Shredded chicken gets tossed in a creamy herby zesty yogurt dressing for a delicious make-ahead protein that you can add to sandwiches and salads all week! My favorite way to eat this in the summer is in a sandwich simply with a thick and juicy summer tomato. Make this one ahead – it tastes even better the next day.
(For perfectly cooked and shredded chicken breasts, use your Instant Pot if you have one)
Ingredient highlight
Fresh herbs! All fresh herbs contain essential oils that aid in digestion, improve circulation, reduce the risk of heart disease, and phytonutrients that fight inflammation (to name a few!).
Read my full blog post about fresh herbs here!
Servings 4 cups
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 15 minutes Ingredients
- 2 cup loosely packed herbs (basil, cilantro, parsley, dill, and/or mint)
- 3/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp maple syrup
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1-1.5 tsp tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 cups shredded chicken breast (from ~ 1.5 lbs raw boneless skinless breasts)*
- *Cook chicken in an instant pot (instructions at end of recipe), on the grill, poach it, or use a store bought rotisserie chicken to save time.
Instructions
- In a high-speed blender, add the herbs, yogurt, lemon, dijon, oil, maple, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Blend on low speed, slowly increasing to medium until combined.
- Add chicken to a large bowl and pour the dressing over top. Use tongs to mix until combined. Taste and add more salt (remaining ½ teaspoon) if needed.
- Use the chicken salad in a sandwich or scooped on top of a green salad.
- This chicken salad tastes even better the next day.
Instant pot shredded chicken
- Place the trivet insert into your instant pot and place chicken breasts on top. Pour 1 cup water into the pot. Season your chicken with some salt. Close the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook on high pressure for 9 minutes. Let it naturally release for 5 minutes, then manually release the pressure. Transfer chicken from pot to a plate or cutting board to rest for 5 minutes. Remove the trivet and all but ¼ cup water from the instant pot. Add the chicken back in and use an electric hand mixer to finely shred up the chicken.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Cook and shred 1.5 lbs chicken breast (4 cups shredded)
- Make the dressing
- Make the chicken salad
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian, use the same dressing to toss with 2 (15 oz) cans of white beans or garbanzo beans.
- To make vegan/dairy-free see above + use a vegan/dairy-free yogurt alternative or make this Green Goddess Dressing instead.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Make it a sandwich!
- Juicy tomato + chicken salad + lettuce
- Make it a grilled cheese/panini
- Avocado + chicken salad + cucumber + lettuce
- Hummus + chicken salad + tomato
- Make it a salad
- Greens tossed in oil, vinegar, and salt topped with chicken salad, chopped avocado, chopped cucumber, feta, and pickled red onions.
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