Mediterranean Chicken Salad

This healthy Mediterranean Chicken Salad is packed with roasted red peppers, black olives, fresh dill, feta cheese, and spices. It will be your new lunchtime favorite, perfect for sandwiches, salads, wraps, and more. It also makes a delicious appetizer or dip with whole grain crackers, raw vegetables, or pita bread.

You also don't want to miss this Cranberry Almond Chicken Salad and classic Healthy Chicken Salad.

One of the things I get asked about most often is what to keep in the fridge for quick and easy meals, and one of my favorite options is Chicken Salad. It's packed with protein, easy to make, and perfect for meal prep. Plus, I can make it with whatever leftover chicken I have on hand.

There are so many different ways to make it and tons of options for serving it, making it the perfect versatile option for meal prep.

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I always try different flavor combinations to keep things interesting, and this Mediterranean version is so good. It is bursting with flavor between the creamy feta cheese, fresh parsley, and dill, roasted red peppers, and black olives. 

I love it stuffed into sandwiches and wraps, served on greens or in an easy Mediterranean grain bowl, or stuffed into hollowed-out cucumbers and tomatoes. I would also be lying if I didn't tell you that I ate it right out of the container yesterday with carrot sticks and pita chips. It was delicious.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here is everything you need to make this delicious chicken salad with Mediterranean flavors. 

• Chicken: This recipe can be made with any chicken you like, including canned chicken breast, rotisserie chicken, leftover shredded chicken breast, or leftover grilled chicken. It's delicious with both chicken breasts and chicken thighs. It's also delicious made with canned tuna, salmon, or chickpeas.
• Greek yogurt and light mayo: For the creamy dressing, I like to combine Greek yogurt and mayonnaise. The mayo cuts through the yogurt's tartness. You could use all yogurt or all mayo, depending on your preference. For a dairy-free option, use mashed avocado.
• Roasted red peppers: Look for jarred roasted red peppers packed in water. Drain the peppers and then cut them into small pieces. Roasted red peppers packed in olive oil are also delicious, but they are higher in calories. 
• Black olives: Use your favorite olives in this recipe. It's delicious with Kalamata olives, Calvestrano olives, or any other olive you like. Or swap in another salty option like capers or dill pickles.
• Feta cheese: Creamy, salty feta cheese adds so much flavor to this chicken salad. You could use goat cheese, blue cheese, or diced mozzarella if you don't love feta.
• Celery, cucumbers, and red onion: Chicken salad needs some crunch, and this recipe gets its crunch from chopped celery, Persian cucumbers, and red onion. You could also use carrots, cabbage, green onions, radishes, or any other crunchy veggies.
• Fresh herbs: This salad is brightened up with fresh parsley and dill. It's also delicious with fresh mint, basil, cilantro, or oregano. Swap in dried if that's all you have on hand.
• Lemon juice: To balance the creamy flavors in this chicken salad, use lemon juice, lemon zest, or red wine vinegar.
• Additional options: Add even more Mediterranean flavors with capers, sundried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, or chickpeas. 

How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Salad

Chicken salad is one of the easiest things to make, and it is great to have in the fridge for quick lunches, snacks, and dinners. Here's how to make it:

• Make the dressing: The dressing for this salad is made with Greek yogurt (higher in protein with less fat) and a touch of mayonnaise to cut the yogurt's tang. To kick up the flavor, this dressing has lemon juice, fresh dill, fresh parsley, garlic powder, onion powder, and celery seed. It's super creamy and full of flavor. For even more flavor, consider adding fresh lemon zest, fresh mint, red wine vinegar, dijon mustard, and fresh or dried oregano.
• Prepare the chicken: In my house, 99% of the time, I make chicken salad with rotisserie chicken. Peel off the skin, chop it up, and you are ready to go. You can also use poached, grilled, or slow-cooked chicken. Really, any cooked chicken will work.
• Grab your veggies: I love lots of crunch in my chicken salad, so I always add chopped celery. This version also has cucumbers and red onions. 
• Go to the Mediterranean: To keep with theme, it's time for some roasted red peppers, black olives, and creamy feta cheese. Trust me - it's so good. You could also throw in some chopped artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, sundried tomatoes, capers, or pepperoncini.

How long does chicken salad keep in the fridge?

Chicken salad is best eaten within 3-4 days of being prepared. Make sure to store it in an airtight container. If you are prepping chicken salad for a party or get-together, it shouldn't be left out for more than 2 hours, possibly less if it's hot.

Ways to Serve Chicken Salad

Your imagination is the limit when it comes to ways to serve this. Here are the ones we reach for the most often:

• Sandwiches and wraps: Grab your favorite bread, toast it, and make an open-faced chicken salad sandwich with sliced tomatoes and greens. Or add it to your favorite wrap. 
• Tomato Boats: Hollow out some tomatoes and fill them with chicken salad. Sprinkle with extra feta cheese.
• Sliced cucumbers: Cut up English cucumbers and serve with dollops of salad on top.
• Crackers: Serve it as a dip with your favorite crackers, pita chips, pretzels, or raw veggies.

• Salad: Add it on top of your favorite greens. This is so good as the protein option on a big green salad.
• Stuffed celery: Stuff it into celery stalks to create the best crunchy snack.
• Lettuce wraps: Grab some butter lettuce and make lettuce wraps stuffed with chicken salad.

Recipe Ideas and Variations

Once you start making chicken salad, you will instantly want to experiment with all the different flavor combinations. Here are some ideas that work well with this Mediterranean Chicken Salad.

• Nuts: Try chopped walnuts, almonds, or pistachios to add some extra crunch.
• Dried fruits: Add some sweetness with dried cranberries, dates, or apricots. It's also great with fresh fruit like apples or grapes.
• Heat: Add some spice with chopped pepperoncini peppers or jalapeno peppers.
• Olives: Experiment with different types of olives to change the flavor. Kalamata olives take it in a Greek direction, while green olives have a milder flavor.

• Capers: For something salty, add some capers. 
• More herbs: If you love fresh herbs, add mint, cilantro, oregano, thyme, or rosemary.
• Add fiber: Add fiber by tossing in some chickpeas.  

Can you freeze chicken salad?

The yogurt and mayo in chicken salad make it less than ideal for the freezer. The mayo will separate when you defrost it, and the texture can get strange.

Instead, freeze the chicken on its own. Then, let it defrost overnight in the fridge. Use that to make a fresh batch of chicken salad.