Simple Chicken Salad with Fennel and Yogurt Dressing Recipe — Registered Dietitian Columbia SC - Rachael Hartley Nutrition (2024)

Let’s face it, sometimes life is really busy, and you don’t have the time or energy to meal prep every meal for an entire work week; but you also don’t have it in your budget to eat out for every meal either. That is a dilemma so many people face and that’s what I had in mind while creating this recipe.

When I don’t have time to meal prep for every meal, I do try to set aside 30 minutes to throw something packable together for lunch when I can. Lunch is a meal that needs to be quick and easy but eating plain sandwiches everyday gets really boring and I find myself going out to eat if I’m not in the mood for what I brought! This simple chicken salad with fennel is everything you need to spice up your boring lunch sandwich and save your wallet.

I love a little crunch in my chicken salad, so I added fresh fennel, shallots and toasted almonds to this simple chicken salad recipe. You can easily swap out the almonds for another nut like walnuts or pecans. Store bought chicken salad is usually so dense and heavy from all of the mayonnaise so I threw in a twist with this recipe and added greek yogurt and a little bit of dijon mustard. This combination creates the perfect texture that’s not too heavy and adds a little tang as well!

make the best dressing for this simple chicken salad

After experimenting for this simple chicken salad recipe, I discovered that a little bit of mayo mixed with greek yogurt creates the perfect texture. It’s not too dense or heavy and gives the shredded chicken the right amount of moisture needed for a great chicken salad dish.

Mixing mayo with greek yogurt also adds a little bit of a tang. It creates a different flavor than regular loaded-with-mayo store bought chicken salad with the tang from the greek yogurt mixed with dijon mustard. Not only does it make the texture and taste better, but the yogurt also adds calcium and extra protein, and reduces the total fat content for those who are concerned about that.

Tips for packing lunch

I am SO guilty of spending way too much money on takeout even though I know have food at the house that I can eat. The problem is that to me, the convenience factor of saving time and eating a tasty meal outweighs the cost…until I check my monthly budget after buying lunch for the fifth time. Plus, when the hubs is traveling, leftovers get a little boring…

I’ve realized I am more likely to eat the food I have when I make something that is full of flavor and takes minimal preparation. This simple chicken salad recipe is perfect for Sunday meal prep to save you time during the week. It’s so versatile that you can switch how you prepare it everyday so it doesn’t get old! Here’s a few ideas for enjoying this simple chicken salad with fennel recipe:

• With crackers, fresh fruit and sliced avocado for a packable snack box

• In a pita or as a sandwich with lettuce and tomatoes

• Over my favorite chopped salad recipe

• Stuffed into hollowed avocado or cucumber halves

Here are some other easy meal prep friendly lunch recipes you may like to try. Your bank account will thank you!

• Chicken Burrito Bowl

• Crunchy Salad Mix + 3 Easy Lunch Salads

• Broccoli, Chickpea and Brown Rice Bowl with Mustard Soy Dressing

• Mustard Greens Green Salad

• Sesame Soba Noodles

I think it’s helpful to have plenty of containers to pack lunch and save plastic. Some of my favorites to use are these glass Pyrex containers, which are perfect for reheating food in the microwave, stasher bags for sandwiches, and reusable condiment containers for salad dressing or dips (affiliate links).

What to pack with this simple chicken salad with fennel

As tasty as this simple chicken salad is, please know you probably need more than just a sandwich to keep you full at lunch! Underpacking lunch is a common mistake I see clients make, leading to a major case of the munchies after work! Or a major case of the sleepies around 3 pm! My general rule of thumb if packing a sandwich for lunch is to include 1-2 other sides. Enjoy this sandwich with baby carrots, pretzels, celery and hummus, fresh fruit, cookies or yogurt!

cooking with fennel

You might have some extra fennel from this recipe that you’re not sure what to do with, especially if your grocery store only sells large fennel bulbs like mine does.

Fennel is a vegetable that has a bulb like base, a stalk similar to celery, and is topped with feathery leaves. The entire plant is edible and it’s one of Italy’s most popular vegetables! Fennel has a mild, licorice flavor and is a member of the parsley family. I love cooking with fennel because it’s delicious raw, sauteed or roasted.

Using fennel in this recipe is so easy. You just cut off the stems of the plant so that you’re left with only the bulb. Then, chop the bulb into small pieces. Next, cut off some of the feathery fronds and chop those up to use as a garnish. Here’s some recipes from the blog that use fennel:

• Roasted Fall Vegetables with Kale Hazelnut Pesto

• Citrus Arugula Salad with Fennel and Marcona Almonds

• Warm Farro Salad with Grilled Fennel and Harissa

This simple chicken salad with fennel and yogurt dressing recipe has been updated to give you the best possible content.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked shredded chicken

• 1 small fennel bulb, or about half a large bulb

• 2 tbsp almonds

• 1 medium shallot, minced

• 1/4 cup mayonnaise

• 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt

• zest from 1 lemon

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• Salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Toast the almonds in a dry skillet until fragrant. Allow to cool, then roughly chop.

2. Meanwhile, cut off the stems from the fennel and the bottom of the bulb. Chop the bulb and place in a large bowl. Chop about 1/4 cup of the feathery fronds of the fennel, and place in the same bowl. Add the almonds, chicken, and shallot. Toss.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, zest, and mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Add dressing to the fennel-chicken mixture and toss to coat. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes then serve as desired.