I’m normally the person who can be found ordering in, or heading to the local deli for lunch, which doesn’t always work out the best for my diet. I’ve been on the look out for new inspirations for lunch, and while in Provincetown, MA last month, one of my friends introduced me to a completely new type of chicken salad that has no mayonnaise whatsoever! I’ve put my own twists on this perfect lunch dish in the recipe below based on the amazing fresh veggies I found at the Greenmarket Farmer’s Market in Union Square this week.
Ingredients (serves 2)
1 cup diced or 1 can of chicken
1 avocado
1/3 cup diced cherry or plum tomatoes
1/3 cup fresh broccoli florets
1 TBSP chopped cilantro
Juice from half a lime
1 TBSP olive oil
Romaine lettuce
Salt to taste
1) You can either used canned chicken or diced roasted chicken breast. For today, I decided to keep things easy and stick to canned chicken – like Swanson premium white meat chicken breast in water. (I’m roasting chicken later for dinner though!) Just add the chicken to a large bowl.
2) Dice your tomatoes, into small bite sized pieces and add to the bowl of chicken. Next cut your full broccoli stalk into small floret pieces and then steam them for a few minutes, and add those to the bowl as well. If you don’t have a steamer, you could blanch them. Depending on what vegetables you have on hand, you could also use mushrooms, peppers and even corn in this salad.
3) The secret to this recipe is the avocado. Pit the avocado, and dice and then add it to the bowl. Also, add in the cilantro.
4) Squeeze the lime juice into the bowl, add the olive oil (you can add more to taste or texture), and add salt to taste. Then mix all the ingredients together until the avocado is creamy. This makes it seem like you have mayo!
5) Tear your romaine lettuce (or whatever lettuce you prefer) into bite size pieces and place on a plate or in a bowl.
6) Finally, top your lettuce with the chicken salad mixture. To make it look pretty, you can add the chicken salad mixture to a mold (like a small bowl) before putting it on the plate.
In just 6 simple steps you’ll have a delicious, and healthy chicken salad that you’ll want for lunch every day!
