Big news – I’ve been working on new, improved keto & low carb meal plans for you! I’m so excited to share them with you once they are ready. And as a sneak preview, here’s one of my favorite healthy low carb meal prep lunches – a Greek Mason jar salad recipe with chicken!
What is a Mason Jar Salad?
You may have seen Mason jar salads on Pinterest or elsewhere. And if it seems like a gimmick-y idea for people with nothing better to do, think again. Healthy Mason jar salads are so convenient for low carb meal prep! Basically, a Mason jar salad is any salad that you can make in a large glass jar, usually in advance. They are perfect for healthy meal prep, with the right ingredients. Greek mason jar salad with chicken is one of my favorite Mason jar salad recipes. It’s quick, easy, low carb, keto friendly, stores well, and makes a delicious meal all by itself. Seriously, this salad is just so versatile. It’s ideal if you’re looking for low carb high protein meal prep, thanks to the chicken. And, you can always decide to add more of it. At the same time, it’s also wonderful for low carb and keto diets too. I regularly make Greek mason jar salad with chicken as my go-to easy low carb meal prep recipe.
What Size Mason Jar for Salad?
What size Mason jar for salad partly depends on how big you want your salad to be! You have a few decisions to make when choosing a jar for your Mason jar salad: For this Greek Mason jar salad recipe, I used these jars. Before I start putting anything in the jar, though, I like to gather and chop all the ingredients first. This allows me to assemble multiple Mason jar salads at once and save time! Below is how much of each ingredient I used for each Greek Mason jar salad.
How To Make a Mason Jar Salad Recipe
The process for how to make Mason jar salads is super simple. The key is to layer the ingredients in the correct order. Everything else is just chopping. Once you know the layering part, how to make a Mason jar salad is very straightforward. Not all of these layers are included in my Greek Mason jar salad recipe, but I want to share the order with you anyway:
Why does this order matter so much? Because the right order of Mason jar salad layers makes sure that your ingredients stay fresh! That’s a must for a great salad in a Mason jar, because chances are you are going to make it ahead.
Greek Mason Jar Salad as Easy Low Carb Meal Prep
This Greek Mason jar salad with chicken makes for unbelievably easy low carb meal prep! Make as many as you like at once for the week ahead.
How To Make a Mason Jar Salad Ahead
Simple follow the instructions on the recipe card below to make ahead this Greek salad in a Mason jar. The instructions are for one serving, but you can change the number on the recipe card for the number of servings you want. Then, just divide the ingredients evenly among multiple jars. Viola – you just made several low carb meals in one go!
How To Store Mason Jar Salads
The most beautiful thing about Mason jar salad recipes is that there is nothing additional needed to store them. Simply close the lid and pop them in the fridge! They will keep for about 3-5 days, depending on what ingredients you add. I’ve kept this Greek Mason jar salad for five days with no problem. If you are making a salad in a Mason jar with ingredients that degrade easily, like avocado, you can add those on the day of eating.
How To Serve Salad in a Mason Jar (vs. a Bowl)
There are two ways to eat Mason jar salad: in a bowl or right out of the jar. As nice as it sounds not to clean extra dishes, most of the time I recommend the bowl. Either way, start by turning the jar upside down and shaking vigorously. This will help mix the ingredients and disperse the dressing. Then, open the lid and pour into a bowl, which will finish mixing everything. You can try shaking only and eating right out of the jar, but it won’t work very well if your jar is packed tightly. If you want to go this route, use a large Mason jar and don’t pack it too full, so that there is room for the ingredients to move around. I do like this method to save on dishes to wash! Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too - I’d love to see it! Which Mason jar to use? I recommend these jars. See the post above for more detail on types of jars. Want to make this for healthy meal prep? Change the number of servings on the recipe card to 4 (or any number you want), then divide ingredients evenly among multiple jars as you go through the steps. Note about balsamic vinaigrette dressing: If you prefer less dressing, use 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tsp balsamic vinegar instead.
