Let’s make chicken salad and a nutrient dense soup
I had a HUGE pack of frozen chicken breasts from a farm pickup meat order that I defrosted and I had to come up with a quick plan since it was 2.5 pounds of meat. I’m weird about the ways I will eat chicken but chicken salad and soups are two ways I like so that’s what I landed on. I experimented with a chicken salad recipe that turned out so well that I wanted to share it. Using avocado mayo is a significant health swap (versus traditional canola or soybean oil mayos that are inflammatory and bad for heart health). The addition of walnuts also adds a lot of nutrients. Grillos pickles also add some good fermented food points (good for our gut).
Prep Ahead: Healthier chicken salad
Ingredients:
2 good-sized chicken breasts, cooked and diced or shredded
3/4 - 1cup avocado oil mayonnaise. Depending how mayo-heavy you prefer. (I like Sir Kensington’s)
1.5 Tbsp dijon mustard
2 Tbsp dried dill weed (If you don’t like dill, swap for any herb - oregano, dried italian herbs, parsley, etc)
Salt and pepper to taste (I use heavy amounts of each)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
3/4 cup crumbled or chopped walnuts
1 cup diced pickles. I use Grillos dill sandwich strips. They have amazing flavor. Just check that your pickles don’t have added food dyes — many brands do!
Assembly:
Add all the ingredients to a bowl and stir until mixed thoroughly. Serve on lettuce or sandwiches. Pretty simple!
Chicken and Veggie Soup
Ingredients:
2 good-sized cooked chicken breasts, diced or shredded
6 cups of broth. I used part from cooking the chicken breasts and the rest from cartons of bone broth. (FYI- Bone broth adds extra protein, collagen, vitamins and nutrients versus standard broth).
1-2 cups each of chopped carrots and celery
1 cup chopped onions
1-2 cups baby kale (add in at end)
1 cup of cooked rice (I had a packaged pre-cooked turmeric rice I used this time.)
1 Tbsp dried oregano and parsley (any dried herbs — may want 1.5 - 2 Tbsp depending on taste)
1 package of sliced mushrooms (Mushrooms have amazing detoxing properties. I try to sneak them into recipes when I can).
Salt and pepper to taste (I use heavy amounts of each)
Juice of one lemon (optional)
Notes: Fresh herbs would be amazing and add better flavor but I only had dried. You can also just add all chopped veggies into simmering broth rather than sautee them first separately. I just wanted it to cook faster so cooked them separately for 5-8 min to soften a bit. Also, all these ingredient amounts are loose and very forgiving to go heavy or lighter depending on what you have or your tastes. If it’s too thick, add more broth or thin with water.
Assembly:
I had my chicken breasts already cooked so I diced/shredded them and got that simmering in the broth with the seasonings while I chopped and sauteed the veggies. Then, I added the softened veggie mix (onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms) into the large soup pot with chicken/broth. I let that simmer for 5-10 more minutes then stirred in what I had left of a pack of baby Kale plus the juice of one lemon. Add extra salt and pepper or herbs to taste. Soup is ALWAYS better the next day… no matter what… I’ve found?! So it’s a great idea to make a big pot then have lunch options or dinner the next day from this kind of recipe. Ideally!