Dinner • Lunch
Tzatziki Cucumber Chicken Salad
Crunchy cucumber and pulled chicken in a creamy garlic-and-lemon yogurt dressing. A generous lunch bowl with very little fuss.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
If you’ve got cooked chicken in the fridge, lunch is already halfway there. Add crisp cucumber and a creamy garlic-and-lemon dressing, give it a good toss, and you’ve got a generous bowl with plenty of crunch.
Wholegrain mustard and everything-bagel seasoning give the dressing a little extra flavor. It’s a small amount of prep for a very satisfying lunch.
Simple Ingredients
Lebanese cucumber, cooked pulled chicken and plain natural Greek yogurt are the main ingredients. Garlic, lemon juice, wholegrain mustard and everything-bagel seasoning round out the dressing. Use any comparable everything-bagel blend you enjoy; check its salt level before adding more salt.
Weigh the chicken after cooking, and use plain, unsweetened yogurt so the dressing stays savory.
Best Ways to Enjoy It
Eat it as soon as you’ve mixed it if you like the cucumber really crisp, or cover it and chill it for a cold lunch. Give it another toss before serving so you get a little dressing with every bite.
A Few Helpful Tips
- Slice the cucumber and finely chop or grate the garlic before you start mixing.
- Use a bowl with enough room to toss everything without chasing cucumber over the edge.
- The yogurt you choose affects how rich the dressing is, as well as the nutrition estimate.
- If you’re cooking chicken for this salad, make sure it reaches 74°C / 165°F, then cool and refrigerate it safely before using it.
Tools That Make This Easier
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A container for a generous lunch
If you’re taking this salad with you, the Rubbermaid Brilliance 4.7-US-cup (about 1.1 L) containers are worth a look. Mix in a roomy bowl, then pack the finished salad under a secure, leak-resistant lid. Each holds 4.7 US cups (about 1.1 L), and the four-pack stacks neatly in the fridge, useful if packed lunches are part of your week.
A temperature check when preparing chicken
If you cook chicken for lunches ahead of time, the TempPro TP19H instant-read thermometer helps check that the center reaches 165°F / 74°C before cooling. Its folding probe stores neatly, and the rotating display is easy to read from either side. This salad starts with cooked, cooled chicken; a working thermometer you already own is all you need for that earlier prep.
Food Safety
Cool cooked chicken safely and keep the salad refrigerated. See the USDA temperature guide and leftover storage guidance.
More Recipes to Try
For another meal idea, try high-protein egg salad or chicken broccoli fritters.
Tzatziki Cucumber Chicken Salad
Active Time
10 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Servings
1
Approximate times. Starts with cooked, cooled chicken. Optional chilling and cooking chicken from raw take extra time.
Estimated nutrition for the single serving; not independently recalculated. Yogurt, chicken preparation and ingredient brands affect the estimate.
Calories
294
Protein
40g
Carbs
16g
Fat
8g
Allergens: Contains milk and mustard. Everything-bagel seasoning commonly contains sesame; check your label.
Ingredients
Both systems are shown; the toggle changes their order. US equivalents are approximate. Metric amounts are the recipe reference. Ounces (oz) measure weight; fl oz measures volume. Use level US measuring spoons.
- 7.1 oz (200 g) Lebanese cucumber 200 g (7.1 oz) Lebanese cucumber
- 3.5 oz (100 g) plain natural Greek yogurt 100 g (3.5 oz) plain natural Greek yogurt
- 5.3 oz (150 g) cooked, pulled chicken breast (weigh after cooking) 150 g (5.3 oz) cooked, pulled chicken breast (weigh after cooking)
- 1 garlic clove 1 garlic clove
- 1 US tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice 15 mL (1 US tbsp) lemon juice
- 0.18 oz (5 g) everything-bagel seasoning 5 g (0.18 oz) everything-bagel seasoning
- 0.18 oz (5 g) wholegrain mustard 5 g (0.18 oz) wholegrain mustard
- Salt and pepper, to taste Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Slice the cucumber. Finely chop or grate the garlic. Slice the cucumber. Finely chop or grate the garlic.
- Mix the cucumber with the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, everything-bagel seasoning and wholegrain mustard. Mix the cucumber with the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, everything-bagel seasoning and wholegrain mustard.
- Add the 5.3 oz (150 g) cooked, pulled chicken and toss until the dressing coats everything. Add the 150 g (5.3 oz) cooked, pulled chicken and toss until the dressing coats everything.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve or cover and chill. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve or cover and chill.
Variations
- Use a comparable everything-bagel blend and wholegrain mustard. Taste before adding salt, and keep the Greek yogurt plain and unsweetened.
Storage
- Keep covered at 40°F / 4°C or below. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F / 32°C.
- Use within the cooked chicken's original 3–4 day refrigerated window, or any earlier ingredient limit. Mixing the salad does not restart that clock.
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