Anyone else out there obsessed with Kroger Chicken Salad? For all y’all non-Kentuckians – it’s the best chicken salad EVER. The chicken is perfectly shredded and studded with grapes, celery and pecans creating the perfect sweet and savory combination. I’m not kidding when I say I could eat an entire one pound container in one sitting, which is dangerous because 1. mayonnaise and 2. it costs about $10 a pound.
I’ve spent the past few years trying to replicate this chicken salad at home and have come up with a #healthyish spin on the classic dish. I use plain, nonfat Greek yogurt instead of mayo. I’m a Greek yogurt junkie so I don’t miss the mayo in this recipe, but if you can’t live without it, try using half-mayo and half-yogurt. I highly suggest using roasted chicken for this recipe. I find that most chicken salad recipes suggest boiling the chicken, or even using canned chicken… To each his own, but I think you derive the best flavor by roasting your chicken. This would be a great use for leftover rotisserie chicken! I’ll also cook chicken in chicken broth in the Instant Pot, which gives great flavor.
When testing out this recipe, I had a hard time getting the consistency right. Dicing the chicken doesn’t work and I’ve never been able to shred chicken with a fork and the thing about Kroger chicken salad is that it’s always perfectly shredded. Then I came across a tip to use your stand mixer to shred chicken – game changer! Using a mixer also guarantees every piece of chicken is coated in yogurt and evenly incorporates all your grapes and other toppings. So, bust out that mixer and give this recipe a try. If you don’t have a stand mixer you can also use a hand mixer. You can serve it on a bed of lettuce for a carbless meal, eat it with crackers or add it to whole wheat toast for a guilt-free lunch. Not gonna lie, I often eat it straight out of the container with a fork… sometimes for breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 pound roasted chicken breast
- 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt (or 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/4 cup mayonnaise)
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1/2 cup red grapes, diced
- 1/8 cup white onion, minced
- 1/4 cup pecans, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar (optional, I don’t think it needs it)
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
- Cut chicken breast into large chunks and add to stand mixer. Using paddle attachment, turn mixer on low and until chicken is shredded (approximately 1-2 minutes).
- Add yogurt, salt, lemon juice and sugar (if using) to the mixer and mix at low speed until Greek yogurt coats the chicken. I recommend starting with about half the salt and adding it to taste.
- Add grapes, celery, onion, cranberries and pecans and mix on low until evenly incorporated.
- The chicken salad tastes best if you let it sit in the fridge overnight before serving to let the flavors meld together. This is a great recipe to make on Sunday night and eat throughout the work week or make ahead the next time you’re entertaining for brunch!
I’m thinking I need to whip another batch up! Are y’all Kroger chicken salad fans too? Let me know what you think! I also have a Lexington Chicken Salad Guide here or a Buffalo Chicken Salad recipe here.
Biscuits & blessings,
Leels
Hi Leela, I used to work in a kroger deli in Tennessee and the ingredient that makes it “Derby City” chicken salad is that they baked the chicken in white wine. And yes, they also used the stand mixer to shred the chicken. Excellent stuff, thanks for posting.
Ah, good to know!! Thanks for the tip 🙂