Make my High Protein Chicken Salad with 7 ingredients and 10 minutes. This easy and quick meal prep salad is never NOT in my fridge.
My high protein chicken salad is super simple but I find it so useful to have in the fridge. It takes me 10 minutes to make and I love having a batch of it in the fridge to reach for for easy lunches or snacks.
I find that a key strategy when eating for perimenopause is having easily accessible, high protein, high fiber and nourishing foods like this protein chicken salad. This is the best advice I can share in terms of how I keep myself eating well. Prepare, prepare, prepare. And, make it easy. You guys might know, I'm a qualified chef and have a certificate in hormone health.
Guys, note I do have a trade exchange deal with The Gourmet Greek but I would use their products, even if I didn't work with them. They are pretty much the best yogurt product I've ever used.
I love that I can tuck this high-protein chicken salad into wholewheat pita or spoon it into lettuce cups.
For other super useful meal prep recipes to keep in the refrigerator, check out my Rice and Quinoa and this Chopped Antipasto Salad.
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What Is A High Protein Chicken Salad?
A good high protein chicken salad includes good quality, cooked chicken and other protein contributors like cream cheese and Greek yogurt. It's an easy to reach for, meal prep salad that can be used to fill sandwiches, lettice cups or wraps.
Ingredients
- Cooked chicken breast: I prefer cooked boneless chicken thighs, but breasts are fine too in this chicken salad recipe high protein recipe.
- Cream cheese: I like to use a high quality, high protein cream cheese.
- Greek or Greek style yogurt: I'm obsessed with this one from The Gourmet Greek. Their low fat strained Greek yogurt has 9.5g of protein per 100gs and is free from fillers and nasties. I have a panic attack when I run out.
- Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar: To add some acid balance.
- Peppers: Any color will do in this high protein chicken salad. These add fiber, flavor and crunch. Sometimes I'll swap with celery.
- Fresh herbs: I used ½ cup of fresh cilantro, but parsley is great, too.
- Kimchi: For its crunch, tangy taste and gut-nourishing quality.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the room temperature cream cheese and vinegar and mix together until light and creamy. Fold in the Greek yogurt.
- Stir in the fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper and add the kimchi.
3. Add your chopped peppers.
4. Mix in your chicken. Taste and season your high protein chicken salad.
Substitutions
There's a lot you can do here in terms of swaps. Here's what I typically trade out with:
- Chicken: A shrimp version of this is DELICIOUS.
- Kimchi: If you don't like or have kimchi but still want a POP of something tangy, use dijon mustard instead. I use 1 heaped tablespoon instead of the kimchi.
- Peppers: Anything fibrous will do in your high protein chicken salad. I also love adding celery and cucumber.
Variations
- Vegetarian: Use chickpeas instead of chicken and add quinoa for extra and more complex protein.
- More Asian: Add pickled ginger, chopped mint and cilantro and use lime juice instead of the vinegar or lemon juice.
- Spicy: I do crave heat, I must be honest. So I love some chopped red chili or a few red chili flakes. Hot sauce and paprika are great, too.
What Else Can I Add To My High Protein Chicken Salad?
- Chopped apple or pineapple: The protein and fat from the high protein chicken salad make this a great opportunity to eat fruits.
- Nuts: I love adding Brazil nuts, which are great for my thyroid.
- Chia seeds: I'm always looking for ways to sneak in more of these.
Storage
My high protein chicken salad keeps beautifully for 4 days in the fridge. It also freezes easily, in a freezer safe bag or container for 4 months.
My Top Tips As A Chef
- Cool the chicken completely before mixing it.
- If you're adding extra veggies or fruits that hold a lot of water, add these just before eating. These can include cucumber, tomato and pineapple.
- Taste the seasoning as the base will be bland otherwise.
FAQ
Add in chickpeas, quinoa, cottage cheese or tahini to your high protein chicken salad.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
High Protein Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast shredded or diced
- ¼ cup cream cheese softened
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Kimchi
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 small pepper chopped
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese and apple cider vinegar. Mix until smooth and creamy.
- Fold in the yogurt.
- Stir in the herbs, kimchi salt and pepper.
- Mix in the peppers and chicken.
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