Salads

Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe

Prep

15 minutes

Cook

25 minutes

Yield

This Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe is so easy to make and a nourishing, healthy recipe to prep for easy lunches.

This Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe is the perfect meal prep recipe for an easy lunch all week long. I love a salad that is hearty and filling. Salads get a bad reputation for just being a bowl of veggies that may taste good at the moment but leave you hungry in 30 minutes. The key is creating a salad that has filling, hearty ingredients like a healthy source of protein and grains. This recipe has just that!

Bowl of healthy chicken salad on counter - 2

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe

Healthy: Just like the title states, this Chicken Salad is full of nourishing, healthy ingredients
Versatile: You can swap the protein with a plant-based protein, and add (or subtract) any of the veggies for your fav
Meal Prep: Meal prep this budget-friendly recipe for the week to have a healthy lunch to grab on those busy days

🍲 Ingredients

Pearl Barley – Pearl barley is harvested from ears of barley. Pearl barley is good for you and good for your heart health. It can help with your blood pressure, reduce your risk of heart disease, and so much more

Butter Beans – Butter beans are also known as lima beans and they are a healthy source of plant-based protein. You can easily swap these for other beans, but I love the buttery taste of butter beans

Mixed healthy chicken salad in a bowl with serving spoons - 3

👩‍🍳 How to Make a Healthy Chicken Salad

Cook the grains according to package instructions. While the grains are cooking, prepare the salad ingredients and make the dressing by whisking together all of the ingredients and set aside.
Add all of the salad ingredients to a bowl, drizzle the dressing over, toss, and serve.

🪄 Tips and Tricks

If you can’t find butter beans, cannellini or navy beans would be a delicious substitute
Other delicious grains you could use in this salad are quinoa or brown rice
Meal prep this Healthy Chicken Salad Recipe by keeping the dressing separate, and adding on top when you’re ready to consume

🗒 Substitutions

There are so many easy swaps you can make in this Chicken Salad, and here are just some I recommend:

Butter Beans: Swap for any kind of bean you prefer such as kidney or black beans
Chicken: You can use leftover rotisserie chicken, chicken breast, or chicken thighs. You can also substitute for any other protein you have on hand or eliminate all together
Grains: Use whatever grains you like such as brown rice or quinoa

🗒 Best served with

Greek Pita
Chicken Souvlaki (remove the chicken from this recipe and just serve the salad as a side to this chicken souvlaki)
Carrot Cake Smoothie (I love a salad paired with a smoothie for an extra healthy meal)

👝 How to Store Leftovers

Store the dressing and salad separately to keep it longer in the fridge. If the salad is already mixed, it’ll still taste great for up to 3 days.

🤔 Common Questions

It’s important to load them up with protein. Try a lean protein like chicken and a plant-based protein like a bean. Adding in a grain can help make the salad feel more like a meal.

Hearts of palm can be a delicious alternative or sundried tomatoes. You can also omit them from this recipe completely.