This chicken salad comes together in just 10 minutes, and we lightened it up with a simple Greek yogurt dressing that pairs perfectly with the shredded chicken, grapes, and dried cranberries.
We make this yogurt-based chicken salad for quick lunches or an easy meal prep because it keeps great in the refrigerator for days.
For the best texture, dice the celery small and halve the grapes so you get a little crunch and sweetness in every bite. It’s one of those recipes that gets better with more time, so letting it chill in the fridge before serving really lets the flavors come together and the texture set.
Serve on your favorite whole grain bread, or use toasted sandwich thins or lettuce wraps for a more carb-friendly option that won’t get soggy if you pack it for lunch.
Ingredient Notes for Chicken Salad Sandwiches:
- Chicken: this recipe calls for cooked, shredded chicken. We like to use chicken breasts or thighs, but canned chicken works too (see note in recipe card).
- Celery: fresh celery diced small gives this an added crunch and extra veggies.
- Grapes: halve your grapes so they’re not a choking hazard. We like the burst of color red grapes add, but green grapes work, too.
- Cranberries: a handful of dried cranberries (we like OceanSpray) adds a little bit of tang and texture to the chicken salad.
- Nuts: chopped pecans add a nice crunch. You could also sub these for walnuts or sliced almonds.
- Yogurt: use plain greek yogurt for a more protein-heavy chicken salad, but you could use mayonnaise as a substitute if you don’t have plain greek yogurt on hand.
- Lemon juice: fresh lemon juice is preferred, but lemon juice concentrate will work as well and is more shelf-stable.
- Seasoning: keep it simple with salt, black pepper, and garlic powder – but you can customize this and mix in your favorites (dill is a great option, too).
- Bread: we love Dave’s Killer Wheat bread for a whole-grain option, but if you need low-carb, try a sandwich thin or turn it into a lettuce wrap.
- Lettuce: we like to top this with romaine lettuce or spinach when serving for more veggies.
How to make Chicken Salad Sandwiches:
- Quick overview: Mix chicken, celery, grapes, cranberries and pecans. Stir yogurt and lemon in gently, then season to taste. Tip: Mix the yogurt, lemon and seasonings first, then fold in chicken to avoid overmixing.
- This Chicken salad is a no-cook, don’t reheat type meal, best served cold. We don’t recommend reheating once it’s mixed with yogurt.
Storing and other tips for leftover chicken salad
Storage
Fridge: Place the leftover chicken mixture with creamy dressing in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before to mix it up before using it the next day, as the dressing may have separated slightly.
If it’s too dry, stir in a dollop or two of greek yogurt or a splash of lemon juice until it reaches your desired consistency.
Freezer: We do not recommend freezing this prepared chicken salad because the yogurt will separate. For freezer prep, you can freeze cooked shredded chicken to pull out of the freezer when needed, and make the dressing fresh!
Serving Suggestions
We love this served on Dave’s Killer Bread, but you can also serve it with sandwich thins, wheat thins, wraps, or lettuce.
Add-ins
- This recipe is easily customizable to your family and what they prefer. Here are some of our favorite swaps and add-ins:
- Finely diced red onion or green onion
- Herbs like fresh or dried parsley or dill
- Celery salt for a more unique flavor
- Hard boiled eggs like this recipe
- Top with a little avocado if you’re feeling extra
Chicken Options
This recipe uses cooked chicken, but you can use breasts, thighs, or even a rotisserie chicken for added flavor.
You can also use canned chicken in this recipe, however you will want to make sure it is drained well before adding it, or the mixture will be too runny.
FAQs
About ½ cup of chicken salad per sandwich. The general nutrition info is listed in the recipe label, but please note that specific nutritional values may vary depending on the type and even the brand of ingredients you use.
Plain greek yogurt is pretty mild once you mix in the lemon and seasonings.
You can, but it may affect the taste or texture slightly, and you will need to adjust accordingly.
Add a teaspoon of lemon juice or a little more yogurt and stir until it reaches your desired consistency.
More sandwiches to make:
- Instant Pot Hot Honey Chicken Sandwiches
- BBQ Bacon Pulled Pork Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 cup cooked, shredded chicken
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup red grapes, halved
- ¼ cup dried cranberries
- ¼ cup chopped pecans
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 sandwich thins
- 4 lettuce leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine chicken, celery, grapes, cranberries and pecans.
- Fold in greek yogurt and lemon juice.
- Add garlic powder and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix until well combined.
- Spread chicken salad onto bread.
- Top with lettuce and another slice of bread
Notes
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 4 days and stir before serving. We would not recommend freezing prepared chicken salad.
- Serve on bread, croissants, wraps, or lettuce cups.
- Canned chicken in water works in this recipe, but, drain it well before using.
- Optional mix-ins: diced red onion, dill (fresh or dried), chopped hard-boiled eggs.
- If this recipe is too thick for your liking, add more yogurt or a little more lemon juice. If it’s too thin, add more chicken or grapes.
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Has anyone figured out the WW points for this?
Not yet but it would be easy to do in the recipe builder. I will attempt it later today because I to wondered the same thing.
Does this really only make one sandwich like the recipe says? I was just trying to figure out how much to purchase to make these for my family… Thanks!
Super yummy! Thank you.
Hi Angela. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. This recipe makes 4 sandwiches.
Calories please.