As a teacher, I take my lunch to school pretty much every day. When you only have 35 minutes for lunch, you barely have time to drop the kids off eat, and go to the bathroom before it's time to pick the kids up again. I can't imagine trying to go out and pick up lunch and make it back to school on time. Furthermore, the options for that time frame are pretty much limited to super unhealthy fast food. I'm always looking for flavorful, healthy, and original recipes that will work well for a packed lunch. Chicken salad certainly fits that bill!
I love a good, tasty chicken salad. The problem is so many of them are nothing more than mayonnaise and flavorless chicken. Blech! Who likes that?!? But there are healthier and more appealing options. I loved this lighter Chinese chicken salad. But, like I said, when you bring your lunch every day, pretty much anything can get boring. This curried chicken salad, which works well on greens or in a sandwich, is sure to break the monotony. It's light, slightly spicy, and full of protein to keep my energy up for an afternoon with the kiddos!
Curried Chicken Salad
from Ellie Krieger, found on www.foodnetwork.com
printer-friendly recipe
Ingredients:
1 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. water
1 1/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, no more than 3/4-inch thick
1/4 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. nonfat plain yogurt
2 TBSP low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. yellow Madras curry powder
1 c. halved red grapes
1/4 c. chopped cilantro leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 oz. mixed greens (about 5 c. lightly packed)
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
Directions:
1. Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken to broth and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off and let chicken stand in the cooking liquid, covered, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and cool completely in the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch dice.
2. While the chicken is cooling, toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
I love a good, tasty chicken salad. The problem is so many of them are nothing more than mayonnaise and flavorless chicken. Blech! Who likes that?!? But there are healthier and more appealing options. I loved this lighter Chinese chicken salad. But, like I said, when you bring your lunch every day, pretty much anything can get boring. This curried chicken salad, which works well on greens or in a sandwich, is sure to break the monotony. It's light, slightly spicy, and full of protein to keep my energy up for an afternoon with the kiddos!
Curried Chicken Salad
from Ellie Krieger, found on www.foodnetwork.com
printer-friendly recipe
Ingredients:
1 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 c. water
1 1/4 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, no more than 3/4-inch thick
1/4 c. sliced almonds
1/2 c. nonfat plain yogurt
2 TBSP low-fat mayonnaise
1 tsp. yellow Madras curry powder
1 c. halved red grapes
1/4 c. chopped cilantro leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 oz. mixed greens (about 5 c. lightly packed)
1 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. lemon juice
Directions:
1. Bring the broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add chicken to broth and simmer, covered, for 8 minutes. Turn the heat off and let chicken stand in the cooking liquid, covered, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the broth and cool completely in the refrigerator. Cut into 1/4-inch dice.
2. While the chicken is cooling, toast the almonds in a small dry skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant and beginning to turn golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Let cool.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder.
4. Fold in the chicken, grapes and cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. If making for sandwiches, fold in almonds. If serving as a salad, reserve for a garnish.
5. If serving over greens, toss the greens in a large bowl with the oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper, to taste. Arrange on 4 individual plates, top with a scoop of the chicken salad and sprinkle with the almonds.
two years ago: roasted salmon with shallot-grapefruit sauce