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This jalapeño chicken salad is packed with flavor from jalapeños and a creamy lightened up dressing. It’s perfect for prepping for healthy lunches all week long.
Why You’ll Love This
If you love a classic chicken salad then this jalapeño version is going to be one of your new favorite things. Here’s why you’ll love it:
- Quick and easy. This recipe comes together quickly and is so simple. I love to use leftover or rotisserie chicken to save time (and energy!). Speaking of, here are some other ways to use rotisserie chicken!
- High protein. One cup of chicken salad has 21 grams of protein thanks to tender chicken breast and creamy Greek yogurt.
- Meal prep friendly. This recipe tastes just as good the next day, so it’s a great meal prep recipe for a busy week. My other favorites to prep are my Cape Cod chicken salad and BLT chicken salad!
- Customizable spice level. You can add as much or as little spice as you like by keeping in more or less jalapeño. You’ll love my Spicy Chicken Salad and buffalo chicken salad too!
- Serve it however you like! Serve it classic sandwich-style, with crackers and veggies, top some greens for a salad, or you can even serve it in a lettuce wrap.
Ingredients
This jalapeño chicken salad uses simple ingredients and is so easy to throw together. Scroll down to the full recipe card for full ingredient amounts.
- Shredded chicken breast: Leftover or rotisserie chicken works perfectly to make this quick and easy. Or make my Air Fryer Shredded Chicken.
- Sweet onion and celery: Classic chicken salad ingredients add a little flavor and big crunch. You could also use green or red onion too.
- Jalapeños: This recipe uses both fresh and pickled jalapeños. Fresh jalapeño adds color, crunch and extra spice while the pickled jalapeños add a tangy vinegar flavor that brightens up the whole dish.
- Greek yogurt: Plain Greek yogurt keeps this recipe light and creamy while adding an extra boost of protein. You could also use cottage cheese, like in my Cottage Cheese Chicken Salad.
- Mayonnaise: Just a little bit of mayo for that classic flavor.
- Honey: A touch of sweetness to balance out the flavors.
- Spices: Salt, black pepper and garlic powder add the perfect amount of seasoning to this delicious chicken salad.
Variations
- Jalapeño popper chicken salad: Add 1 tbsp of cream cheese, 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and 4 slices cooked/chopped bacon.
- Stuffed jalapeño peppers: Slice jalapeños in half, remove the seeds and stuff with chicken salad. Sprinkle with cheese and air fry for 5 minutes at 400 degrees for another fun twist on a jalapeño popper.
- Make it spicier: Add more fresh or pickled jalapeño, or even add a dash of cayenne pepper.
- Add more veggies: Add 1/2 cup of diced red bell pepper or green pepper, or even diced cucumber.
- Add herbs: Turn up the flavor with 1/3 cup of fresh cilantro or parsley. I especially like to add cilantro and a squeeze of lime juice.
How To Make Jalapeño Chicken Salad
1. Make the dressing. Combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, jalapeño brine liquid, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Add chicken breast, onion, celery, pickled jalapeños and fresh jalapeños to the bowl.
3. Mix. Combine well with dressing until fully mixed.
4. Serve! Serve chicken salad as a sandwich, a wrap, on top of greens or with crackers and veggies on a snack plate.
How To Store
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Jamie’s tips
Recipe Tips
- Easy chicken prep: Make my Air Fryer Shredded Chicken for a super easy option to make the chicken for this recipe.
- Save even more time: Grab a rotisserie chicken for this chicken salad recipe. Just remove the meat and shred or chop.
- Start with half a pepper: Hot peppers can vary in their spiciness, so start with 1/2 of a jalapeño pepper and then adjust from there!
More Chicken Salad Recipes
If you’ve made and loved this Jalapeño Chicken Salad Recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and comments below!
Jalapeño Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded
- 1/3 cup sweet onion, diced small
- 1/2 cup celery, diced small
- 1/3 cup pickled jalapeños , diced small
- 1/2-1 fresh jalapeño, seeds removed, diced small
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp pickled jalapeño brine, from jar
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
- 1/8 tsp black pepper, more to taste
Instructions
- Combine Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, jalapeño brine liquid, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Add chicken breast, onion, celery, pickled jalapeños and fresh jalapeños to the bowl and combine with dressing until fully mixed.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an estimate.
Food photography by Marie-Catherine Dubé.
