The 1-Ingredient Upgrade for Better Chicken Salads (It’s Already in Your Fridge)

The chicken salad I grew up with was about 50 percent mayonnaise, heavy with red grapes, slivered almonds, apples, and shredded rotisserie chicken. I was a self-proclaimed mayo-hater, and it wasn’t easy to find anything to love about that gloopy chicken salad. I was so stubborn that I would refuse to eat it unless it was shoved into a butter croissant. Oh, the drama.

As the years went by and different kinds of chicken salads came across my plate, I realized the truth: If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that we all like chicken salad a little bit differently.

Some prefer a really simple, chicken-heavy take with barely enough mayo to hold it together. Others like the chicken chopped so finely, like a paste. Then, some opt for a sweet and savory mix with bell pepper, olives, and apple. I like mine with a secret ingredient that balances an otherwise too-mayo-y chicken salad.

Craig Claiborne, the former food editor and restaurant critic for the New York Times, published a chicken salad recipe in 1981 that includes an ingredient missing from all the chicken salads I’ve disliked in the past: yogurt.

Why Adding Yogurt to Chicken Salad Works

Adding yogurt to chicken salad is not only a great way to lighten up the heavy flavor and texture of mayonnaise, but it also adds great tang and brightness. The salad will still keep its creaminess and rich, scoopable texture, just with an added note of mild acidity that plays well with the other acids that might already be present, like red wine vinegar or lemon juice. And the best part is that this trick will work with any chicken salad recipe with mayo.

What Kind of Yogurt To Use

When adding yogurt to your favorite chicken salad recipe, you want to choose one that’s thick but not too thick and with no added flavorings. Plain cow’s milk yogurt or Greek yogurt works well, but I would shy away from thicker, milder-flavored Icelandic skyr or super rich Australian-style yogurt.

If you like sheep’s or goat’s milk yogurts, those could work here too, but just be mindful of all the flavors you’re going to have in your chicken salad, and whether the grassy, savoriness of these yogurts might be distracting or at odds with your chosen mix.

How Much Yogurt to Add

When starting with your favorite chicken salad recipe, it’s best to start with a ratio of about two-thirds mayo to one-third yogurt. You can adjust up or down from there; I prefer a ratio that’s closer to fifty-fifty, but that’s just me.

If you’re worried that the yogurt might cut the richness a little too much, you can start with even less by swapping out a tablespoon of mayo or yogurt and going up from there. There’s no hard and fast rule.