This delicious and easy chicken salad recipe is loaded with crisp red-leaf lettuce, sweet red grapes and crunchy celery. Walnuts add a dose of healthy fat and protein, and fresh tarragon adds a flavor punch.
Love chicken salad but don’t like all the fat traditional versions contain? This heart healthy chicken recipe has all the flavor you crave but with substitutions that will make your heart happy. Instead of lots of mayonnaise, we use a combo of reduced-fat mayo and fat-free sour cream to lower the fat content. But it’s the addition of veggies, grapes and tarragon that really make this dish a winner, creating a tasty chicken lunch recipe that’s low calorie, low carb and low sodium. As an added bonus, it’s gluten-free, too!
Chicken salad is so easy to make. In fact, once you’ve done it, you’ll never bother buying it pre-made again! Use grilled, baked or leftover chicken and dice it up. Then add some healthy ingredients for flavor and texture, such as grapes, nuts and celery. Mix everything together with some mayonnaise or a healthy mayo substitute and season it to your liking. That’s all there is to it!
This heart healthy chicken salad is full of healthy protein from chicken breasts and chopped walnuts. It’s also low in fat, thanks to the omission of full fat mayo, and it’s low carb, making it very diabetic friendly. Another health benefit is that it’s full of flavor, even though it’s a low sodium chicken salad, thanks to the addition of tarragon, lemon juice, grapes, scallions and celery. And with less than 200 calories per serving, this may just become one of your favorite low calorie chicken recipes.
If you find chicken salad bland or boring, especially if you’re trying to limit salt, there are plenty of ways to add more flavor. Fruit like grapes and apples add sweetness, celery adds a satisfying crunch and nuts add richness. Depending on your taste preference, you can add seasonings to your homemade chicken salad, like red pepper, onion flakes or curry powder. Experimenting with herbs and spices is a great way to create low sodium chicken recipes that are bursting with flavor.
Recipe yields 6 servings
Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill chicken for about 5 minutes on each side, or until cooked through. Let cool. With a knife, dice chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces.
In a large bowl, combine chicken, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, grapes, walnuts, celery, scallions, tarragon and black pepper.
Toss gently. Serve on a bed of lettuce.
If you’re looking for healthy chicken recipes for lunch to enjoy throughout the week, we have plenty to choose from. From chicken sandwiches to chicken soup recipes, you’ll find healthy meals the whole family will enjoy. If you’re on a salad kick, here are 8 healthy salad recipes to try and if meal prep is your thing, don’t miss these high protein meal prep ideas.