chicken Salad

  • Great for Meal-Prep: For those that meal-prep this is a great recipe for that. You can pre-cook your chicken ahead of time or you can use a rotisserie chicken and shred that. You can prep this salad on a Sunday and it will be good for up to 3-4 days. 
  • Healthy and Filling: This salad is healthy and loaded with fresh ingredients like vegetables, fresh herbs, feta cheese and olives. It uses Greek yogurt but if you want to use half mayonnaise and half Greek yogurt you can. 
  • Easy to Prepare: This salad comes together very quickly. The most time consuming part is cooking the chicken but if you have leftover chicken use that or to save time buy a rotisserie chicken to use for the salad. 
Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad ingredients.

Recipe Ingredients You’ll Need:

  • Chicken: I used chicken breasts for this recipe but you could also easily use any leftover shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken.
  • Vegetables: The fresh vegetables in this chicken salad are a great twist on traditional chicken salad. I added celery, green onions, red onion and roasted red peppers.
  • Olives: I added pitted, kalamata olives to the salad. You can use any olive you have or leave them out.
  • Cheese: Crumbled feta cheese works nicely in this salad adding saltiness and a creamy rich flavor.
  • Greek Yogurt: Creamy, tangy Greek yogurt adds flavor to the salad and is a healthier alternative to using mayo.
  • Honey: The honey is used to sweeten the chicken salad slightly.
  • Lemon: Lemon juice balances the flavors and adds a touch of acidity.
  • Fresh Herbs: Fresh herbs like dill and parsley finish this salad off nicely and add fresh flavor.

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad on a bun.

Ways to Modify this Chicken Salad

  • Beans: Beans are a nice addition to this salad. I especially like chickpeas, black beans or white beans. 
  • Vegetables: You can add any vegetables you have on hand. Some good ones are zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, radish and broccoli. 
  • Cheese: I added feta cheese to this chicken salad. You can skip cheese or try goat cheese. 
  • Herbs: Fresh herbs always take salads to the next level. Try parsley, mint, basil or oregano. 
  • Spices: Spices are another great way to add flavor. You could add za’atar, sumac, Italian seasoning or paprika. 
  • Other Ingredients: Other ingredients that would be great in this salad are capers, artichoke hearts, banana peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, pickles or jalapeños. 
Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad in a green bowl.

How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Step 1: Add Ingredients to a Bowl: Add the cooked chicken to a large mixing bowl. Add the celery, olives, roasted red peppers, red onion, feta cheese and mix well.

Step 2: Add the Dressing Ingredients: Add the Greek yogurt, honey and lemon juice and mix well.

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad ingredients in a bowl.

Step 3: Add Herbs: Stir in the green onions, dill and parsley.

Step 4: Serve the Salad: Serve the chicken salad on a bed of greens, in a lettuce wrap, in a bowl with fresh parsley as a garnish or on a sandwich.

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad ingredients mixed in bowl.

Recipe FAQ

Should I used shredded or cubed chicken?

I think that shredded chicken mixes well with the creamy, yogurt dressing. If you prefer more of a chunky salad you can use cubed chicken.  

How can I add more texture to the salad?

I suggest adding nuts like sliced almonds, walnuts or pecans. Pine nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds also work nicely.

Does dried fruit work in chicken salad?

I love adding sweet, dried fruit. Try adding dried cranberries, raisins, dates or apricots.

Should I refrigerate the salad before serving?

You don’t have to but I do think refrigerating the salad for about 30 minutes before serving helps the flavor meld together.

What can I sub in for the Greek yogurt?

You can use hummus, mashed avocado or mayo as the creamy dressing in place of Greek yogurt.

Storage Tips:

Refrigerate the remaining chicken salad in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Can chicken salad be frozen?

  • Freezing is not ideal because the mayonnaise or yogurt dressing can separate when thawed, but you can freeze the chicken portion and add fresh dressing later.

Can I make chicken salad ahead of time?

  • Yes, chicken salad tastes better when made a few hours ahead to allow the flavors to meld. Add crunchy ingredients like nuts just before serving so those ingredients don’t get soggy.

Other Chicken Recipes to Try:

If you like chicken recipes try one of these delicious recipes!

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad 1200 x 1200

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad takes classic chicken salad and adds your favorite Mediterranean ingredients. Shredded or diced chicken is mixed with crumbled feta cheese, kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and mixes it together with Greek yogurt, lemon juice and fresh herbs. This works great on a brioche bun, over a bed of lettuce or in a wrap.
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chicken, dinner, dinner recipe, healthy, salad, side dish
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4
4
Author: Julia

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lbs. Chicken Breasts {about 3 cups shredded chicken}
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1/4 cup kalamata olives, halved
  • 1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
  • 1/4 cup Crumbled Feta Cheese
  • 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 2 green onions, chopped
  • 2 tsps. fresh dill, chopped
  • 3 tsps. fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  • Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a large baking dish.
  • Brush on both sides (turning once) evenly with olive oil. Sprinkle the garlic powder, salt and pepper over the chicken breasts evenly.
  • Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and reaches a temperature of 165 degrees F.
  • Remove the chicken from the oven when done cooking and let rest until cooled. Shred the chicken and add to a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the celery, olives, roasted red peppers, red onion, feta cheese and mix well.
  • Add the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, honey and lemon juice and mix well.
  • Stir in the green onions, dill and parsley.
  • Optional: Refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes before serving to help the flavors meld together.
  • Serve the chicken salad on a bed of greens, in a lettuce wrap, in a bowl with fresh parsley as a garnish or on a sandwich. Refrigerate the remaining chicken salad in a sealed container for up to 3 days.

Notes

  • To save time you could use rotisserie chicken and shred that.

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5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

Chelly

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

Absolutely delicious, another hit with the kids. Even easier when the Thermomix shreds the chicken in 7 seconds rather than spending loads of time using two forks like I used to!

Julia

Tuesday 25th of April 2023

I am so glad that you like it! And I love the idea of the Thermomix- genius and I bet it saves so much time!

Comments are closed.