Sweet & Spicy Chicken Salad

Did you already know about the wonders of a rotisserie chicken?  Seriously, I only made this discovery this week!  I'm back on my high protein diet, but was feeling lazy, so what did I do?  I grabbed myself a whole chicken that somebody else roasted.  It was tender and juicy and I didn't to do a dang thing other than pick it up and pay for it.

But then I encountered a problem.  There's really only so much rotisserie chicken that one can eat just so.  After a few rounds, I was feeling the need to switch things up.  So I took this opportunity to create a recipe that I've had my eye on for a while.  This sweet and spicy chicken salad is actually an adaptation of the recipe I was really going for.  That's ok.  When you're at home on a holiday weekend, the last thing you want to do is run back to the grocery store for extra provisions.  Improvisation is your friend.  And yes, things worked out splendidly.

Sweet & Spicy Chicken Salad

adapted from Sweet and Spicy Turkey Pitas recipe

yields 4 servings

Print Recipe
 

• 1 1/4 teaspoons curry powder
• 2 - 3 tablespoons dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 cups chopped or shredded chicken
• 1/4 cup finely diced white onion
• 1/8 teaspoon celery seed
• salt to taste
• pinch cayenne pepper (optional)
• 2 - 3 teaspoon crushed slivered almonds (optional)

1) Toast the curry powder in a small skillet for 20 seconds, or until fragrant.  Let cool.


2) Mix the dried cranberries and yogurt in a bowl.


3) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well to combine.

I'm not a fan of mayonnaise and I don't have any in my cupboard/refrigerator, but I'm currently in a love affair with greek yogurt, so this salad was the perfect solution for me.  It was also perfect because it allowed me to have what I like: protein (chicken and greek yogurt), spiciness (curry powder and chili) and a touch of sweetness (cranberries).  Think of all the goodness that can follow this recipe.  This salad can be stuffed in a pita.  It can be slathered on little pieces of toasted bread as an appetizer.  It can be eaten on a bed of lettuce, which happens to be my personal favorite way to enjoy this.  Get in your kitchen with your easy store-bought rotisserie and and make this go down.