This rosemary chicken salad is a light and fresh (and gluten-free!) approach to chicken salad using creamy Greek yogurt!  The list of healthy ingredients come together to make one sweet and savory masterpiece of a salad or gluten free sandwich!

Want some other tasty ideas to use up extra Greek yogurt?  Try our gluten-free Greek Yogurt Twice Baked Potatoes, Skinny Greek Yogurt Broccoli Salad, and the delicious Bang Bang Chicken recipe!

This post was originally published on January 26, 2017 and last updated on March 15, 2020.

I don't know about you, but lunchtime is usually a struggle for me.

With a full-time job on the road and the blog at night, there isn't a lot of time to prepare a lunch or even to stop to grab a quick bite with a tightly packed schedule.

There are many times that I am left with a growling stomach or an angry stomach because I stopped at a drive thru and scarfed down something that I ordered off a neon-lit board.

I really do have good intentions of bringing a lunch, but many lunch options require re-heating food, so half of my options are out the window.

Then there is the health component.

Yeah.... about that....  so that limits my options too.  One of my go-to lunch heros is chicken salad.

I've tried many a chicken salad.

It can be hard to get them gluten-free and just right.

I have the most delicious gluten-free chicken salad recipe in the world in my possession, but I was sworn to secrecy never to share it so the recipe will have to die with me.  

But then I discovered....  Rosemary Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad!

When I wanted to change things up a bit with my chicken salad lunch, I decided to replace the creamy component with greek yogurt, and the seasoning component with rosemary (well, because.... ROSEMARY!).  

Throwing in some sweet dried cranberries and crisp apple chunks, fresh diced onion, and the zip of lemon juice combined to make one hella good chicken salad!

Taste and Flavor of this recipe:

Because of the nature of the greek yogurt, this salad is naturally lighter (and more refreshing if you ask me!) in taste compared to it's commonplace partner made with mayonnaise.  

You can buy shredded chicken for this recipe, or you can do what I do and make my own by simply adding chicken and water (or chicken stock) to your slow cooker for a few hours and magically, shredded chicken appears!

I explain this step in more detail in the recipe itself!

Skinny Rosemary Chicken Salad Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken breasts, or 4 of canned GF shredded chicken, skinless and boneless
• water or gluten-free chicken broth
• 1 apple, chopped (I prefer Gala apples here!)
• dried gluten-free cranberries
• chopped pecans
• red onion, chopped
• celery, finely chopped
• plain gluten-free greek yogurt
• fresh rosemary, chopped (plus more for garnish!)
• red wine vinegar
• honey
• lemon juice
• cracked black pepper to taste

Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad Directions:

1. Line your slow cooker with a slow cooker liner. Place the chicken breasts and chicken broth in the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove the chicken from the liquid and easily shred with a fork. Allow the shredded chicken to cool in the fridge.
2. Once chilled, add the apple, celery, onion, pecans, and cranberries to the chicken.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, rosemary, vinegar, honey, lemon juice, and pepper well. Combine with the chicken until evenly coated.
4. Serve over a bed of fresh lettuce or in your favorite gluten-free sandwich bread. 

How to Store Leftovers:

Store leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

This rosemary greek yogurt chicken salad definitely fixed my lunch issues.

I make a quick batch of this salad up at the beginning of the week and can take it with me in my lunch bag during my busy work week!

So here's the easy recipe: