Healthier Chicken Salad Sandwich

A healthier spin on the traditional chicken salad sandwich. I make mine with just a hint of mayonnaise and sour cream combined with lots of healthy greek yogurt to make it creamy and rich without all the added calories. Fresh diced apples, grapes, chopped chicken, celery, dried cranberries, and walnuts make this chicken salad sandwich AMAZING!

Light and healthier chicken salad sandwiches? I’ll take it.

But before we get to today’s recipe — y’all. I almost needed a boat, a life jacket, sea salt hairspray and a paddle just to make it through this week. Talk about insane. ??????? Here in Houston we have literally had a years worth of rain in a matter of 24 hours and it just can’t stop, won’t stop. GAH! Along with that comes insane amounts of flooding in various parts of town. Which could possibly take 4-6 weeks WEEKS to clear *face palm*. It’s been bad before, but this is terrible with a capital T. Thankfully, we’re safe but the honeymoon period of homeownership came to an abrupt end this week and the reality of it all sank in. Um.. why… why did we want to buy a house again? That 2 bedroom apartment wasn’t that bad. So what if we were both officing out of what seemed like a small closet? Thank god, we’re fine, the house is fine and all we had to deal with is a tipping baby peach tree (that’s still potted). ? Unfortunately, others have a lot worse to deal with. If you’re reading this and your in Cypress, Houston, or the surrounding cities, I hope you are all okay!

With insane rain and lightening and thunder, there’s not much more to do than veg around and eat. Luckily I had made a big batch of this healthier chicken salad to keep us going so some of us (points to self), would steer clear of the double stuffed Oreos that were tenderly whispering my name.

Today’s recipe is one that I think everyone will love. It’s a traditional chicken salad sandwich with a much healthier spin. I’m using creamy greek yogurt with a hint of mayonnaise and sour cream to keep that richness there without all the calories from a mayonnaise drenched salad.

Though you could technically stick everything you’ve got into a chicken salad sandwich, I did a mix of celery, red onions, grapes, apples, dried cranberries, and of course, diced chicken. If you’re one of those people that totally have your life together and keep rotisserie chickens on hand, you can just shred the chicken and add it in. It’ll save you the trouble of having to cook it. I have diced up leftover grilled chicken in summertime and have added it to my chicken salads to give it a little extra kick and it’s fabulous. But most of the year, it’s just quick cooked/poached chicken.

And since this isn’t the Little Bland Jar, i’m obviously kicking this healthier chicken salad sandwich up a few notches because healthy doesn’t have to mean tasteless — unless you want it to. I’m using garlic powder and mild curry powder to give this healthier chicken salad LOTS of pow, in-your-face flavor. This is however optional. You can go the simple, more traditional route by leaving out the curry powder and/or the garlic powder. But why would we do that? Who doesn’t love super filling, protein packed, lighter chicken salad that’s loaded with tons and tons of flavor.

I live for recipes like this.

I like to make the dressing and keep it separately from the salad ingredients because i’m a self-admitted food snob that will not eat a mushy chicken salad sandwich where the veggies/nuts/fruit are no longer crunchy from sitting in the dressing for days. The dressing is simple, it’s a combination of a couple tablespoons mayonnaise and/or sour cream combined with a whole cup of greek yogurt. I like  my salad to be nicely coated in the dressing, you can use ¾ cup if you like it a little less dressed. To flavor the dressing, I’m using garlic powder, lemon juice, miles curry powder, and salt and pepper. That’s it! How easy is that?

Trust me, your lunch neighbor is going to be jealous of your sandwich.

And you can just rub it in further by telling them that it’s healthy.

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Yield: enough filling for ~6 sandwiches

Healthier Chicken Salad Sandwich

A healthier spin on the traditional chicken salad sandwich. I make mine with just a hint of mayonnaise and sour cream combined with lots of healthy greek yogurt to make it creamy and rich without all the added calories. Fresh diced apples, grapes, chopped chicken, celery, dried cranberries, and walnuts make this chicken salad sandwich AMAZING!

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Ingredients

DRESSING:

• 1 cup greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons mayo OR sour cream (I used 1 each)
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1-2 teaspoons mild curry powder (I used 2), optional
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

SALAD:

• 4 cups diced or shredded cooked chicken
• ½ cup celery, diced or sliced
• ¼ cup red onions or shallots, diced
• 1 apple, diced
• 1 cup red/green grapes, halved
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• ¼ cup dried cranberries
• whole wheat bread, for sandwiches

Instructions

1. DRESSING: In a medium bowl, whisk together the greek yogurt, mayonnaise, sour cream, and lemon juice until smooth. Season with the curry powder, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. You can add additional garlic powder or curry powder to taste if you'd like.
2. SALAD: If serving immediately, toss the salad ingredients together in a bowl and drizzle with the prepared dressing stir to combine.
   

Notes

• If you'd like to serve at a later time, toss the apples in an additional teaspoon of lemon juice, then combine the salad ingredients, cover, and refrigerate. I like to keep the salad ingredients and dressing separate until ready to serve to prevent the veggies/fruit/nuts/bread from getting soggy.
• I like my salad nice and dressed if you prefer a lightly dressed salad, you could even get away with just ¾ cup of greek yogurt and a tablespoon of mayo or sour cream.
• You can add additional garlic powder and curry powder to taste or omit it completely if you'd like a more traditional chicken salad.
• Feel free to swap out/omit the salad ingredients to your liking!
  

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