healthy chicken salad

 

it's a deli definitive. 

it's perfect picnic food. 

it's not what your grandmother made by just stirring in some mayonnaise.

what i hear when i serve this chicken salad, "i can actually taste the chicken".

this recipe evolved from my research on how to substitute high-fat ingredients for healthy alternatives without sacrificing flavor. what i also discovered, is that many of the substitutions actually improve a dish. and while this chicken salad isn't as creamy, or as rich, it is more flavorful, more complex, and texturally more interesting than the one i remember my grandmother serving me on a piece of store bought bread.

     use locally produced, free-range chicken breasts that come to your kitchen just a day after being butchered. the fresh, bright pink meat is lean and tender, and cooks almost as quickly as a piece of fish.

ingredients

serves 4

• 1 vegetable bouillon cube

• 1 bay leaf

• 3 medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts

• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

• 1/3 cup of raisins

• greek yogurt

• grey poupon mustard

• fresh dill

• salt and white pepper

directions

1. dissolve the bouillon cube in about 1 & 1/2 cups of water in a large skillet by bringing it to a boil. add the bay leaf and chicken breasts and cook about 8 minutes, then turn them. cook them until the centers are no longer pink.

2. set the chicken on a plate to cool. save the broth for soup or to cook rice, etc.

3. once the chicken is completely cooled, chop it (i like it in little chunks), and toss it with all of the other ingredients . . . add the yogurt and mustard a little at a time until you like the taste and consistency. season with salt and white pepper.

note: sometimes is use smoked chipotle chili powder instead of dill, which is that nice combo of sweet, hot, and savory.