Leftover roast or rotisserie chicken, or any other cooked chicken you have sitting in the refrigerator waiting to be used up all make for a quick and easy chicken salad lunch, dinner or snack. This versatile chicken salad can be served as is, in a lettuce cup, between a couple of slices of low carb bread, over the top of a low carb crisp bread or even wrapped in your favourite low carb tortilla.
By MELBA
It only takes about 10 minutes to throw together or about 20 minutes if you don’t have any already boiled eggs in the fridge. You don’t have to cool the eggs before using in the salad, just make sure they’re not too hot to handle before removing the cooked yolks that are required for the recipe. They will be softer and more fragile than chilled boiled egg yolks so you may wish to add them to the salad at the end and fold in very gently to ensure that they don’t break up into a creamy yolk mush. The reason I only use the egg yolks is to prevent the overall protein content of the dish becoming too high, but feel free to use whole eggs if you prefer and adjust the macros accordingly. Using egg yolks only also adds a richness to the chicken salad as yolks tend to have a lovely creamy quality to them.
I love the silkiness that comes from the mayonnaise and the egg yolks and this is balanced out by a beautiful crunch that the crisp celery and fresh spring onions bring. I would consider the portion size to be small to moderate which suits me for a lunchtime meal as a medium-build female, especially if I have a keto coffee with it. If you are a larger build you may wish to increase your portion size. If you add more egg or chicken, I would also add more mayonnaise to ensure that the fat ratio does not go too low in relation to the protein quantity.
One of the great things about this recipe is that it is fantastic just the way it is or you can use it as a base and with a few simple additions you can make it into a gourmet starter for a dinner party. Additions of spices such as cumin, sumac, smoked or plain paprika and curry powder can each bring a whole new twist to this dish and nuts and seeds like walnuts or sunflower kernels can add a little cordon-bleu flair both in texture and the looks department.
Give this easy peasy recipe a whirl and if you decide to get creative, I’d love to hear about any flavour combinations you come up with.
INGREDIENTS
400-600g | Cooked chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces or shredded |
120g | Raw Celery, sliced |
20-40g | Spring (green) Onions, finely sliced |
8 | Large Hard Boiled Egg Yolks (I use yolks only) |
8Tb | Mayonnaise |
To Taste | Himalayan Pink Salt and Black Pepper |
METHOD
- Chop or shred your cooked chicken into bite sized pieces and place into a large bowl.
- Cut the celery into thin, horizontal slices (i.e. not long length-wise) and add to the bowl.
- Slice the spring onion (aka: green onions or scallions) into very fine horizontal slices. Add most to the bowl and set just a little aside to garnish when plating up the salad.
- Take 8 boiled eggs and remove the yolks. Chop the egg yolks into pieces and add to the bowl. You can use the whole egg if you like. This will add bulk to the salad, but will also make the protein ratio much higher.
- Finally, add the mayonnaise to the bowl and then gently mix all of the ingredients together to combine. Do not mix too vigorously or you will break up the yolks.
- Add salt and pepper to taste, garnish with the reserved spring onions, divide between 4 salad plates, and you are done.
