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19 Best Healthy Chicken Salad Recipes for Weight Loss

Whether it be on a sandwich or with a bed of greens, these recipes are great for lunches—and for losing weight!
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When someone says chicken salad, there are two types that probably come to mind. The first is a chicken salad mixed with all kinds of fun ingredients—grapes, celery, you name it—all held together with creamy mayonnaise. The second is your typical chicken salad, maybe with grilled or shredded chicken, on a bed of lettuce with all kinds of delicious salad toppings and dressings. Either way, chicken salad recipes are great when you're looking to lose weight, so we rounded up some of our favorites to make.

Whether it is an open-faced sandwich or a big salad in a bowl, here are some delicious chicken salad recipes you can make that will no doubt help you in your weight loss. Plus, try out one of these 73 Healthy Chicken Recipes for Weight Loss.

Chicken Salad Sandwich With Raisins and Curry Powder

Chicken salad sandwich with curry and raisins
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

We use a modest amount of olive-oil-based mayo, then punch up the flavor with plump golden raisins and the complex savory notes of curry powder in this chicken salad sandwich recipe. Make a big batch of the salad as part of your weekly meal planning and work it into other sandwiches, stuffed in pitas, or crowning a bowl of mixed greens.

Get our recipe for Chicken Salad Sandwich With Raisins and Curry Powder.

Grilled Caesar Salad

Low-calorie grilled caesar salad
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

This recipe transforms the high-calorie dressing into a lighter vinaigrette and adds substance, flavor, and nutrition in the form of sun-dried tomatoes and olives. Think of this as the Caesar salad, reimagined.

Get our recipe for Grilled Caesar Salad.

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Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad

Grilled chicken salad with cranberries avocado and goat cheese
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

This recipe is rich in protein, and it is guaranteed to cut the number of calories you'd have on a salad you order in a restaurant in half.

Get our recipe for Grilled Chicken and Avocado Salad.

Asian-Inspired Chicken Salad

Healthy chinese chicken salad
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

Between the sweet mandarin oranges and the crunchy sliced almonds, this chicken salad recipe is bound to be one of your new meal prep favorites.

Get our recipe for Chinese Chicken Salad.

Chicken Greek Salad

Healthy greek salad
Mitch Mandel and Thomas MacDonald

This Greek salad recipe is both hearty and healthy without adding any heavy, high-calorie ingredients. It's great for a big dinner party (or shall we say a Toga party?), or for meal planning as it will keep well in the fridge for a week.

Get our recipe for Chicken Greek Salad.

Cinnamon-Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Wild Rice

mason jars of sweet potato salad with rice
Waterbury Publications, Inc.

Think Mason jars are just for drinks or packing lettuce-based salads? Think again. This sweet potato salad puts a new spin on the term, layering cinnamon-roasted sweet potato pieces with shredded chicken, carrots, and plenty of seasoning. Combined with a serving of wild rice, this is a full meal in a jar.

Get our recipe for Cinnamon-Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Wild Rice.

Mexican Quinoa and Chicken Salad

mexican quinoa and chicken salad on wooden cutting board with bowl of salsa
Waterbury Publications, Inc.

This Mason jar salad only takes around 30 minutes to prepare, and you can keep it in the fridge for up to three days. In this case, the extra time will only make the dish even more flavorful as the lime juice, cilantro, and garlic soak into the chicken and quinoa.

Get our recipe for Mexican Quinoa and Chicken Salad.

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Whole30 Chicken Salad with Creamy Dressing

whole30 chicken salad on a bed of spinach in a bowl
Posie Brien/Eat This, Not That!

This Whole30-compliant riff on classic chicken salad is also an easy-to-pack lunch. Chicken salad may seem basic because we're all familiar with it, but this recipe is really anything but.

Get our recipe for Whole30 Chicken Salad with Creamy Dressing.

Crock-Pot Chicken Taco Salad

Crock pot chicken tacos in a salad and tortilla
Kiersten Hickman/Eat This, Not That!

This Crock-Pot chicken tacos recipe is great for making huge taco salads. Simply add it to a bed of greens with some other vegetables, taco cheese, salsa, and sour cream. And if you're missing the crunch of a hard shell taco, sprinkle on some crushed tortilla chips as well!

Get our recipe for Chicken Taco Salad.

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Pecan Crusted Chicken Salad with Triple Citrus Vinaigrette

pecan crusted chicken salad
Courtesy of How Sweet Eats

Instead of being breaded and fried, this crispy chicken is coated with pecans, keeping this salad low-carb. So if you're in the mood for something crunchy in your salad, but would prefer to skip on the croutons, this chicken salad recipe is for you.

Get the recipe from How Sweet Eats.

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Rainbow Chicken Salad with Almond Honey Mustard Dressing

honey mustard chicken rainbow salad
Courtesy of Pinch of Yum

When we were told to "eat the rainbow" and consume more fruits and vegetables, we never thought the rainbow would look this pretty. Between the creamy almond honey mustard dressing and the bright blueberries and grapes, this is certainly one of the most colorful chicken salad recipes you'll ever have.

Get the recipe from Pinch of Yum.

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Classic Chicken Salad

classic chicken salad sandwich
Courtesy of Cooking Classy

Nothing beats creamy chicken salad on whole-wheat bread—especially if it means adding bacon! This classic chicken salad recipe is great for your meal prep, or to serve to a crowd at your next gathering.

Get the recipe from Cooking Classy.

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Chopped Thai Chicken Salad

chopped thai chicken salad
Courtesy of Pinch of Yum

Between the creamy peanut dressing and the fresh vegetables, this is one of those chicken salad recipes you're going to want to turn to again and again.

Get the recipe from Pinch of Yum.

Southwestern Chopped Chicken Salad

southwestern chopped salad
Courtesy of Sally's Baking Addiction

Skip the Chili's version of this salad and make your own version of it instead, thanks to this nifty (and healthy!) chicken salad recipe.

Get the recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction.

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Greek Avocado Chicken Salad

greek salad with avocado
Courtesy of Creme de la Crumb

Between the protein in the chicken and the healthy fats in the avocado, this is one of the most filling chicken salad recipes you could make for yourself—perfect to prep for lunches!

Get the recipe from Creme de la Crumb.

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

greek yogurt chicken salad
Courtesy of Well Plated

Lighten up your chicken salad by swapping out the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.

Get the recipe from Well Plated.

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Tropical Sriracha Chicken Salad

sriracha chicken salad in a jar
Courtesy of The Healthy Maven

If you're a fan of the sweet and spicy combo, then you're going to absolutely obsess over this mason jar salad recipe!

Get the recipe from The Healthy Maven.

Grilled Caesar Buffalo Chicken Salad

grilled buffalo chicken caesar salad
Courtesy of How Sweet Eats

Skip the deep-fried buffalo chicken sandwich and choose something like this salad instead! And instead of serving the buffalo chicken with a blue cheese dressing, this recipe lightens up the meal with a homemade greek yogurt caesar dressing instead.

Get the recipe from Grilled Caesar Buffalo Chicken Salad.

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Grilled Teriyaki Chicken Salad

grilled teriyaki chicken salad
Courtesy of Creme de la Crumb

When you're craving something sweet, skip the sugary dressing and sweeten up your salad naturally with some teriyaki chicken and grilled pineapple slices.

Get the recipe from Creme de la Crumb.

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