Make an easy chicken salad pita for one in about 10 minutes. This easy lunch is so tasty! Eat it over a bed of lettuce, over whole grain bread, or just off a spoon.
[This chicken salad pita recipe was originally posted in January 2017. It has been updated with new photos, cooking instructions, expert tips, FAQ, related recipes, and ways to repurpose/use up ingredients]
Table of contents
This chicken salad pita is an easy lunch or dinner that you can make extra to have for leftovers. It holds well and even gets better after a day or 2. Eat it out of a pita, on bread, over a salad, or just plain.
I feel like chicken salad is an often overlooked meal idea, yet it's so easy and delicious. Make some with leftover rotisserie chicken or cooked chicken for an even easier recipe.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the chicken salad pita recipe card for the amounts of each ingredient, but here's a quick description of what's in this recipe.
- Chicken breast: Use precooked chicken. Whatever you have is great.
- Greek yogurt: I prefer a combination of Greek yogurt and mayonnaise for flavor. The Greek yogurt adds a nice tang to this recipe, that's tasty and refreshing.
- Mayonnaise: Still using mayonnaise gives you a wonderful flavor and texture, but you can adjust this combination to meet your own preferences.
- Garlic salt: A simple flavoring to this chicken salad pita. I'd recommend garlic salt or garlic powder + salt instead of fresh garlic because it's got a less sharp flavor.
- Dijon mustard
- Mixed nuts
- Celery
- Red grapes: grapes are my favorite chicken salad topping (or apples), they've got a great texture and bursts of juice.
- Lettuce: add some lettuce to your chicken salad pita, if you'd like.
- Pita: I love chicken salad with pita, but you can serve it over bread, in a tortilla, or as a salad. Use what you have/prefer.
Instructions
Scroll down to the recipe card for more detailed instructions. Here's a quick overview + photos to see how to make this recipe in general.
Start making your chicken salad pita by toasting one pita, both regular or whole wheat pita pockets are good in this recipe.
Start by prepping your ingredients: cook, and then shred or chop chicken breast, celery, quarter grapes. Next you'll prepare your lettuce by washing/chopping it if needed. Also prepare nuts by chopping them if needed.
Next, make your chicken salad by adding the shredded or chopped chicken to small mixing bowl, then Greek yogurt, mayo, garlic salt, Dijon mustard.
This sauce is so great in the chicken salad pita. It makes it extra creamy, a bit tangy, and so delicious.
Mix all ingredients together. Once your ingredients are incorporated, add in celery, quartered red grapes, and mixed nuts. Stir together.
Fill pita with chicken salad mixture and lettuce. Enjoy. Store leftover chicken salad in airtight container for up to 5 days and you can have more chicken salad pita without having to make it again!
Storage Tips
Store leftover chicken salad pita separately in the fridge for 3-5 days. The chicken and sauce mixture will hold over well, but not with the pita or lettuce. Store those separately.
Substitutions/Tips
- Use rotisserie or leftover cooked chicken for quickest prep for this easy dinner or lunch.
- Use equal parts yogurt & mayo makes for tangy, smooth chicken salad. Use what you have on hand/what you like, but I highly recommend mixing the two ingredients for the sauce.
- Use whatever nuts you have on hand, cashews and almonds are my favorites in this chicken salad pita.
FAQ
Soup, chips, sliced veggies all go well with chicken salad sandwich or chicken salad pita in this case. Or you can eat some of the leftover grapes with it.
Chicken salad, like most cooked foods will last 3-5 days in the fridge. Store it in an airtight container, and smell it before eating. If it smells good it will likely be safe to eat. Assemble pitas the day you eat them so pita doesn't get soggy.
My favorite sauce/dressing for chicken salad is equal parts mayo + plain Greek yogurt. That's what I did in this recipe and that's what makes this chicken salad pita so good! Adjust yogurt based on your taste preferences.
Other good chicken salad recipes
Repurpose this pita
- Instead of having another chicken salad pita, eat your chicken salad with bread instead of pita
- Serve it over a salad
- Or just eat it plain, it's so good!
What to do with leftover ingredients
When you're cooking for one, you often have leftover produce, cans of whatever ingredient, etc. Here are a couple ideas on how to use up the leftover ingredients. It'll help you save money by wasting fewer ingredients.
- Chicken: Chicken & Broccoli Divan, Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich, Chicken Noodle Soup for One.
- Grapes: Broccoli Salad with Grapes.
- Lettuce: Swap for other greens in any of these salads or this Avocado & Grapefruit Salad, Beet & Arugula Salad, Strawberry Balsamic Salad.
- Celery: Add it to any dish for an extra crunch, like this Beef & Broccoli.
- Nuts: 3 Ingredient Almond Butter, add to this Waffle Bar, Bananas Foster Pancakes, Chocolate Waffles, or on this Apple Yogurt Tart.
- Pita: Replace bread with it; or broil with butter, cinnamon, and sugar for a sweet treat.
Did you make this chicken salad pita? Leave me a comment & rating to share how it turned out!
Healthy Chicken Salad Sandwich
Equipment
- knife
- cutting board
- Measuring Spoons
- rubber spatula
- medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ½ large chicken breast cooked
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon mixed nuts chopped
- ¼ cup celery chopped small
- ¼ cup red grapes quartered
- small handful lettuce
- 1 pita
Instructions
- Toast one pita.
- Prep ingredients by cooking, and then shredding or chopping ½ large chicken breast, chop 1-2 stalks celery to get ¼ cup chopped celery, quarter a handful of grapes to get ¼ cup quartered grapes, prepare lettuce by washing/chopping it if needed. Also prepare nuts by chopping them if needed, making 1 Tablespoon chopped nuts.
- Make chicken salad by adding shredded/chopped chicken to a small mixing bowl, then add ¼ cup Greek yogurt, ¼ cup mayo, ¼ teaspoon garlic salt, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard. Mix together well. Once all incorporated, add in ¼ c chopped celery, ¼ cup quartered red grapes, and 1 Tablespoon chopped mixed nuts. Stir together.
- Fill pita with chicken salad mixture and lettuce. Enjoy. Store chicken salad in airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Use rotisserie chicken for quickest prep.
- Use equal parts yogurt & mayo makes for tangy, smooth chicken salad. Use what you have on hand/what you like, but I highly recommend mixing the two ingredients for the sauce.
- Use whatever nuts you have on hand, cashews and almonds are my favorites in this chicken salad.
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Preston says
I made this a couple days ago and it is amazing! I've made chicken salad many times but this is the best recipe! The only thing I added was some onion powder 🙂
Rebecca says
great to hear! and smart addition, I'll have to try that too
Kim says
Am loving this site and the delicious recipes like this one. Wondering if I missed it. Do you list the nutriounal information on your recipes somewhere? Have restrictions I need to watch. Again - thank you for your great site.
Rebecca says
Hi Kim, no I don't post nutrition info on my recipes. But for medical needs, I can help clients navigate that individually. Feel free to email me if you need any help!