This fresh and clean Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad is perfect to pack for lunch. It's full of delicious flavors and crunchy texture. Roll it into a wrap, sandwich it between your favorite bread, or enjoy with some crackers or potato chips!
Table of Contents
About this Chicken Salad
How many versions of chicken salad is TOO many? None! It's a trick question because there can never be too many recipes of something so versatile and delicious 😜. I mean, have you tried this Healthy Pesto Chicken Salad, this Copycat Panera Napa Chicken Salad these Rainbow Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps, or this Turkey Apple Cheddar Sandwich?!
This Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad, however, is absolutely incredible. Cucumber and dill pair so well together to create the most delicious explosion of freshness. It tastes so good between two slices of bread or rolled into a wrap, on a bed of lettuce, scooped on crackers, or eaten right out of the container.
Don't be intimidated by some of the ingredients and flavors in this recipe. Dijon mustard, sriracha, and pickle juice? YES! I promise. It tastes SO GOOD!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken: Use canned chicken or a rotisserie chicken for convenience. You can also prepare your own chicken.
- Greek Yogurt: Cutting the mayo with Greek yogurt makes this chicken salad a little lighter. I used plain, non-fat Greek yogurt. It's rich, tangy, and super creamy.
- Dijon Mustard: This adds another dimension of flavor to this creamy chicken salad. It's a little sharp and tangy.
- Dill: Grab some fresh dill to make the flavor really shine. In my opinion, the more the better!
- Pickles: We'll be using pickles and the juice. Dill pickles is my preferecne to match the flavors of this salad.
- Veggies: This recipe includes red onion, cucumber, avocado, and celery for a variety of textures, colors, and nutrients.
- Dried Cranberries: I used low-sugar dried cranberries. Apples or grapes would be good, too!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
Chicken salad is a great lunch option because it's so customizable. Depending on your preferences, you may find yourself wanting to add more/less fresh/wet ingredients. I like a really dense chicken salad with lots of chicken and add-ins. Measure accordingly for your liking, and if you don’t like a certain ingredient, swap it out for something else!
Here are some other ideas to up your pesto chicken salad game:
- Mix mashed avocado with mayonnaise or Greek yogurt to add some extra healthy fat.
- Add some nuts! Walnuts, pecans, or even pistachios would taste delicious.
- Add some chopped veggies like bell peppers or carrots.
- Looking for more of a Waldorf? Add chopped green or purple grapes!
- Chop up other kinds of dried fruit like mangoes or apricots.
How to Make This Recipe
1. Start off by preparing your ingredients. Dice the red onion, cucumber, avocado, and celery. Remove fresh dill leaves from their stalks and chop finely. Prepare chicken if needed, then shred.
2. In a mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, dill, sriracha, and pickle juice. Whisk everything together.
3. Add your diced produce into the dressing mixture. Fold together.
4. Then, stir in cooked and shredded chicken and dried cranberries. Mix well so everything is thoroughly coated in the dressing mixture. Top with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of greens, fresh rolls, or with crackers.
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Recipe FAQs
Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The chicken salad may have some excess moisture after sitting for a few days. This is due to the high water volume of the vegetables. Mix well prior to serving or use a slotted spoon to transfer the salad away from excess water.
I love getting a little something in EVERY bite and this comes from chopping your ingredients finely. I use a vegetable mandolin to ensure that the veggies are all the same size: celery, cucumber, and pickles. It's easy to use and creates the best texture!
Place your fresh dill stalks in a bowl of water and swirl around to remove dirt and mud. Then let dry on a clean dish towel or stack of paper towel. This is the method I use for all fresh herbs!
You can cook your own (check out this BEST Grilled Chicken recipe) or you can buy pre-shredded chicken breasts, use rotisserie chicken, or even canned chicken will do. There is plenty of flavor in this recipe that the chicken does not have to be the star of the show.
More Recipes You'll Love
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Recipe
Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Mixing Bowl
- Mixing spoon
- skillet or baking pan depending on your cooking method
- Meat Thermometer
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts, ~3 cups shredded
- 5.3 oz plain non-fat Greek yogurt, 1 serving size container
- ¼ cup light mayo
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- ½ of a lemon, juiced
- 4-6 stalks fresh dill
- 1 tsp sriracha
- 1 tablespoon pickle juice
- ¼ cup red onion
- 2 pickles
- ½ english cucumber, ~½ cup
- ¼ of an avocado
- ½ cup celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons low sugar dried cranberries
Instructions
- Start off by preparing your ingredients. Dice the red onion, cucumber, avocado, and celery. Remove fresh dill leaves from their stalks and chop finely. Prepare chicken if needed.
- In a mixing bowl, add Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, dill, sriracha, and pickle juice. Whisk everything together.
- Add your diced produce into the mixture. Fold together.
- Then, stir in cooked and shredded chicken and dried cranberries. Mix well.
- Top with salt and pepper and serve on a bed of greens, fresh rolls, or with crackers.
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you're using MyFitnessPal, search 'A Paige Of Positivity' and find Cucumber Dill Chicken Salad calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Erica says
So good! Skipped the dill but the pickles made up for it. Had it with Dave’s Killer Bread.
Madison says
AMAZING! Possibly my favorite chicken salad recipe to date. I swapped cottage cheese for mayo just for personal preference, but seriously wanted to eat the whole bowl in one sitting. This will become a staple this summer for sure!
Julia says
So good and fresh!! Was looking for a quick/easy, tasty, and better-for-you lunch and this was it!!
Katrina says
I make this several times a year- the perfect high protein lunch
Sydney Van Acker says
chicken salad is the best meal prep! This recipe is so refreshing, too. I love all of the textures.
Courtney Paige says
I can't believe the cucumber and pickle don't clash in this recipe, it's SO good and perfect for meal prep! Kuddos.
Lindsay says
I love this recipe! Just made it for the second time and it's even better than the first time. It has such a different flavor than typical chicken salad but in the best way! So yummy