Excellent recipes for chicken salads. A healthy dinner but also a snack after training

Do you want to prepare a light meal, but don’t have the inspiration?

There are plenty of healthy and easy recipes for meals that you can whip up in minutes.

Salad is one of them, and in this article we will present the best recipes for salads with chicken.

At the end of the article you will also find ideas for excellent salad dressings.

Chicken pasta salad with dressing

You can prepare this colorful salad in 20 minutes. The amount is enough for 10-12 servings, so you can prepare this recipe as a lunch for the whole family.

Ingredients

• 300g chicken breast, cut into cubes
• 100g of bacon
• 1 red/yellow bell pepper
• 2 spring onions
• 2 carrots
• 2 avocados
• 120g grated cheddar or edam
• 500g of pasta
• Salt

Ingredients for dressing

• 1 glass of mayonnaise
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 4 teaspoons of sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper

Method

• First, cook the pasta in salted water. Drain and let them cool.
• Mix all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes.
• Fry the bacon in a pan until golden brown. (You don’t need fat or oil, the bacon will release enough fat)
• In a large bowl, mix the cooked and cooled pasta together with all the salad ingredients (vegetables, cheese, dressing and browned bacon). Save some bacon for sprinkling.
• Let the salad rest for 20 minutes. Serve in bowls, sprinkled with bacon.

Caesar salad

Let’s imagine a classic recipe for chicken salad with crispy croutons and creamy garlic dressing. An ideal salad for a summer barbecue, lunch with family or dinner with friends.

Ingredients

• 4 slices of crusty bread or a loaf of ciabatta
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 chicken breasts
• 1 iceberg lettuce or lettuce leaves according to your preferences

Ingredients for dressing

• 1 clove of garlic
• 5 spoons of mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar
• Sliced ​​or grated parmesan

Method

• Cut or tear the bread or ciabatta into pieces, spread them on a baking sheet, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Massage the oil into the bread and season with salt as needed.
• Bake the croutons for 8-10 minutes at 180°C. Turn them while baking so they catch the color on all sides.
• Cut the chicken breast into larger pieces. Brush them with a spoonful of olive oil, season and pan-fry for 4 minutes on each side.
• Then check if it’s browned enough on the inside and remove to the side.
• In a bowl, mix crushed garlic, a handful of grated Parmesan cheese, 5 tablespoons of mayonnaise and 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar. Season with salt or pepper. (The dressing should resemble the consistency of yogurt. Add a few teaspoons of water if needed).
• To serve the salad, place torn lettuce leaves in a bowl, top with a few pieces of roasted chicken and mix with a little dressing. Grate some Parmesan on top of the portion and finally sprinkle the croutons.

Simple cabbage salad with chicken

If you adore simple, yet delicious dishes, then this recipe is the one for you. Thanks to its ingredients, this Vietnamese salad will become a fresh snack, a side dish, but also a main meal.

Ingredients

• 150-300g of chicken breast
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt pepper
• 2.5 cups shredded cabbage (red/white)
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 2 grated medium carrots
• 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 2 spoons of fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon of cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
• Coarsely chopped salted peanuts
• Coarsely chopped mint leaves

Method

• First, heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the sliced ​​chicken breasts until golden.
• Mix the sauteed chicken in a bowl with the cabbage, spring onions and carrots.
• In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and vinegar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
• Pour the dressing over the salad in a large bowl and mix well.
• Serve sprinkled with peanuts and mint leaves.

Healthy vegetable salad with chicken

Try this chicken salad recipe where you use Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise. Yogurt gives you a healthier version of the classic salad with dressing.

Ingredients

• 3 chicken breasts
• 2 cups red grapes, halved
• 3 stalks of celery, diced
• 2-3 spring onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons skimmed milk
• 2 teaspoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Method

• First, fry the chicken in olive oil until golden brown on all sides.
• Place fried chicken, grapes, celery, spring onion and almonds in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl, mix Greek yogurt with milk, honey, salt and pepper.
• Pour the resulting yogurt mixture into the mixture with the chicken and mix properly so that everything is covered with yogurt.
• Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed. Let sit in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.
• Serve sprinkled with fresh dill.

Delicate couscous salad with chicken

This recipe is a healthier alternative to pasta salad. Couscous is an easily digestible food and also contains a large amount of fiber and a minimum of calories.

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1-3 cups of couscous
• 3 chicken breasts, diced
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 salad cucumber, chopped
• 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 spring onions, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3/4 cup herb dressing

Method

• First, fry the chicken in olive oil.
• Heat the chicken stock just to boiling point, then pour it over the prepared couscous in a large bowl. Stir and let sit for about 5 minutes.
• Then add the fried chicken, tomatoes, bell pepper, cucumber, parsley, feta cheese, onion and pepper to the couscous.
• Drizzle the resulting salad with the prepared dressing and mix everything properly.
• Serve immediately or chilled from the fridge.

Tips and tricks for homemade salad dressings

Salad dressings can be made quickly and easily at home. Plus, by making your own topping or dressing, you save a lot of money.

If you look at the ingredients of some store-bought salad dressings, there are lots of artificial colors, flavors, sugar and salt.

When preparing your homemade dressing, you will know exactly what is in it, and you can also adjust the proportions of the individual ingredients to your taste preferences.

For the honey-mustard dressing you will need:

• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 3 spoons of honey
• 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Italian dressing

• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons of grated parmesan
• 1 tablespoon of freshly ground parsley
• 1/4 spring onion
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tablespoon of minced basil
• 1 tablespoon of ground oregano
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Balsamic dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 spoon of honey
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper