Tomato Wedge Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

So I made this Greek yogurt chicken salad thing last Tuesday and it’s basically chicken salad stuffed into tomato wedges that you cut like a flower but don’t slice all the way through. The Greek yogurt instead of mayo makes it lighter but still creamy, and honestly I didn’t think the tomato trick would work as well as it did.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Takes 15 minutes total because you’re using cooked chicken you already have
• The tomato wedges stay attached at the bottom so they hold the salad without falling apart, which means you can pick them up with your hands
• Greek yogurt gives you that tangy bite without the heaviness mayo leaves in your mouth
• Celery adds crunch that chicken salad desperately needs
• You can make it hours ahead and the tomato actually gets better as it sits
• It’s 210 calories per serving which is low enough that I didn’t feel guilty eating two

The Story Behind This Recipe

I had leftover rotisserie chicken and one sad tomato sitting on my counter last Tuesday after work. I was too tired to make anything complicated but also too hungry to just eat the chicken cold from the container. I remembered seeing tomato wedges used as little boats for something years ago, maybe tuna salad, and figured I’d try it with what I had. The Greek yogurt was because I ran out of mayo the week before and kept forgetting to buy more. Turns out the lemon juice I added to brighten it up works way better with yogurt than it ever did with mayo — something about the acidity playing off the tang. When I cut into the tomato and those wedges held their shape, I actually got excited about dinner for the first time all week.

What You Need

You need 1 large tomato that’s ripe but still firm enough to hold its shape when you cut it. If it’s too soft it’ll collapse when you try to stuff it, and if it’s underripe you lose that sweet juice that soaks into the chicken salad later.

2 cups of shredded cooked chicken is the base here — rotisserie chicken from the store works great, or you can use leftover grilled chicken if you have it. Just make sure it’s in bite-sized shreds, not big chunks.

1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt is what replaces the mayo and it has to be plain, not vanilla or honey flavored or anything weird like that. The thickness of Greek yogurt holds everything together without making it watery.

1/4 cup of finely chopped celery gives you that crunch. Don’t skip it because the texture difference between the creamy chicken and the celery is what makes this interesting to eat. 1 tablespoon of lemon juice brightens the whole thing and cuts through the richness of the yogurt — I used bottled lemon juice because I didn’t have a fresh lemon and it worked fine.

1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper season it, but you might need more depending on how your chicken was seasoned to begin with. 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley goes on top and I almost skipped it but I’m glad I didn’t because it actually makes a difference.

How to Make Tomato Wedge Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Take your tomato and set it on a cutting board stem side down. Slice it into 8 wedges like you’re cutting a pie, but here’s the important part — stop your knife about half an inch from the bottom so the wedges stay connected at the base. You’ll feel a little resistance when you hit that stopping point, and if you cut all the way through by accident the whole thing falls apart and you lose the bowl effect.

The tomato should open up like a flower when you’re done, with all the wedges fanned out but still attached. Mine had some juice pooling at the bottom which I just left there.

Grab a bowl that gives you room to mix without flinging chicken everywhere. Toss in your 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken, 1/4 cup of finely chopped celery, 1/2 cup of plain Greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Stir it all together with a spoon until the yogurt coats everything evenly — it’ll look lighter and fluffier than mayo-based chicken salad does.

Taste it now before you go further. If it needs more salt or pepper or lemon, add it. My chicken was pretty bland so I ended up adding an extra pinch of salt after the first taste.

Spoon the chicken salad into the center of your tomato where all the wedges meet, then push some of it down between the wedges so each one gets coated. You want enough salad that it looks generous but not so much that it’s sliding off the sides. I used about 1/3 cup per tomato and had enough for 6 servings.

Sprinkle that 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh parsley over the top. It sticks to the yogurt so it won’t fall off when you pick it up. The green against the red tomato looks better than I expected it to, which is a bonus I guess.

What I Did Wrong the First Time

I cut my tomato wedges too thin the first time — like 12 wedges instead of 8 — and they were too flimsy to hold any chicken salad without flopping over. They bent under the weight and the whole thing looked sad on the plate. 8 thicker wedges give you the structure you need to actually pick this up without it falling apart in your hand, and there’s enough tomato flavor in each bite that you’re not just eating chicken salad off a red plate.

Tomato Wedge Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

By Emma

Prep:

10 min

Cook:

5 min

Total:

15 min

Servings:

6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 large tomato
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/4 cup finely chopped celery
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Method

1. 1 Lift your knife and slice the tomato into 8 wedges, cutting carefully through the flesh but stopping just before the bottom so the wedges stay attached. You’ll notice a faint pop of juice as you cut, a good sign of ripeness.
2. 2 In a spacious bowl, toss together shredded chicken, finely chopped celery, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. As you mix, the aroma of lemon and fresh celery should wake up your senses; taste the chicken salad and tweak the seasoning—sometimes a pinch more salt or pepper is exactly right.
3. 3 Spoon the chicken salad into the cavity of each tomato wedge, piling it so each wedge holds a satisfying bite.
4. 4 Finish by scattering chopped parsley on top — it adds a fresh color and mild herbaceous note that lifts the whole plate.
5. 5 You can prepare this a few hours ahead and let it chill in the fridge; the tomato’s juices mingle with the salad, making every bite juicier. Eat it straight, serve over crisp lettuce, or stuff between bread if you feel like a sandwich.

Nutritional information

Calories

210

Protein

28g

Carbs

8g

Fat

6g

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Tips for the Best Tomato Wedge Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad

Use your fingers to gently pull the tomato wedges apart after you cut them so the center opens up enough to hold the chicken salad without it sliding off the sides. I didn’t do this the first time and the salad just sat on top instead of nestling between the wedges where it’s supposed to go.

Let the chicken cool completely before you mix it with the Greek yogurt or the heat makes the yogurt separate and get watery. Mine was still slightly warm from the rotisserie container and I could see little pools of liquid forming at the bottom of the bowl after I mixed it, which made the whole thing look less appetizing than it tasted.

The celery needs to be chopped really fine — like the size of a grain of rice — or you’ll bite into big crunchy pieces that don’t distribute evenly through the chicken salad. I did medium-sized chunks and every other bite was either all celery or no celery, which got annoying by the third serving.

If your tomato has a lot of seeds and gel in the center, scoop some of it out with a spoon before you stuff it with the chicken salad. The extra moisture from the seeds will water down the yogurt mixture as it sits, and by the time you eat it hours later the whole thing’s swimming in tomato juice.

Chill the assembled tomatoes for at least 30 minutes before serving because the cold makes the Greek yogurt firm up and the flavors blend together better. Room temperature chicken salad in a room temperature tomato tastes flat and one-dimensional compared to when everything’s had time to hang out in the fridge.

Serving Ideas

Put two stuffed tomatoes on a bed of mixed greens and drizzle some extra lemon juice over the lettuce for a full lunch plate that looks like you tried harder than you actually did. The tomato juice that leaks out becomes part of the salad dressing.

Serve them alongside crackers or pita chips for people who want to scoop the chicken salad out instead of biting into the tomato wedges directly. I did this when my friend came over and she ate it like a dip, which worked surprisingly well.

Cut the stuffed tomatoes in half after you assemble them so you get 12 smaller pieces that work as appetizers for a party. They’re easier to eat in one bite that way and you don’t have to worry about the chicken salad falling out when someone tries to pick one up.

Variations

Swap the celery for chopped cucumber and add a teaspoon of dried dill to make it taste more Mediterranean — the cucumber has the same crunch but releases less water than celery does, and the dill pairs better with Greek yogurt than parsley does in my opinion.

Use canned tuna instead of chicken and add a tablespoon of capers for a tuna salad version that’s even faster since you don’t need to shred anything. The brininess from the capers cuts through the yogurt in a way that lemon juice alone doesn’t, which makes it taste sharper and more interesting.

Mix in a tablespoon of curry powder and a handful of raisins for a curried chicken salad that’s sweeter and more complex. The raisins get soft as they sit in the yogurt and their sweetness balances the curry’s heat, but this version doesn’t work as well if you’re making it ahead because the curry flavor gets really strong after a few hours.

Add crumbled bacon and use ranch seasoning instead of just salt and pepper if you want something that tastes more American than Greek. I tried this when I had bacon left over from breakfast and it turned the whole thing into something my dad would actually eat, but it’s definitely heavier and you lose that light fresh feeling the original has.

FAQ

Can I use regular yogurt instead of Greek yogurt? Regular yogurt’s too thin and it’ll make your chicken salad runny and watery. Greek yogurt’s thickness is what holds everything together like mayo would, so if you only have regular yogurt you’d need to strain it through cheesecloth for a few hours first to thicken it up.

How do I keep the tomato wedges from getting soggy? Don’t cut them too far in advance — an hour before serving is the sweet spot. If you need to prep earlier, cut the tomato and store it separately from the chicken salad, then stuff it right before you’re ready to eat so the tomato doesn’t have time to break down from sitting in contact with the yogurt.

What if my tomato splits all the way through when I’m cutting it? Just use the wedges as individual pieces and put a spoonful of chicken salad on each one like you’re making little tomato boats. They won’t hold together as one unit but they still taste exactly the same and honestly it’s easier to eat them that way.

Can I make this the night before? Yeah but the tomato will release a lot of juice overnight and water down the chicken salad by morning. If you’re making it that far ahead, prep the chicken salad and store it in one container, cut the tomato and wrap it separately, then assemble everything the morning you plan to serve it.

What kind of tomato works best for this? A beefsteak tomato or any large slicing tomato that’s firm but ripe works great. Cherry tomatoes are too small to stuff and Roma tomatoes don’t have enough structure to fan out into wedges that stay attached at the bottom.

Can I use rotisserie chicken from the deli counter? That’s literally what I used and it’s the fastest way to make this since the chicken’s already cooked and seasoned. Just pull the meat off the bones and shred it with your hands or two forks until it’s in small pieces.

Do I have to use fresh parsley or can I use dried? Fresh parsley looks better and tastes brighter but dried parsley will work if that’s what you have. Use about a teaspoon of dried instead of the tablespoon of fresh since dried herbs are more concentrated.

How long does this last in the fridge? The chicken salad by itself will last 3 days but once you stuff it into the tomato you should eat it within 24 hours before the tomato gets too soft and mushy. The tomato breaks down faster than the chicken salad goes bad.

Can I freeze this? Don’t freeze it because the tomato will turn to mush when it thaws and the Greek yogurt will separate into a grainy watery mess. This is a make-and-eat-soon kind of recipe, not something you batch cook for later.

What if I don’t like celery? Leave it out but add something else crunchy like diced bell pepper or chopped water chestnuts so you still get that texture contrast. Without any crunch at all the chicken salad feels too soft and one-note in your mouth.

How do I know if my tomato is ripe enough but still firm enough? Press it gently with your thumb — it should give slightly but not feel squishy or leave an indent that stays there. The skin should be deep red with no green spots, and it should smell like tomato when you sniff the stem end.

Can I add mayo along with the Greek yogurt? You could do half Greek yogurt and half mayo if you want something in between the two, but at that point you’re just making regular chicken salad with some yogurt mixed in. The whole idea here is that the yogurt replaces the mayo completely for a lighter tangier version.

Why is my chicken salad too dry? You might need more Greek yogurt — some chickens are drier than others depending on how they were cooked. Add another tablespoon or two of yogurt until it looks creamy and coats all the chicken pieces without being soupy.

Can I use flavored Greek yogurt? No, it has to be plain because flavored yogurt has sugar and vanilla or fruit that’ll taste weird mixed with chicken and celery. Plain is the only one that works for savory applications like this.

What if I accidentally cut my tomato all the way through? You’ve got individual wedges now instead of one connected flower, which is fine. Just treat them like tomato slices and put a scoop of chicken salad on each wedge, or chop them up and mix them into the salad like a regular chunky chicken salad with tomatoes in it.

Do the tomato wedges hold their shape when you pick them up? If you cut 8 thick wedges and don’t slice all the way through they’ll stay attached and you can pick up the whole tomato by the bottom without it falling apart. The tomato acts like a bowl with handles basically, which is the whole point of cutting it this way.

How much chicken salad goes in each tomato? About 1/3 cup per tomato is what I used and it filled the center and coated the wedges without overflowing. If you pile it too high it’ll slide off when you try to pick it up.

Can I use leftover grilled chicken instead of rotisserie? Yeah any cooked chicken works as long as you shred it into small pieces. Grilled chicken might be a bit drier than rotisserie so you might need an extra tablespoon of yogurt to make it creamy enough.

What’s the best way to chop the celery really fine? Cut it lengthwise into thin strips first, then turn those strips and cut across them to make tiny pieces. If you just chop it randomly you’ll end up with uneven sizes where some pieces are huge and others are fine.

Why does my Greek yogurt look grainy after I mix it? Your yogurt might’ve been too cold or you mixed it too hard. Let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before mixing it with the chicken, and stir gently instead of beating it so you don’t break down the protein structure that makes it smooth.

Can I make this with chicken breast I cooked specifically for this recipe? Sure but that’s more work than using rotisserie chicken and it won’t taste as good because rotisserie chicken has more seasoning and moisture from how it’s cooked. If you do cook your own, season it well with salt and pepper before you shred it.