Tasty Tuesday: Skinny Chicken Salad

Sweet eaters and readers, welcome!  If I don’t type fast, this “Tasty Tuesday” Skinny Chicken Salad post is going to get published on Wednesday.  Had planned to share one recipe then switched kind of mid-stream and had to scramble to get my act together.  Who am I kidding, though?  My act has never been together!  And you know that if you’ve been hanging out over here with me for any time.

So with my fingertips ablaze on the laptop keyboard, I give you Skinny Chicken Salad.

Let’s Get Cooking:  Skinny Chicken Salad

I had never really eaten, let alone made, chicken salad (the fatty or skinny version either one) until I tried it at a local cafe owned by one of my former students.  Giovanni at Buon Giorno makes his chicken salad with a hint of almond flavoring and serves it on a fresh croissant.  So. Good.  But I thought chicken salad was only good when it was bad for you.  Not true, my friends, not true.

Here’s what you will need to grab in order to mix up this tasty version of this popular dish.

I also added a little boiled chicken in addition to the canned chicken, just for the extra meat for my man.  I found this recipe on Pinterest, originally shared by Skinny Mom who is now blogging at Womanista.  Click here to see the recipe on Pinterest and while you are there, would love to have you follow me!

The Recipe

• 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts  (I used a 12 ounce can of Swanson chunk chicken packed in water, drained and 3 ounces of boiled chicken breast)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth  (used less than that because the canned chicken added a little liquid)
• 2 dried bay leaves
• ½ cup plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
• ¼ cup light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons honey
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, cut in half lengthwise (20 grapes)  (used green…because it is the best color in the world)
• ½ cup coarsely chopped unsalted, raw pecans (34 pecans)  (used sliced almonds because I didn’t have pecans)
• 1 cup diced celery (about 3 stalks)
• *2 tablespoons reduced sugar dried cranberries
• *1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

The Directions

If adding chicken breast to the recipe, boil that first.  I only used a small breast, about 3 ounces and a 12 ounce can of chunk chicken. Added a single bay leaf to the water. Simmer the chicken for 10-15 minutes.

Remove the chicken, cut into small bites and allow to cool.

While the chicken breast cools, prepare the dressing in a large bowl.  Mix together the yogurt, mayonnaise, vinegar, honey, salt, and black pepper.

Chop the grapes and celery.

Add grapes, celery and nuts to the bowl of dressing.  Mix well.

Stir in canned and/or boiled chicken breast.

*I added two tablespoons of reduced sugar dried cranberries, for kicks.

*And then sprinkled about 1 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese on the top of the salad before moving it to the refrig to chill.

I chilled the salad for a few hours.  Served it on Dave’s Killer Bread | Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified Whole Grain Bread.  And we were so hungry that I forgot to take a picture of our sandwiches.

According to Skinny Mom, this recipe makes 7 one-cup servings.  Each serving is 223 calories.  I calculated each 1-cup serving to be 3 Weight Watchers points!  SCORE!  With two slices of bread of Dave’s bread, the sandwich was 7 points.  Served a kale salad on the side for a healthy, low-calorie dinner on this hot summer afternoon.

Your Turn

Do you have a favorite chicken salad recipe?  Stumbled across another delicious looking chicken salad recipe at Jen Reviews.  Citrus Chicken Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette, recipe here.  Doesn’t that sound scrumptious?  Anxious to give it a try!

What kinds of meals are you eating on the hottest summer evenings? Please share in a comment below. Always looking for something new to try over here.  Check out other “Tasty Tuesday” posts, here.

I am going to be counting my Weight Watchers points for a bit until my too-tight denim skirts fit again. Need to lose about 8 pounds to get down to my lifetime goal weight.  Combining healthier eating with regular exercise in hopes of wearing my skirts in the near future.  How do you stay fit and healthy?

Well, if I proof-read this quickly, I can still get it published on Tuesday.  Thank you for joining me.  Hope you will give this recipe a try.  It will be a refreshing change from a hot dinner meal!

Hugs and kisses,