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Epic chicken salad with greens is a light and delicious lunch you can enjoy with crackers, fruit, and additional veggies. If you are looking for more ways to add more leafy vegetables to your kid’s day, try topping them with a creamy, seasoned chicken salad. This one is always a winner.
Chicken Salad Lunch
There are so many ways to serve chicken salad and over a bed of greens is one of the most simple and delicious options out there. It’s a great idea for growing teens or any kid who likes salad, and you can assemble it with spring mix or chopped lettuce, whichever they prefer.
No need for dressing because my chicken salad recipe packs enough flavor, along with 23 grams of protein per serving!
Plus, you can prep the chicken mixture 4 days ahead, so assembling is a breeze on busy mornings. Just toss some greens into a lunch container, top it with the salad, and ta-da! Lunch is ready to go.
What is in Chicken Salad with Greens?
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this chicken salad with greens for lunch:
- Chicken salad: use my homemade recipe or your favorite option from the deli.
- Mixed greens: arugula, salad mix, Romaine, or good ole chopped lettuce.
- Grape tomatoes: a kid-favorite add-on.
- Snacks: add crackers, fruit, additional veggies, or whatever snacky things you have on hand.
Need a little more inspiration for packing healthy and tasty school lunches? I’ve got just what you need:
101 Packed Lunches eBook
All my best kid-friendly lunches from over a decade of creating meal plans. Add some variety to your child’s lunchbox with these epic lunches, plus receive my Pack Meals Like a Pro ebook, free with purchase!
How to Pack Chicken Salad with Greens for Lunch
The goal of packing this lunch is to keep the greens and chicken salad fresh, which is easy to do following these steps. The rest is a breeze.
- Prep
Prepare the chicken salad recipe, and chop the lettuce if using Iceberg or Romaine. - Pack it smart
Add the lettuce to a lunch container and top it with a serving of chicken salad and grape tomatoes. Pack the chips into a separate compartment to keep them dry. - Prepare for transport
Place the container in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack.
You can also watch how this chicken salad lunch idea and 4 others are made in the recipe video below, it’s multi-tasking at its finest!
Keeping Chicken Salad Fresh in School Lunches
These simple tips will keep this chicken salad cool, crisp, and delicious in a lunchbox until it’s time to enjoy!
Use the right container
A sturdy, lunch container with compartments is the best way to keep the chicken salad and sides fresh. It also prevents items from moving around and getting squished in the lunch bag.
Keep it cool
Since chicken salad contains protein and dressing, it needs to stay cold. Adding an ice pack to the lunch bag will keep everything fresh until lunchtime.
Pack dry snacks separately
Crackers, chips, or nuts are perfect with chicken salad, but they can get soggy if packed together. Store them in a separate compartment to keep them crunchy.
Prevent wilted lettuce
If you find yourself with limp looking greens after just a day or two, I’ve got some great tips to make lettuce last longer!
More School Lunch Ideas with Chicken Salad
Leftover chicken salad is an easy way to make drool-worthy lunches, like this buttery chicken salad croissant, or crunchy curried chicken salad wrap. And if your child loves bold flavors, a buffalo chicken salad lunchbox adds just the right kick!
Creamy Chicken Salad with Greens
Ingredients
For the chicken salad:
- 1 whole roasted chicken, meat off
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 1 lemon, juiced
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspooon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Creole Seasoning, optional
For 1 packed lunch:
- 2 cups mixed greens or chopped lettuce
- 1 scoop of Southern Chicken Salad
- ½ cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 serving banana chips or crackers
- ½ cup carrot chips
Instructions
Make the chicken salad:
- Put chicken meat in a food processor and pulse a few times to roughly chop. Continue pulsing for about 30 seconds until the chicken is finely chopped. If you turn "on" the food processor, your chicken will become a "paste". Instead, use the pulse method until it's very finely chopped.
- In a bowl, whisk the lemon juice, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning. Add the chopped celery and the chicken to the bowl, and mix to combine all the ingredients. Transfer the chicken salad inside a large container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
For a packed lunch:
- Wash and chop the lettuce if using.
- Place the salad greens or lettuce into a lunch container and top with 1 scoop of chicken salad and grape tomatoes. Add the banana chips and carrots to the empty compartments and close the container.
- Pack the lunch box into a lunch bag with an ice pack.
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