I finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel: Thanksgiving Break. Besides accepting an official offer for a Clinical Nutritionist position with WIC on Monday (!!!!!) this last week has been a test of my physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing. Having to deal with two quizzes, one test, presenting a food demo, preparing food for said food demo, tutoring my mentee that doesn’t talk to me, packing for a week of vacation, cleaning the house (being the show house for our rental company is fun….), and fitting in workouts, all while still feeling a little under the weather was rough (turns out I had strep). I wasn’t in bed until after midnight every night, which at the ripe age of 22 is becoming super late which is embarrassing to admit. My sophomore year self would be disappointed.
Anyway, here I am. I survived…maybe thrived, I don’t know.
Maybe you read through that never-ending list of tasks and “food demo” piqued your interest. No? Just go with me, then. One of the courses I have to take as a Dietetics student is Food and Nutrition Education, and one of the main assignments I have to complete is a food demonstration during class. If you need a mental image, think any show on the Food Network: Ina Garten, Giada de Laurentis, The Pioneer Woman… Yeah, I had to stand in front of my class and demonstrate how to put together a recipe in 10 minutes. I’m not a big fan of getting in front of crowds and presenting, which may actually come as a surprise to some people. I get nervous and just don’t like it, so for this I was starting to freak out a little bit. I eventually stopped and took a deep breath Monday night and literally thought to myself: “Clara. Tomorrow you are going to channel Ina Garten. She knows she’s the ****, she can make a mean chicken salad just like you, and you’ve watched too many of her episodes to not be able to mimic her actions”. So with that mindset, I was ready.
The recipe I chose to “demo” was a lighter version of the classic Chicken Salad. I loved chicken salad growing up, but hated mayonnaise, and after finding this recipe I knew I wanted to share it with more people because it is so great! The secret ingredient? Plain greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise. Not only do you get a little extra calcium boost, but you cut the fat by over half (from about 24 g to 3.5!), cut the calories in half, and even get a little more protein.
My classmates ended up loving the recipe; I had made one batch before class and one during the actual demo, and 98% of it was gone by the end of class. Assuming that it was good, I decided to share it with y’all :). My teacher even commented on how much of a pleasure it was to watch me present. Must’ve been my inner Ina.
This particular recipe is a pretty basic “base” for a chicken salad, and gives you a lot of room for substitutions, additions, and creativity! A few of my favorite ingredients to add include celery, walnuts, pecans, mustard, dill, parsley, and even avocado. I love how versatile chicken salad can be too, you can make it a sandwich or wrap filling, a salad topper, a dip, or even stuff it into an avocado half. I’ve even made lettuce wraps with it, which was a personal favorite.
This recipe also calls for chicken breasts already baked. For these, all I did was season 2 chicken breasts with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and popped them in a preheated oven at 425*F for about 35-40 minutes (or until they reach 165*F!!). Let them cool a bit before adding to the salad mix. You can also use a store bought rotisserie chicken if you are short on time!!
Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, baked
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
1/2 medium red onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup green seedless grapes, halved
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds
3/4 cup plain greek yogurt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
1) Shred or cut baked chicken breasts into bite sized pieces and place into large bowl.
2) Chop apple, onion, and grapes into similar sizes and place into large bowl with chicken.
3) Add in cranberries, almonds, greek yogurt, and lemon juice. Stir to combine all ingredients.
4) Season to taste with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
5) Enjoy!!
ciao down,
clara (the new Ina)