Chopped chicken salad is the ultimate springtime dish-refreshing, light and loaded with protein (45 grams of protein to be exact). The secret ingredient in this salad gives it an extra protein boost, and the best part is that you can't even taste it! With all the makings of a classic chicken salad, this salad is versatile and easily customizable to suit your taste.
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If you love a good salad recipe, you have to make my chopped broccoli crunch salad or my infamous honey hot chicken salad recipe! If high-protein recipes are more your thing, make sure to check out my turkey lettuce wraps, too!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This chopped chicken salad is easily adaptable to personal tastes, meaning ingredients can be added or swapped out easily.
- The best meal prep of all! Whip up a double batch of this, and you'll have a full week's worth of lunches.
- It's loaded with protein; seriously, 45 grams of protein per serving is insane!
- The perfect meal to take on a road trip or camping! Prep it ahead of time, and all you have to do is keep it chilled with an icepack until you are ready to eat.
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Chopped Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Chicken Breast - A whole chicken may be used instead of chicken breast. Make my insanely juicy spatchcock chicken. You will need about 3 cups of chicken for this recipe. Turkey breast can be easily substituted as well (think leftover turkey from the holidays!).
- Pumpkin Seeds - Try chopped walnuts, pecans or slivered almonds!
- Green Apples - Substitute with quartered grapes or dried cranberries.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - can be substituted for white vinegar, red wine vinegar or rice vinegar. Keep in mind that the flavor will slightly change with the use of a different type of vinegar.
A full ingredient list with the exact quantities can be found in the recipe card below.
Inclusion Ideas
This chopped chicken salad recipe is very adaptable, meaning you can easily switch up the ingredients! Here are some ideas of what can be added to this chicken salad:
- Dried Cranberries
- Dried Apricot
- Fresh Cucumber
- Grapes
- Celery
- Shredded Carrots
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Walnuts
- Green Onions
As easily as things can be added to this recipe, things can also be left out. Don't like apples? leave them out and replace them with some of the ideas above, etc, etc. You get the point.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
Serve this chicken salad in a homemade tortilla wrap for a delicious lunch or in a bowl with homemade crusty bread pieces on the side for dipping. For a healthier, low-carb and gluten-free option, serve the chicken salad in lettuce cups.
For a quick and delicious meal prep option, use this creamy chicken salad and create a homemade adult lunchable!
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How to Make Chopped Chicken Salad
The point of this being a "chopped" chicken salad is to get all of the ingredients chopped down to the same size. This will make the salad blend nicely, and you'll get a taste of every ingredient with every bite.
Add It All To A Bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, add all of the ingredients.
Mix.
Using a sturdy spoon, stir the chicken salad until it is well blended and creamy throughout.
Serve.
Serve this chicken salad in a tortilla wrap, as a sandwich in bread, in lettuce cups or as an appetizer with crackers or bread on the side.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Reader Review
Amazing recipe! Made it for a work lunch and it went down a treat. It's a family favourite too now! -Jaspreet
Helpful Tips
- Do not overcook your chicken. Dry chicken will be the demise of this salad. Once chilled, dry chicken somehow tastes even drier, so make sure the chicken isn't overcooked! I walk you through exactly how to make the juiciest chicken in my roasted chicken recipe!
How to Store Leftover Chicken Salad
Store leftover chopped chicken salad in an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator. Leftover chicken salad will last 3-4 days. Do not freeze chicken salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
We make our chicken salad with cottage cheese; that is our secret to being able to pack over 45 grams of protein into one serving! If you want to increase the protein even more, serve this chopped chicken salad in a high-protein wrap or with protein tortilla chips!
The key ingredients are chicken, mayonnaise, vinegar and dijon mustard. Some ideas for inclusions are cottage cheese, apples, grapes, sun-dried tomatoes, celery, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts.
To give chicken salad more flavor, substitute the mayonnaise for Kewpie mayonnaise (Japanese mayonnaise). This will give the chicken salad a rich umami flavor. You can also add a variety of spices like paprika, Italian seasoning, dill, or lemon pepper.
More Light Salad Recipes
Looking for more delicious salad recipes like this? Try these:
If you made this Chopped Chicken Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating, leave a 💬 comment and share it on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
📖 Recipe
Chopped Chicken Salad
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 3-4 cups Chicken Breast cooked and diced
- 1 Green Apple diced
- ¾ cup Pumpkin Seeds
- ½ cup Cottage Cheese
- ½ cup Light Mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 1 Tablespoon Grainy Dijon Mustard
- 1 teaspoon Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Parsley finely minced
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken breast, green apple, pumpkin seeds, cottage cheese, light mayonnaise, lemon juice, grainy dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, parsley, and salt & pepper. Stir to combine and refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes before serving.
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Notes
- Do not overcook the chicken. Dry chicken tastes even drier once it is chilled.
- Chop all ingredients to be a similar size; this ensures the chicken salad blends well, and you'll get a taste of every ingredient in each bite.
- Instead of chicken breast, use 3-4 cups of chicken from a whole roast chicken or use leftover turkey from the holidays.
- Apple cider vinegar can be substituted for white vinegar, red wine vinegar or rice vinegar.
- Light mayonnaise can be substituted for Kewpie mayonnaise. Kewpie mayo will give this salad a rich umami flavor.
- Substituion/Addition Options: quartered grapes, diced celery, diced cucumber, chopped walnuts, chopped pecans, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded carrots, or green onions.
- Serve as an appetizer with sliced baguette or crackers, enjoy on open faced sandwiches or in a tortilla wrap, or serve in lettuce cups for a low carb, gluten free option!
- Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Chicken salad will last 3-4 days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
Jaspreet says
Amazing recipe! Made it for a work lunch and it went down a treat. It’s a family favourite too now!
Jessica says
Hi Jaspreet,
Thank you so much for the rave review!
Eddie says
Perfect blend of flavours and mega addictive. Love it