Our Tzatziki Chickpea Chicken Salad turns an ordinary chicken salad recipe into a gut-healthy, protein-packed dish filled with flavor that’s perfect for meal prep, light lunches, and laid-back dinner recipes. Tzatziki is a Mediterranean recipe typically made with yogurt and is often served with fish, poultry, or as a dip with veggies. Here, we paired it with flavorful rotisserie chicken and chickpeas for a power-packed dish made even better with Lifeway Kefir.
Our tzatziki recipe swaps the yogurt for probiotic-rich Lifeway Kefir that’s easy to digest and perfect for those with lactose intolerance. Lifeway Kefir is also higher in protein than most yogurts and richer in nutrients like calcium and vitamin D. Our whole milk kefir is perfect to use in this dish since it gives it a richer flavor and provides healthy fats along with protein and probiotics.
Chickpeas and Lifeway Kefir are also two ingredients that provide gut health benefits not to miss. Chickpeas offer prebiotic fiber to feed the probiotics found in Lifeway Kefir. These sweet, slightly nutty legumes are also packed with B vitamins, magnesium, and plant protein. They’re easy to use in salads like this recipe and are an economical everyday superfood, just like Lifeway Kefir.
The Benefits of Cultured Dairy for Better Health:
Research continues to show the importance of eating healthy foods, including cultured dairy such as kefir, for optimal digestion and gut health, a strong immune system, and to support the microbiome. Fermented foods like kefir hold important value in this line of research due to the link between the gut-brain axis and overall health. Specifically, kefir has been shown to help diversify the microbiome, improve digestion, reduce inflammation, support healthier blood sugar levels, and improve satiety since the bioavailable protein it contains triggers the release of GLP-1.
Lifeway Kefir is packed with variety of vital nutrients important for overall health, including bone and muscle health; these include vitamin D3, K, calcium, and vitamin B12. Along with our probiotic-rich kefir, Lifeway also offers artisan-made Farmer Cheese, a creamy high-protein cheese made with live and active cultures to support healthy muscles and healthy microbiome. Lifeway Farmer Cheese is easy to spread, free of gums and thickeners, and contains no added salt or sugar for optimal health benefits.
Prep Time: 10 minutes Servings: 4Ingredients
Chickpea Chicken Salad Ingredients:
- 2 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded and chopped
- 1 15-oz. can of no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2/3 cup olives of choice, drained and rinsed (if using canned or jarred)
- 1/2 an onion, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups of seedless cucumber slices (about 1/2 a large or 2 small cucumbers)
- sprinkle of sea salt
Kefir Tzatziki Sauce Ingredients:
- 1 cup Organic Whole Milk Plain Kefir
- *or Lowfat Plain Lifeway Kefir
- 3 cloves garlic, mashed
- juice of a lemon
- 3 tbsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
- 3 tbsp. fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. flaky sea salt (or kosher salt)
Directions
- For the Chickpea Chicken Salad: Chop the chicken into small pieces and add to a large bowl with the can of drained chickpeas, the olives, onion, cucumber, and the sea salt. Toss together well, then set aside.
- In a small food processor or blender, add the ingredients for the Kefir Tzatziki Sauce, and process/blend just until mixed but not completely puréed. Pour this into the bowl with the chickpea chicken salad from step 1, then toss everything to coat and serve.
