Ever since our hike in Seattle (you know, the one that had me WADDLING for days), I’ve been all into “nature”. I’m from Chicago — nature and I are just now getting acquainted in life…you know, after I moved AWAY from Chicago. My concept of “camping” was childhood birthday parties with tents set up in the backyard and my dad asleep in a lawn chair “protecting” us (i.e. shoring). After about 3 years of “camping” which resulted in sleeping on the couches in the air-conditioned house by midnight, my mom called it quits on “camping” birthday parties.
Lord love her for even going a round 2…or 3 with that idea.
When my students back in Ohio wanted to organize an picnic + hike as a going away get-together for me, I was 1) beyond flattered and 2) pumped! It was truly one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me. Teaching was BEYOND rewarding and fun. A lot of work, but worth every effort. Having the opportunity to work with the future of nutrition was incredible. It was a great last quarter and I miss them all — luckily, some of them read my blog and will hopefully keep in touch! 🙂
Anyways. I struggled with what to bring to our picnic. It was HOT on that Thursday and I wasn’t sure if there were any dietary restrictions or allergies to accommodate.
So, I did what any logical person would do and I polled my Facebook friends. Stephanie responded with the ingredients for this chicken salad and when she said it was the top seller at her local farmer’s market, I was sold (therefore, this is named Stephanie’s Chicken Salad!), especially since this chicken salad used plain Greek yogurt vs. mayonnaise. While I adore mayonnaise, some people don’t…and Greek yogurt is obviously a bit more healthy to share with my nutrition students.
I had no idea how much of each ingredient to include, so I just adjusted as I went along. I also had to add celery because I love that low-calorie crunch in cold salads. It just isn’t the same without it!
It tasted good to me. But I let them be the judge.
It was gone. Some went back for seconds.
Most requested the recipe. Lovely students & readers, here it is. SO GOOD.
Stephanie’s Chicken Salad
1 small (1 lb picked meat) rotisserie chicken, skinless
1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
2-3 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
2 large celery stalks, finely chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Directions:
Pick a rotisserie of 1 pound of chicken, tearing into bite-sized pieces. Add yogurt, mustard, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Fold in the remaining ingredients and refrigerate until served.
Yield: 8 servings (1/2 cup each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 134 calories; 8.1 g. fat; 37 mg. cholesterol; 295 mg. sodium; 4.9 g. carbohydrate; 0.6 g. fiber; 12.3 g. protein
Result: The rotisserie chicken adds loads of flavor so that you don’t miss the mayonnaise. My students and I thought this chicken salad was perfect and it was a hit among all. For those who are looking for a lighter option or something mayo-free, this is perfect! Quick to make, too! Enjoy!
[/print_this]Weekly Menu: July 1st – 5th
- Sunday: Baked Lemon Pasta, veggie side
- Monday: out, Frosted Zucchini Brownies (dessert)
- Tuesday: Salmon with Mango Chimichurri, green beans, roasted potatoes
- Wednesday: Blueberry Yogurt Waffles (breakfast); Crispy Grilled Chicken Thighs, Kansas City-Style Barbecue Sauce, chips and Baja Fresh Salsa, veggie skewers, Triple Coconut Cream Pie (dinner & dessert)
- Thursday: Healthier Zucchini Bread (breakfast); Open-Faced Pimento Cheese BLT (lunch), Cookie Dough Ice Pops
- Friday: Mushroom and Feta Tart (breakfast); Parmesan Lemon Orzo (lunch)
Can you tell I’m entertaining? 🙂
Be well,
It’s weird for me to think of a childhood that didn’t involve at least one real trip to the woods!
Sounds like you had very nice students! And they had a very nice instructor! đŸ™‚
The chicken salad sounds great! I make a very similar one, also with Greek yogurt. Haven’t made it in a long time. It’s going on the menu again!
I had this same idea recently to replace the mayo for Greek yogurt for my mayo-hating husband, but haven’t made it yet. Glad to see it turns out well! Looks great!
The link to the Salmon with Mango Chimichurri is wrong (it points to the brownie recipe).
I kid you NOT, last Thursday I made a chicken salad with almost the exact same ingredients. How weird. I made it for Nick and he hates dried fruit so there wasn’t dried fruit in it. The dijon mustard really adds a wonderful flavor!
I love the twist of putting it in lettuce cups. YUM!
I was like you growing up..when you mentioned your story about “camping”..that was my family. haha.
Nice looking lettuce cups. Love the use of Greek yogurt. I was just about to make a chocolate zucchini bread, but I spotted your link for the brownies, so I may try that out instead. Have a great week!
LOVE how this looks!
I highly recommend adding toasted slivered almonds to the mix. My mom showed me how I could enjoy chicken salad (something I previously gagged at). She changed it up by baking the chicken with salt, pepper, garlic, olive oil etc, then shredding the chicken with dried cranberries and toasted slivered almonds and just enough mayo to bind it, I’ve been meaning to change things up with Greek yogurt but I’m waiting until I use up my mayo (I pretty much only use it for chicken salad and chicken divan lol). It’s AMAZING!