I follow a basic meal plan for family dinners. Several years ago I scribbled down as many recipes as I could recall that are regular entrees for my family. From that list, I typed out a meal plan and can choose weekly recipes from that list. It takes a lot of thought out of meal planning for the main meal, and that’s a good thing!
We often eat sandwiches or leftovers for lunch, and thankfully there are many options available in the sandwich department… meat and cheese, egg salad, banana and peanut butter, chicken salad, fried egg, pimento cheese, etc.
Chicken salad makes such a refreshing sandwich, and it’s even better served with crackers on a hot summer day!
Mayonnaise is usually the ingredient of choice when preparing chicken salad, but it can also be made with zero percent fat, plain Greek yogurt. This yogurt is zero points on the Weight Watchers® Program.
I like eating Weight Watchers® Freestyle Chicken Salad Recipe with Zero Points with bread or crackers. These additions contribute points to the meal, but the chicken salad alone is zero points!
If I make a chicken salad sandwich, I add a slice of extra sharp cheddar cheese and a couple slices of tomato for delicious flavor!
One secret key to making the best chicken salad with zero points is keeping the chicken moist.
Using a slow cooker is one of the easiest ways to ensure the chicken doesn’t dry out. I also use boneless chicken breasts since it is much easier to prepare chicken salad with boneless meat!
It’s super simple to place the chicken in the slow cooker and let it cook all day. I cook the chicken on high for 6 ½ – 7 hours. Cooking times may vary depending on the device used and the type of chicken you purchase.
I slice the grapes and use red ones because they are sweeter and add nice color to the chicken salad. However, I have used green grapes too. Sometimes it just depends on what is available in the fridge!
The measurements below are suggestions, but you can adjust them if you want the chicken salad more or less creamy, with more salt, less mustard, etc.
Ingredients for Weight Watchers® Freestyle Chicken Salad with Zero Points
1 1/2 pounds +/- of shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup onion finely diced
1/4 cup celery finely diced
juice from 1 medium-sized lemon
salt and pepper (to taste- 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. pepper)
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
1 cup +/- of 0% fat, plain Greek yogurt
1 1/2 cups of sliced grapes (red or green)
1 medium apple, finely diced (optional)
Recipe Steps to Prepare Weight Watchers Freestyle Chicken Salad with Zero Points
- Prepare chicken by baking in the oven or cooking in the slow cooker. (See above for slow cooker tips for cooking chicken.) Shred the chicken and place in a serving dish. Set aside a small amount of the cooked chicken. Depending on the amount of chicken you cooked, you may need more or less.
- Use a food processor to finely dice onions and celery. You want the flavor of the onions and celery, not chunks of onions and celery in this chicken salad.
- Place the onions and celery, lemon juice, salt, pepper, spicy mustard, and Greek yogurt into a separate bowl and stir until mixed.
- Pour the sauce over the chicken and stir together. Add more chicken if the mixture has too much sauce.
- Stir in the grapes. Adding apples to the recipe is optional but tasty.
- Refrigerate the chicken salad for at least four hours before serving.
Even if you aren’t interested in Weight Watchers points values, this Weight Watchers Freestyle Chicken Salad Recipe with Zero Points is a healthy alternative to traditional chicken salad, and I hope you will try it!
