Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Poppy Seed Chicken Salad




If you’re anything like me, at the beginning of a new year all you want to do is try to stop eating.  By this point you have gorged yourself at a whole slew of holiday gatherings beginning way back in November and now you need to reign that shit in!

I love chicken salad, and the way I make it, it’s really not that bad for you.  I generally mix low-fat mayo with nonfat greek yogurt and always useless boneless skinless chicken breast that I cook with no additional fat (no butter, no oil).  In my holiday laziness a couple weeks ago I was watching Food Network and saw this version of chicken salad that I’d never had before.  I was intrigued.  Even though the person making it was  -gasp!, Trisha Yearwood – seriously.  I never thought I’d be taking cooking tips from a country singer.  At any rate, assuming you like each individual component of this salad, I think you’ll really like it – great combination of savory and sweet, crunchy and soft, and to be quite honest, I think it’s the prettiest chicken salad I’ve ever made – so colorful!  To compensate for the fact that I went all mayo this time (still low-fat), I’ll be eating it over a bed of arugula, rather than between two slices of bread.  You do what you gotta do though….

Ingredients

I’m afraid I don’t really measure anything when I make chicken salad.  I’ll indicate amounts where I remember what I used, but otherwise, it really is a matter of personal taste.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, poached in chicken broth and seasonings
5 stalks celery, small dice
scallions, finely chopped – maybe 5-8?
Seedless red grapes, halved – I probably used about 1-2 cups
½ cup slivered almonds – recipe doesn’t call for it, but I dry-toasted these first
Fresh dill, chopped – about 2 tbsp
2 tbsp poppy seeds
Mayo – maybe about a cup?
Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop cooked chicken to the size dice you prefer, add all other ingredients, mix well with mayo, season with salt & pepper.  Enjoy!

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