This Chicken Salad Without Mayo is creamy, crunchy and delicious. Made with celery, cranberries and Greek yogurt, it is absolutely packed with protein and great flavors. Thanks to a combo of Dijon mustard, lemon juice and vinegar, it is not bland, despite the lack of mayonnaise!
I love protein salads because they’re easy, budget friendly and kid-friendly. My go to protein salad is tuna, especially if it’s unique, such as this Buffalo Tuna Salad, my Protein Pasta Salad or this Mexican Tuna Salad. Our family also loves eggs so I often make this healthy Herbed Egg Salad (made with avocado).
This mayo-free chicken salad is my new obsession because it’s a perfect way to use up leftover chicken AND it is much healthier than a traditional chicken salad. Don’t get me wrong, I do love mayo but if you’re looking to eat something lighter and lower in oil and fat, definitely give this salad a try. It's great if you follow low carb, low fat and low calorie diet.
I tested this recipe multiple times to achieve the tang that usually comes with mayonnaise and found that mixing full fat Greek yogurt with a bit of lemon juice, red wine vinegar and Dijon mustard does the trick!
Looking for another high protein, no mayo salad idea? Try this Cottage Cheese Egg Salad.
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High Protein Chicken Salad
This creamy salad is an awesome way to get in some good protein in your day. Because you will be using 2 items that are super high in good quality protein (lean chicken and Greek yogurt), this delicious chicken salad will leave you full and satisfied for long.
If you have little ones who are not huge fans of meat or fish, protein salads may be your answer! My kids could eat pasta and bread all day long but providing them with enough protein sources during meals can be a struggle. They love this chicken salad though, especially on crackers or in sandwiches. Great for school lunches, too!
Ingredient notes
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Cooked Chicken: leftover store-bought rotisserie chicken is great but you any cooked boneless skinless chicken meat will work
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Celery: for color and crunch
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Red Onion: you can swap it for sweet onion or green onion
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Dried Cranberries: to add some sweetness to the salad. Dried cranberries can be high in sugar so I usually buy 50% less sugar Craisins
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Plain Greek Yogurt: use full fat whole milk Greek yogurt or minimum 2% fat Greek yogurt for best results. My favorite brand is Fage
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Dijon Mustard: I like Grey Poupon
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Lemon Juice: freshly squeezed is best
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Red Wine Vinegar: to add some tang to the salad
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Salt and Pepper: I like kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
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Fresh Herbs (for garnish): parsley, dill or scallions
How to make chicken salad without mayo
- Chop up cooked chicken, celery and red onion.
- Place chicken, onion, celery and cranberries in a medium or large bowl. Add yogurt, vinegar, dijon mustard and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.
- Mix well with a spoon or spatula. Give the salad a taste and adjust flavors, if needed. If the salad needs more seasoning, add more salt and pepper. If it needs more acidity, add a bit more vinegar or lemon juice.
- Serve sprinkled with fresh dill, parsley or scallions, if desired.
Serving suggestions
My two favorite ways to serve this healthy chicken salad are on a bed of greens and crunchy vegetables or wrapped in lettuce leaves. You can also put in in a sandwich or a wrap for a more classic lunch or dinner.
Another great way to serve this salad is to treat it like a dip. Just place it in a small bowl and surround it with sliced cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and crackers. This is how I serve it to my kids and it disappears within minutes.
Storage and freezing tips
Store leftovers in an airtight container or a bowl wrapped with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw completely in the fridge before serving.
If you’re making this salad as part of meal prep, place the salad in an airtight container (or a couple smaller containers) and store on its own until ready to serve. Then, you can put it on a bed of greens, in a wrap or however you’re planning to eat it.
Substitutions and variations
- Add more crunchy veggies if you want. Chopped Bell peppers, seeded cucumbers or finely diced carrots will all work.
- Swap dried cranberries for raisins, dried cherries or fresh halved red grapes.
- Red wine vinegar can be replaced with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- Greek yogurt can be swapped for Skyr (thick Icelandic yogurt, also super high in protein.
- For avocado chicken salad, swap some Greek yogurt for mashed up ripe avocados.
- If you don’t like red onion, swap it for spring onion or sweet onion like vadalia.
- For a more herby salad, mix in fresh herbs such as chopped dill, parsley, scallions or chives
- Experiment with flavors and add different seasonings – sometimes I skip the cranberries and mix in a bit of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce, cayenne pepper or Cajun seasoning. They’re all great and make the classic chicken salad more interesting.
Recipe FAQs
For best results use full fat or 2% fat yogurt. Fat free yougurt WILL work but won't be as creamy.
No. Plain yogurt is not thick enough for chicken salad. Stick to Greek yogurt or skyr (Icelandic yogurt).
In my opinion Greek yogurt is the best substitute for mayo in protein salads but you can also experiment with sour cream, blended cottage cheese (also high in protein!) or mashed up ripe avocado.
If you don't have dried cranberries, use raisins, dried cherries or blueberries and halved fresh red grapes.
More healthy lunch ideas
- Cajun Shrimp Salad
- Low-Carb Sushi Bowl with Smoked Salmon
- Hawaiian Shrimp Poke Bowl
- Butternut Squash Carrot Ginger Soup
- Polish Mushroom Soup
- Dill Pickle Egg Salad
Recipe
Chicken Salad Without Mayo
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken (skins and bones removed) diced
- 1 celery rib chopped
- 2 tablespoon red onion finely diced
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries I like reduced sugar craisins
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
- 2 teaspoon red wine vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper freshly ground
- chopped parsley, chives or dill
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine diced cooked chicken, finely diced red onion, chopped celery and dried cranberries.
- Add Greek yogurt, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
- Mix the salad thoroughly until all ingredients are combined.
- Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Serve sprinkled with fresh herbs, such as dill, parsley or chives (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
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Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
J says
Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’m making it tonight for dinner. Btw step 2, in step by step directions, notes mayo.
Agnieszka says
Thanks for letting me know! It was supposed to say "yogurt", not "mayo". Hope you like the recipe!
Cynthia says
Love this. I added pomegranate instead of dried cranberries. Served on an arugula bed with marzano tomatoes and avocado
Agnieszka says
I love the idea of pomegranate in this salad!
Hayley says
Really enjoyed this! I didn’t add any type of dried fruit since I prefer grapes, but they are not in season. It still was extreme delicious! I also added some dill just as a personal preference.
Agnieszka says
Thank you, Hayley, for the comment.
Caz says
Love this didn’t add fruit added buffalo sauce what is the serving size?
Agnieszka says
Hi Caz. Serving size is about 1/2 cup. This recipe makes 4 servings.
Susie Ranno says
Very good! So easy and now I have lunch for the week!
Susie Ranno says
Very delicious and so easy! I used the shredded rotisserie chicken from Aldi which saved me a little time and used dried cherries in place of the dried cranberries as that is all I had on hand. Now I have lunch for the week!
Agnieszka says
Love the dried cherry idea! Thanks for your comment, Suzie.
Amanda says
So fresh and delicious
Diane says
I hate yogurt but decided to try this recipe anyway. Wow, it was delicious!! I like to use left over rotisserie chicken or Perdue roasted chicken strips. I also like red grapes and walnuts. So yummy and easy!!
Bogusława says
Easy recipe. My whole family loved it.