Waldorf Chicken Salad

Ingredients

• ½ cup plain or Greek non-fat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 2 teaspoons fresh
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cooked
• 2 celery stalks, chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (white and some green) 1 cup red or green seedless grapes, halved
• 1 red apple, unpeeled and diced
• ½ cup sliced almonds, toasted** and chopped
• 2 whole-wheat pita pockets, halved
• 4 romaine lettuce leaves

Directions

1. Mix yogurt, garlic powder, rosemary, pepper and salt in a large bowl.
2. Toast nuts to bring out their flavor. Cook in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, or bake at 350° F for about 10 minutes.
3. Cut chicken into cubes (or shred into bite-size pieces). You should have about 2 ½ cups cooked chicken.
4. Add chicken, celery, onion, grapes and apple to bowl. Mix well; refrigerate for an hour or two.
5. Top salad with nuts and serve on a bed of spinach or dark leafy greens, or as a pita sandwich.

Variations & Tips

• Instead of rosemary, use curry, paprika or a combination of your favorite herbs/spices.
• You could purchase a rotisserie chicken and shred 2 ½ cups for the salad; use the rest in another meal.
• Chop yellow, white or red onions if you prefer them to green onions.
• You could replace the grapes with raisins or dried cranberries.
• Use toasted walnuts or pecans in place of the almonds.
• You could add shredded carrots as an additional veggie as well.

Poaching Chicken

The healthiest and easiest way to cook chicken in a hurry is to poach it. Place boneless, skinless chicken breasts in a skillet or saucepan. Add lightly salted water (or chicken broth) to cover and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer gently until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink in the middle, 10 to 15 minutes or until chicken reaches 165° internally.

Nutritional Info (per serving): Salad Only 332 Calories; 10 g Fat (1.4 g Saturated Fat); 22 g Carbohydrates; 4.5 g Fiber; 39 g Protein; Sodium 219 mg

Yield: 4 servings (1 ¼ cup salad per serving, one-half pita, 1 lettuce leaf) Total Cost: $6.75

Cost per Serving: $1.69

Source: Adapted from SkinnyMs.com

Watch the waldorf chicken salad cooking demo below and download the recipe to make it yourself.

Cooking Skills: How To Poach Chicken

Watch a demo on how to poach chicken.