When Chicken Met Salad

 Last weekend a special guy in my life was craving chicken salad. I was a touch lazy so it didn't happen. However, I was so inspired by his desire for it on the weekend that I decided to make it for my lunches this week. Perhaps to his chagrin ;) 

One of my favorite chicken salad recipes is here in St. Louis at this little boutique grocer called Straub's. While there are many great things to say about their chicken salad, there are a couple of things that make it a difficult menu option for me. One, they put all the fatty, creamy (granted delicious) things in there that if you are trying to stay on a healthy track one should avoid. Two, the price. As much as I absolutely adore Straub's, it is $11/lb of chicken salad, and on my itty bitty non-profit salary that isn't always an option. As a result I started scouring the internet for chicken salad recipes that wouldn't bust the bank, or the button on my jeans ;)

Here is what I found! 

Skinny Chicken Salad
Inspired by Damn Delicious 

1 Pound Cooked Chicken Breast, Shredded
1/2 Red Onion, Diced
2 Stalks of Celery, Chopped
1/2 Cup Granny Smith Apple, Chopped
1/2 Cup Red Grapes, Halved
1/3 Cup Raw Trail Mix (I used the Serenity blend from Aldi)
1/2 Cup Plain Green Yogurt 
1/2 Lemon worth of juice
Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper

1. Begin by cooking your chicken. ( I used the same method in my previous Lime Chicken recipe last week. You can find that here.) Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, shred into bite sized pieces.

2. While the chicken is cooking, chop up your onion, celery, apple and grapes. Measure out your greek yogurt and trail mix.

    ** Other recipes I found online called for almonds and dried cranberries separately. I used this Aldi trail mix called the Serenity blend. It has dried cranberries, walnuts and almonds in it all raw. It was a great option because I used it here, but also snacked on it throughout the week. **

2. Once everything is ready to go, combine into one bowl and squeeze lemon juice over ingredients.

3. Then stir! Mix until everything is covered with yogurt. 

4. Enjoy! I went with the no bread option this week, but you can certainly pair this with a whole grain bread and make an open sandwich or with crackers.

This upcoming week is going to be a crazy travel week, so I'll be on the go, but that won't stop be from whippin' up a yummy dinner. Check back next week to see what's cookin' ! 

Remember... just keep running!