My mother in law makes the best chicken salad and although she has given me the recipe, as a dietitian, I would feel guilty passing it on to you. Most chicken salad recipes are loaded with mayonnaise which means you can either eat a TINY amount (which I have a hard time doing) or succumb to the fact that you are likely eating half your daily calories in one meal (780 calories and 63 grams of fat per serving without bread according to AllRecipes.com!). This recipe has less than half the calories (310 calories/serving) and only 13.5 grams of fat/serving! As an added bonus you get almost a full serving of fruit too!
Sound to good to be true? The key to this recipe is swapping yogurt for the mayonnaise. Although any plain yogurt will work, I highly recommend Green Valley lactose free plain low-fat yogurt (even if you aren’t lactose intolerant). This yogurt is less tangy than other plain yogurt because of the lactase enzyme they add to it. It’s slightly sweet taste works well in the salad. And since 70% of people have some degree of lactose intolerance, you’ll be sure your guests will be able to eat it. And since the recipe calls for curry powder you don’t even notice that there is much less mayonnaise than usual (my husband is my witness!).
The best part is how easy this recipe is. Next time you cook chicken breasts, cook enough so that you have plenty of leftovers for this salad. That way you cook once but get two meals.
Ingredients
2 cups cubed chicken breast
1/3 cup lactose free, plain yogurt
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I recommend omega 3 mayonnaise, such as Spectrums brand)
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/3 cup diced celery
1 cup grapes, sliced in half
1/3 cup diced apple
1/4 cup toasted pecans
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Directions
Place pecans in a pan on low-medium heat, stirring occasionally and toast until fragrant. Once cool, chop. Mix all ingredients and you are done! Serve as a sandwich, on top of whole grain crackers or as a salad topping. Enjoy! Makes 3 servings, with each serving 310 calories and 13.5 grams of fat.
Katie Jones MS, RD 