with Missy Tippens
I thought I'd share a new yummy chicken salad recipe with y'all today. The original recipe is Trisha Yearwood's Food Network recipe called Billie's Houdini Chicken Salad.
Here's my version…
3-4 chicken breasts--skinless, boneless
1-½ cups plain Greek yogurt (I used 2 small containers but probably needed a third)
1 cup seedless grapes, cut in half if they're large (mine were small, so less work!) :)
½ cup roasted, salted almonds, chopped
½ cup roasted, salted pecans, chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
1 large apple, peeled and diced (I used a wonderful new apple I've discovered called Opal apples)
½ of a sweet or red onion, finely chopped (I used a Vidalia-type onion)
Drizzle of honey
Add chicken to boiling water and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Then remove from the pan and let it cool.
While that simmers, do the prep work. First I washed the grapes. Then I realized I didn't have roasted nuts so tossed them with olive oil and kosher salt and roasted them. And believe it not, I didn't burn them!! (very rare) :)
Once chicken is cool, either dice or shred it. I diced but ended up kind of wishing it had been shredded.
Here's one of the Opal apples. I love them! They're sweet but not too sweet for those who like tart apples.
The nuts are done! Now chop them.
Once everything is chopped, stir in the yogurt, onion, apples, cranberries and nuts.
And don't forget the grapes! Drizzle with honey and then season with salt and pepper to taste.
A huge bowl of deliciousness.
The Greek yogurt makes a healthy version of chicken salad. But once I tasted it, I decided that maybe next time I would add a little mayonnaise for a bit more creaminess. I'm used to chicken salad with mayo so this felt like it was lacking a little something. Next time, I think I'll add a ½ cup mayo.
Serve on crackers or bread or my favorite--croissants. Enjoy!
www.missytippens.com
Can I used dried cranberries and turkey for the grapes and chicken? This looks really, yummy. Imagine on Dave's organic 70 calorie thin sliced bread with light mayo. Perfectly allowable.
ReplyDeleteWait, you have dried cranberries in there. NICE!!
ReplyDeleteTina, I think you could easily substitute turkey and leave out the grapes. Let me know how it turns out!
DeleteI just edited my post and added the honey! I forgot that ingredient! I added honey because I don't typically like the taste of plain yogurt. I wanted to take the tart edge off of it. :)
ReplyDeleteOkay, this is a perfect switch on a Waldorf-style salad, Missy! I can't wait to try it. I wonder if using the vanilla yogurt would add the better meld of flavors... or just go straight mayo. I love a Waldorf salad with Hellman's, and I'd skip the bread and croissants altogether and have it on a bed of broccoli slaw or cole slaw. I cannot wait to try this, Missy!!!!
ReplyDeleteRuthy, I ate it leftover several times without the croissant. Just ate it with a fork. :) And I also had a bowl of it with some high fiber Wheat Thins. This was WAY too much for two people!! I got sick of it and ended up throwing some away. I won't make it again until we have company.
DeleteRuthy, I thought about using vanilla. It might be good since there's fruit in it.
DeleteI had that same thought about vanilla. The plain is not just not sweet, but it's shudder-inspiring tangy sometimes.
DeleteYeah, Mary/Cate, it is!
DeleteOOOO thanks, Missy! I made chicken salad this week by a recipe of a well known restaurant (sour cream/mayo, etc.) and it seems to lack something. So since I love yogurt anyway, I am going to try your recipe. I, like you, may have to add mayo! lol
ReplyDeleteJackie, I've always just used straight mayo in chicken salad. But I have another recipe I need to share sometime that has cream cheese. It's amazing.
DeleteYou know, one thing that could have been missing in yours was salt and pepper. I think you need to add plenty to this recipe.
BINGO.....Missy, I am sure I need to do that....salt/pepper!!
DeleteYum! This sounds delicious, Missy. I like fruit and nuts in my chicken salad. Can't wait to try it.
ReplyDeleteMindy, my mom has always put fruit in her chicken salad, so I grew up with it this way. I would also love celery in it, but hubby would have had to pick it out. :)
DeleteBTW, I had a thought after the fact that maybe the creaminess was missing because I used fat free yogurt. I bet full fat Greek yogurt might have worked better.
ReplyDeleteBTW!! Did you see the photo bomb in the back of the large bowl shot?? LOL! A hungry doggie who loves chicken!
ReplyDeleteI love chicken salad, and it's been a long time since I had it. Yours looks so delicious, I think I'm going to have to make some for my lunch today. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great recipe!
Enjoy, Jan! I don't make it often either. But I should.
DeleteBoy this looks good, Missy.
ReplyDeleteI have recently subbed dried cherries for craisins and really liked them. I suppose that's a flip of the coin though, they're similar right?
I need chicken salad!
Mary, I can hardly tell the difference between cranberries and cherries. We used to buy cherries all the time but do cranberries now. Either would be good in this!
DeleteThis looks seriously good, Missy. We have a restaurant nearby call The Hen House that makes a similar chicken salad, although I'm sure that's mayo, not yogurt I'm chowing down on. I love going there to over indulge! But yours looks healthier.
ReplyDeleteLinda, I think this yogurt does cut down a lot on the fat, especially if you use fat free yogurt like I did. But I bet the version at your local restaurant is nice and creamy! :)
DeleteLove the photo bombing dog. "Dinner ready yet?" That made me smile. Give him a kiss on his furry forehead for me. :-)
ReplyDeleteKav, I will! And bless his heart, I couldn't resist slipping him a little of the chicken scraps. :) It was a huge treat for him because we never feed him people food.
DeleteMissy, I used to make something similar, but it also had tarragon in it. I love that pairing of tarragon and fruit and the chicken salad.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to try using tarragon!
DeleteOh, this looks delicious. A long time ago I had a weird chicken fruit salad that was not very well prepared, and I've avoided it every since. I think it's time to try again!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's nice when you make it yourself, Virginia. :)
Delete