Chicken Salad recipe share!

This afternoon I made one of my favorite things - I wanted to share it with you!

This chicken salad is adapted from this recipe by my dear friend Carrie - one of the best cooks I know.  When we visited her in Knoxville last fall, she met us at the door with warm gingerbread cookies... That's just the kind of awesome she is!

Anywhoo, her chicken salad is one of Preston's favorite foods.  And, since it's tax season, I've been trying to pick up my game.  About the only way I can participate in helping his 65 hour weeks go smoothly is to make sure we've got healthy, yummy food around. 

I love this because it's made with yogurt and not mayo - of which, I'm not a huge fan.  It's tangy and refreshing, and just as good on a cracker or by the forkful as it is on a sandwich.  PS, I made it with a HT rotisserie chicken - EASY.

Chicken Salad (Toogoodoo Style)

-          1 whole cut-up fryer chicken (or one roasted chicken from the deli)*

-          3 stalks celery, chopped (I chop it reeeeeally small)

-          3 green onions, chopped

-          2 cups seedless grapes, halved (For tips on slicing these bad boys, look here for a sweet trick)

-          ½ cup toasted, chopped pecans

-          ½ cup plain yogurt

-          ½ cup fat free Greek yogurt

-          Small handful of fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons of dried dill)

-          2 tablespoons lemon juice

-          2 tablespoons brown sugar

-          Dash of garlic powder (optional)

-          Dash of cayenne pepper (optional)

-          Koser salt and black pepper (fresh ground is delish)

Boil chicken about 45 min (if using the cut-up fryer) and remove skin and bones and chop. If using the roasted chicken, remove skin and bones and chop. Place chicken, celery, onions and grapes in large bowl.

In a smaller bowl, mix yogurts, lemon juice and brown sugar. Add dill, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and garlic powder to taste. Wisk together. (Test especially for saltiness. If you use the cut of fryer, the chicken will be bland, so you’ll want lots of flavor in your dressing.)

Pour the dressing over the chicken, celery, onions and grapes. Mix well, then add pecans. Cover and refrigerate (it gets better the longer the flavors blend together).

*Be sure to use both dark and light meat. If you use only chicken breasts, it's waaay too dry, and you have to more than double the dressing...the meat just keeps soaking it up. I've tried it. You might be able to get away with chicken breasts only if you use large chops of chicken...I usually chop mine a bit finer so it's easier to eat on small sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Sarah

I'm not very good at taking food pictures, so you'll have to trust me.