The Humble Chicken Salad

 

Food historians tell us salads (generally defined as mixed greens with toppings and dressing) were enjoyed by ancient Romans and Greeks. As time progressed, salads became more complicated. Recipes varied according to place and time. The concept was coined from Greek philosophers who believed raw vegetables prepared your system for the heavier meal to come. By the end of the 19th century, salads were a staple in every meal and just plain dressed greens were replaced with all sorts of ingredients and mixes of meats, cheeses and vegetables to create very diverse array of "salads" we make today. One of my favorite things to do is take left over chicken and turn it into something really tasty and quick. The possibilities are endless. Whether you use canned chicken or pull chicken off of a store bought rotisserie chicken, serve it on bread, on lettuce or in a cantaloupe, or hollowed out cucumber it all tastes pretty amazing. 


                                                                                                  
Curry Chicken Salad
This is a very refreshing change to the traditional chicken salad. Easy to prepare and even for big crowds. 

Recipe makes 3 Cups 

2 cups leftover cooked chicken, chopped. (use chicken breast or chicken thighs)
1/2 cup mayo or 1/2 C.sour cream +3 Tbsp yogurt
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon Tamari or coconut aminos (if not gluten free, use soy sauce)
1/2 cup combination of apricots or golden raisins
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 green onions, minced
2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
fresh ground black pepper, to taste 

Combine mayo/yogurt with seasonings, whisking till smooth. Pour mixture over chicken and veg and chill. I serve mine in endive leaves, celery hearts, and on a bed of spinach or mixed baby greens. 

          *optional ingredient: 1/3 C. broccoli slaw mix

Recipe and photo courtesy of Ambitious Kitchen

Chickpea, Chicken Salad  Serves: 4-6
This recipe is so good! 

 Ingredients
2 large romaine hearts, washed and chopped
1 cup pulled cooked chicken breast
1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup grape tomatoes, sliced in half
3/4 cup sweet corn (I grilled mine)
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/3 cup cilantro, washed and chopped
1 small avocado, diced
1/2 cup BBQ dressing, if desired

Buffalo BLT Chicken Salad

2 Cups leftover chicken, chopped or shredded

2-3 Tbsp. Franks Red Hots

1/2 C. Paleo Mayo (Recipe below)

1/4 Bacon, crispy

2 tomatoes chopped

1 avocado, cubed

1 Head of Butter Lettuce

1/8 tsp. celery salt

1/4 tsp. onion powder

Himalayan salt/ and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and mix. You can also add diced shallots or red onion to give it a kick.

Paleo Mayo
2 egg yolks
1 tsp mustard (this is optional)
3 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup coconut oil

Pina Colada Chicken Salad 
This recipe reminds me of grandmothers everywhere. It's sweet and delicious. If you're worried about calories, replace sour cream with greek yogurt and coconut with unsweetened. 

If you want additional sources of fiber, add 1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans and that will bring you to 12g fiber.

 

3 Cups Chicken (canned chicken will not work in this recipe)
1 (10-ounce) can pineapple chunks (about 1 cup), drained
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (about 1 cup), drained
1 medium apple, cored and chopped (about 1 cup)
1 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup sour cream, light or regular (or) 1/2 cup greek yogurt + 1tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut

Combine the chicken and fruit in a large bowl, tossing well so the apple (and other fruit that likes to brown) can get coated in the pineapple and orange juice to prevent browning. Stir in the sour cream and coconut, gently tossing to coat.
Refrigerate for at least 4 hours prior to serving to allow the flavors to meld together. Serve chilled. You might notice that after a day or so of sitting in the fridge, quite a bit of liquid from the fruit pools at the bottom. If eating the leftovers, I like to gently pour some of this off before eating.

*If you're looking for this recipe to be more of a meal, replace the oranges with

add: 
1/2 cup carrot rounds

       
 1 cup salad greens and the more savory version of dressing

1½ cups coconut milk, 1 cup pineapple juice, 3 teaspoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons greek yogurt (may sub sour cream) ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons honey (or more to taste)

Try these other options with you chicken, mayo, salt and pepper
       Mango, Red Onion, and Celery
       Blueberries, Walnuts and Pomegranate Seeds
       Strawberries, Almonds, Feta and Sunflower Seeds
       Pumpkin Seeds, Grannie Smith Apple, Jicama
       Fuji Apple, Celery, Green Onion and Red Grapes
       Avocado, Orange Bell Pepper, and Shallots
       Pears, Blueberries, Blue cheese and Almonds 

Serve in a non traditional way, in a hollowed out cantaloupe, on top of multi grain crackers, inside a tomato or red bell pepper, in celery sticks, cucumber logs or on toasted baguette.