Easy Broccoli Salad Recipe With Chicken

Recipe posted in: Flex Meals & Snacks, Lunches & Dinners, Main Courses, Sides

Every party calls for broccoli salad! The classic and crunchy cruciferous veggie side dish is a staple at picnics, holiday get-togethers and dinner parties during any season. Hiding behind a seemingly healthy title, broccoli salad can often be one of the sneakiest slim-down saboteurs.

Use nonfat plain Greek yogurt and light mayonnaise to dress your salad

All The Flavor (and Cheese) Minus the Calories

Many versions are coated in a calorie-laden dressing and piled high with unhealthy ingredients like bacon bits! However, with a few simple swaps, we’ve created a healthier broccoli salad recipe that’s just as delicious (but much more nutritious!) then the original.

There are four main components in our easy broccoli salad recipe (five including the dressing). These include finely chopped broccoli, chopped red onions, reduced fat cheddar cheese and cooked chicken. After chopping the veggies and cutting up the chicken and cheese into bite-sized pieces, place all of the ingredients into a large serving bowl. Now it’s time for the dressing!

Our simple broccoli salad dressing contains a creamy mixture of nonfat plain Greek yogurt and light mayonnaise. We also add some apple cider vinegar for a little tang, stevia for a little sweetness, and black pepper for a little spice. Pour the dressing over the broccoli salad and toss to coat all of the ingredients evenly. You can serve the side dish immediately or chill first for a cool summer side salad.

Bacon, Sunflower Seeds and Other Low-Cal Swaps

One serving of this Broccoli Cheddar Chicken Salad recipe contains 262 calories. It counts as two PowerFuels, two Extras and one Vegetable serving on Nutrisystem.

Like all of our healthy recipes here on The Leaf, this one is super versatile and can be adapted to your taste buds. Not a fan of chicken? You can easily swap in ham or turkey! Don’t like onions? Leave them out or add another non-starchy veggie that you enjoy. If you have any Extras to spare for the day, you can add some extra crunch with sunflower seeds or low-sodium bacon bits. You could even try adding some extra sweetness with a SmartCarb like dried cranberries, a staple in broccoli salad recipes.

Feel free to also pump up the flavor in this healthy broccoli salad by adding in some unlimited Free Foods. Add some heat with hot sauce or jalapenos. Make it sweet with more stevia or monk fruit. Pile on the fresh flavor with herbs and spices. Have fun and come up with your own customized broccoli salad recipe that you love!

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Even More Easy Broccoli Recipes

If you loved this healthy salad, be sure to check out some of our other favorite broccoli recipes below:

Get healthy and lose weight with a simple meal plan and convenient food delivery. Learn more about Nutrisystem >

Servings: 4

Calories per Serving: 262

On Nutrisystem, Count As: 2 PowerFuels, 2 Extras, 1 Vegetable

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups broccoli, finely chopped
  • ½ red onion, chopped
  • 1 ½ cups cooked chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces
  • 4 cheddar cheese sticks, reduced fat, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup light mayonnaise
  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp. stevia
  • Black pepper, to taste

Directions:

  1. Place broccoli, red onion, chicken and cheese in a large bowl.
  2. In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, stevia and black pepper to create a dressing.
  3. Pour the dressing mixture over the broccoli salad. Toss to combine.
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