Preparing for a crazy long day can be quite daunting. Particularly when I don't know how long I will actually be at work. I always make sure I bring along enough food to get me through even the longest of days. I pack up my food every night to save time, because seriously who has time in the morning? Today I want to share my new go-to lunch: chicken salad. Chicken salad is a childhood favorite that I haven't eaten very much over the last few years. This is because a) I never knew how to make it taste good and b) mayo is often made with added sugar, high fructose corn syrup, soy and/or canola oil and tends to upset my stomach.
I try to buy the most close to homemade mayo I can! Typically this is Just Mayo or I try and keep avocado oil like this mayo around.
But let's break for a second because here is a great lesson on the importance of label reading... Have you seen Hellman's Mayo "with olive oil"...? Take a look at these ingredients: WATER, SOYBEAN OIL, OLIVE OIL, WHOLE EGGS AND EGG YOLKS, MODIFIED POTATO STARCH, VINEGAR, SALT, SUGAR, LEMON JUICE, SORBIC ACID AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (USED TO PROTECT QUALITY), NATURAL FLAVOR, PAPRIKA OLEORESIN...
Far from just olive oil, in fact this mayo is mostly soybean oil. Reading the ingredient list is the only way to know what you are eating. Trusting a product name or advertisement scheme is not the way to do it...
The Avocado Oil Mayo is exactly what it says it is! Check out this ingredient list: Avocado Oil, Organic Cage-Free Eggs, Organic Egg Yolks, Organic Vinegar (From Non-GMO Beets), Sea Salt, Rosemary Extract...
Keep in mind, if you are more adventurous than me you can certainly make your own mayo! There are a TONS of recipes out there. Whatever you choose to use is fine by me - this recipe will turn out awesome no matter what mayo you use.
This recipe is meant to provide two servings. Give it a try and let me know what you think!
Court's chicken salad
Ingredients
- 6 oz shredded chicken, about 1.5 c not tightly packed (from a rotisserie chicken or make your own*)
- 1/4 c mayo (ideally homemade, Primal Kitchen, Tessamae's , or Sir Kensington's - if I'm running to the store with limited options I go with Just Mayo)
- 2 dill pickle slices, chopped, with the juice
- 1/4 avocado, mashed
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 3 Tbsp red onion, diced
- 1/4 tsp salt + fresh ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Put the chicken into a bowl, season with the salt and pepper, and mix it up. Add the rest of the ingredients.
2. Mash the avocado with a fork on the side of the bowl. Then stir everything together until it appears evenly mixed. If you prefer, you can mix all of the ingredients and mash up the avocado to mix in at the end.
3. Taste it. Add more salt if you'd like.
4. Pack up lunch!
This chicken salad is great with zoodles or in a salad.
I ate this for lunch every day one week!
Looks messy but seriously it is so taste with tomato on top!!! Sometimes I add extra avocado to the side as well.
Try it with your favorite veggie! or eat it by itself. If you are making your own shredded chicken using half thigh meat and half breast meat would add an extra delicious dynamic.
*Shredded chicken: Salt and pepper 2-4 chicken breasts (the more you make now the more you have later) and brown in butter in a sauté pan with high sides (about 2 minutes each side). Add 1 can of chicken broth to the pan and bring to a simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan and liquid. Once it cools shred with two forks. Making shredded chicken is a great way to meal prep! Use it for this chicken salad or top with BBQ sauce for another quick meal!
What are your favorite go-to healthy lunch ideas?
Let me know :)
Til next time- Court
