Salads are a staple for any diet out there, but that doesn’t mean you have to deal with boring lettuce every single time when making one. In fact, you can change it up while still keeping down the calories with all sorts of dressings and extras in your salad, such as with this lighter chicken salad.
Perfect as a healthy lunch or snack, this chicken salad is small in calories but big on flavor. This is a classic lunchtime meal that almost everyone loves, but you don’t have to worry about the huge sodium intake or the bad fats. Also, you will be getting in your necessary vegetables and this salad can be easily paired with whole wheat bread.
Here are all of the ingredients you will need. These measurements will make six servings.
- A dash of salt and pepper
- Four chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
- 1/4 cups of mayonnaise, light
- 1/4 cups of buttermilk, low fat
- One tablespoon of Dijon mustard
- One tablespoon of lemon juice, preferably fresh
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of hot sauce
- Two celery stalks, finely chopped
- 1/2 red onion, small, finely chopped
- 1/4 cups of parsley, preferably fresh, chopped
And here are the easy step-by-step instructions. This light chicken salad typically takes thirty minutes to make.
- Fill a skillet with a fitted lid with about one inch of water, salted, and bring it to a boil. Add the chicken breast halves, cover the skillet, and reduce the heat to about medium-low settings. Let it simmer for 5 minutes. Take the skillet off the heat and let the chicken steam until cooked through at about 12 to 14 minutes. Once done, remove the chicken breasts from the skillet and start cutting into chunks or shred with a fork.
- Add the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and hot sauce together in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir in the chicken, chopped celery stalks, chopped onion, and the parsley. Dash in any salt or pepper for extra taste.