Chicken salad is delicious year round, but it’s especially good when the weather warms and summer barbecues leave you with lots of left-over grilled chicken breasts! As good as the standard chicken salad recipe may be, sometimes it’s fun to switch it up and add a little variety to those chicken salad sandwiches.
Here are 5 delicious recipes that are low in fat, but certainly not on flavor!
Light Curried Chicken Salad (Ellie Krieger)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cooked and diced
1/4 cup sliced toasted almonds
1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 cup halved red grapes
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
In a large bowl, stir together the yogurt, mayonnaise, and curry powder. Fold in the chicken, grapes and cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with toasted almond, and serve over greens!
Chicken Salad with Pecans and Cranberries (Allrecipes)
Ingredients:
2 cooked chicken breast halves, chopped
1/2 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries (such as Ocean Spray® Craisins®)
1/4 green apple, shredded
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 pinch salt and black pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
Directions:
Mix together the chicken and mayonnaise in a bowl, stir to coat well, then stir in the green onions, dried cranberries, apple, pecans, lime juice, salt, pepper, and dill weed. Serve immediately, or refrigerate several hours or overnight (the flavor just gets better).
Santa Fe Chicken Salad (Hungry Girl)
Ingredients:
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
8 oz. cooked and shredded skinless lean chicken breast
1/2 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup sweet corn kernels, thawed from frozen
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup sliced scallions
1/2 cup fresh salsa or pico de gallo
1/4 cup fat-free sour cream
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
Directions:
Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to medium-high heat on the stove. Add bell pepper and onion. Stirring occasionally, cook until softened, 6 – 8 minutes.
Transfer cooked veggies to a large bowl. Add chicken, black beans, corn, cilantro, and scallions. Mix well and set aside. In a small bowl, combine salsa, sour cream, taco seasoning, and salt. Mix well. Add salsa mixture to the large bowl and toss to coat.
Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
Nutrition facts per serving (makes 4 servings): 153 calories, 1.5g fat, 466mg sodium, 17.5g carbs, 3g fiber, 6g sugars, 18g protein
Chicken-Garbanzo Salad (Health)
Ingredients:
1 (9-ounce) package frozen cooked chopped chicken breast, thawed
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 cupchopped seeded cucumber (about 1 small)
1/2 cupchopped green onions (about 4 small)
1/4 cupchopped fresh mint or basil
1/2 cupplain fat-free yogurt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cupsprepackaged baby spinach leaves
1/3 cup(1.3 ounces) feta cheese with cracked pepper, crumbled
Combine first 8 ingredients; toss gently. Gently fold in spinach leaves and feta cheese. Serve over greens or in a pita. Nutrition Facts per serving (1 cup): 248 calories, 6 grams fat, 28 grams protein, 675 mg sodium
Chipotle Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken
1 cup light mayonnaise
1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese
2 green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons reduced-fat sour cream
3 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced
garlic salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Combine all the ingredients and add salt and pepper to taste. Chill and serve.
