Chicken Salad: 30-Minute Meal

Salad for dinner sounds like part of our new year’s resolution to eat healthy and eat lean. But with chicken salad, that resolution is easy to keep. Leftover roast chicken, chicken thighs, or chicken breasts are easily and quickly made into a salad that’s satisfying as a main dish dinner or as a protein-rich lunch. Classic chicken salad, with chopped celery, a bit of onion, a dash of herbs (such as tarragon), and some mayonnaise (or a touch of low-fat sour cream) is lovely on a bed of salad greens or tucked into a pita. But chicken salad goes way beyond that perfectly nice formula. Like Trail Mix Chicken Salad, pictured here. Dried cherries, raisins, and sunflower nuts turn same old, same old into elegantly wow! Try these variations for bigger flavor, more texture, and for ways to get more fruits and veggies in your family’s diet. (These salads are all prepared in 30 minutes or less, and are based on pre-cooked or leftover chicken. Make them ahead and refrigerate them for a few hours to bring out their flavorful best.)