Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

Name: Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: ½ cup plain Greek yogurt; 3 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice; Salt and pepper (to taste); 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (I used shredded rotisserie chicken found near the deli section of my grocery store); 1 cup sliced (fresh strawberries); 1½ tablespoons poppy seeds

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by Gayle on Jun 17, 2016 (updated Aug 13, 2024) 38 comments »

This Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad is packed with shredded chicken, a light dressing of Greek yogurt and mayo, and bursting with juicy strawberries and poppy seeds. This dish is fresh, flavorful, and filled with just the right amount of sweetness!

Let’s talk about chicken salad today.

What are your feelings on this versatile dish? For me, I like it, but I’m very selective about it.

You may remember me mentioning my least favorite (or most hated) foods in this post from a few weeks ago. Celery is in the top three of that list, and it also happens to be a main ingredient in most chicken salads. Hence, that is the reason why I normally don’t eat chicken salad, unless I make it myself.

I’m also selective because of the miracle whip found in a lot of chicken salads. I’m a huge mayo girl. Always have been, and always will be. Miracle whip? Yucko. I just can’t get over the taste, which is also why I’m not a big fan of potato salads.

So, even though I love chicken salads, I hardly ever eat them. Most restaurants can’t change up the ingredients, and most people make theirs with miracle whip and celery. And that’s ok…to each his own, right?

So, when my chicken salads cravings hit a few weeks ago, I decided to put a summery spin on the dish and make this lightened Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad. I randomly thought of the idea after consuming way too many strawberry and spinach salads lately. I didn’t even check to see if this was already a recipe idea on Pinterest or Google, I just went with it. And I’m SO glad I did.

This Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad is packed with shredded chicken, a light dressing of Greek yogurt and mayo, and bursting with juicy strawberries and poppy seeds. This dish is fresh, flavorful, and filled with just the right amount of sweetness. It’s perfect to pile onto bread, toss with a salad, or just to eat it by the spoonful!

Now, you may think that strawberries and chicken salad don’t go together, but, trust me when I say that they do. They REALLY do! The flavor is incredible, to put it mildly.

To start, I used a base of mostly plain, Greek yogurt and added in just a touch of mayonnaise. It makes the dressing healthier, light and not so tangy. I also used shredded, rotisserie chicken found near the deli section of my grocery store. You can also cook and chop your own chicken, or shred it yourself, but I love grabbing some already shredded, fresh chicken. Makes my job so much easier!

Simply mix the dressing together, toss in the shredded chicken, fold in the strawberries and poppy seeds, and this Strawberry Poppy Seed Chicken Salad is ready to be devoured. It literally takes just 5 minutes, from start to finish. You can’t get much easier than that!

One bite and you’ll be hooked on the burst of flavor that shines through from the strawberries. It pairs so well with the lightened dressing and fresh chicken. This easy, summer salad is perfect for healthy sandwich, a delicious topping to a sandwich, or just to eat it by the spoonful. But, whatever your pleasure may be, I guarantee this will be the chicken salad of the summer!

Looking for more easy salad recipes? I’ve got you covered!

5 from 2 ratings