A nice fridge and pantry clearing staple. Some people like eating warm things when it is cold and cold things when it is warm, but I believe the sweet, warming spices in this dish, though served cold, let it straddle the line for an any weather meal.
Ingredients (makes 6 servings):
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast*
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/2 c chopped cashews
- 1 cup reduced sugar dried cranberries
Chicken Baste:
- 1/2 c mayo
- 1/2 tsp each turmeric, curry powder, garlic powder
- pinch salt
Yogurt Dressing:
- 1/4 cup natural sour cream (see note)
- 3/4 c plain low-fat yogurt
- 1/2 tsp each turmeric, curry powder, and garlic powder
Two methods of chicken preparation:
- Preheat oven to 375. While heating, combine basting ingredients. Pat chicken dry and evenly coat with mayo mixture. Place on foil-lined baking sheets and roast ~15-25 minutes until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 for 15 seconds. Set aside to rest.
- Alternately, for a lower fat version, simmer chicken in water or low-sodium stock until falling apart tender. This can be done stove top or in a slow cooker.
While chicken is cooking (or cooling) fine dice 1 whole red onion (yield ~1-1.5 cups), roughly 6 large celery stalks, and 1/2 cup cilantro. Cashews can be chopped with a chef knife or lightly smashed with a meat tenderizer–I recommend using a plastic zip top bag for this method to *mostly* contain the mess. Reduced sugar dried cranberries can be left as is or roughly chopped. Combine in a large bowl.
When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred or dice bite sized–however you prefer your chicken salad. I alternate between the two depending on if I am feeling like curry chicken salad salads (diced) or curry chicken dip and wraps (shredded).
In a separate bowl, combine sour cream, yogurt, and spices. Taste and adjust seasoning to you preferences–start with less if you are hesitant and add slowly, fully incorporating before tasking again. I like to taste by mixing a teaspoon of my filling with a little bit of the yogurt dressing (knowing that over time the flavors will meld). Once you have the spice you like, stir it all together and enjoy! Will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to a week.
*You can absolutely use bone in skin on if that is what you have/prefer, I would recommend basting the chicken and allowing to marinate refrigerated for 30 minutes or so to impart more flavor as you will want to remove the skins before chopping/shredding.
Note on sour cream: I have a strict preference for sour cream labeled as “natural”. It is made without stabilizers and typically only has three ingredients: cultured cream and skim milk, and enzymes. However, you can totally omit this and just use yogurt! Plain Greek yogurt and skyr work especially well as sour cream substitutes.
A note on plant-based… why would I label a chicken recipe “plant-based”? Because it is. This recipe is based in plants, the majority of the ingredients are plants, which is how you arrive at the definition of “plant-based“. As a dietitian, I think this is a really important distinction that all I talk about in all my classes. Plant-based does not exclusively mean vegetarian or vegan, it just means you mostly eat plants. Take it a bit farther, and you’re focusing more on whole (less processed) foods and incorporating small amounts of animal products that have (preferably) been raised in a regenerative and humane way. Plant-based and planet-based are the way to health.
Nutrition information:
Eat - Drink - Both 