One of the tastiest dishes that you can serve to your friends or family is chicken salad. You will be thrilled at the satisfied looks of contentment on the faces of your dinner or lunch guests. Moreover, the possibilities are virtually endless. The number of chicken salad recipes you could whip up is virtually limitless. Your final product is only limited by your own creativity. With this in mind, let's take a look at some creative things you can do with a couple of pieces of poultry.
In its simplest form, the salad can be made from a combination of cubed cooked chicken, mayonnaise, and a little salt and pepper. And for many people, this formula works just great. It is tasty and simple to make. This is especially the case if you have some leftover chicken or even turkey from last night's roaster.
You can also take the simple recipe and use it as your foundation. It does not take a whole lot of work or expensive ingredients to spice things up a bit. You can mince a tablespoon or two of fresh onion or scallions and add it to the batch. If you do not have an onion on hand you can substitute onion powder. Adding one or two stalks of chopped celery can add some extra savory flavor. Some folks love to add olives or olive juice to the mix.
For those looking to add a foreign flavor to their chicken salad recipes, opportunities abound. An Indian variation can be made by the addition of curry and chutney. For an Asian version, you might add some soy sauce and red vinegar to the mix and serve it over a bed of Chinese cabbage and ramen noodles.
Mayonnaise is not a favorite for everyone. But this will not have to keep them from enjoying a chicken salad. A New England version of the dish is good in this case. This could mean adding sugar, cranberries, almonds and spinach. Then toss it all in a dressing of olive oil and apple cider.
If you are watching fat, calories or carbs, there are things you can do with your dish. A yummy chicken salad can still be made. All you need to do is replace a few of the ingredients. Fat free or low fat mayo can be used and you could also swap out fatty dark meat for low fat white meat. This will also make for a protein rich meal.
Most of the time, the concoctions look so delicious, that we are tempted to just eat it straight from the bowl. That is totally fine! But of course there are other serving options such as on a bed of lettuce. Or you may make it into a sandwich on a Kaiser roll, tortilla, pita bread or the toasted bread of your liking.
Fans of chicken salad recipes will tell you it is one of the best low-cost and tasty meals going. It is easy to prepare and there are endless varieties.
Chicken salad recipes are popular with those attempting to lose weight as well as those who want a fast nutritious meal. You can choose recipes for chicken salad from online sites and from cookbooks and menu planners.