This is a fitting bookend for the healthy spinach egg bake with the chocolate stout cupcakes in between. Going back and forth can be torture, but life is all about balance and like I say, it’s important to indulge on a diet (pretty regularly, in my opinion) but it’s also important to either stay on the horse or hop right back on the next day. So if you’ve been indulging in cupcakes or avoiding the gym due to this frigid (horrible) weather, try this and you’ll feel a little better.

I got this idea when I started to use prepared tzatziki sauce like crazy last year. In my daily diet, I try to be as clever as possible to find substitutions for fatty, awesome ingredients and this is one of my favorite finds. Tzatziki became my #1 replacement for mayonnaise on sandwiches, ranch dip for raw veggies, bases for creamy salad dressings, etc, mostly because it has very little fat thanks to Greek yogurt, and only has 35 calories per 2 tablespoons.

So when I got a hankering for thick, indulgent, creamy chicken salad last summer, a lightbulb went off and I simply used tzatziki with a dab of low-fat sour cream instead of awesome fatty mayo. In comparison, my combo has 80 calories while 5 tablespoons of full-fat mayo has 500. And low-fat has 250. Ha! Beat that! The other ingredients in my chicken salad are pretty classic. I love sweet grapes and crunchy celery and that’s pretty much it. I’m not a huge fan of nuts in my salad, but feel free to add them. Don’t forget the average ½ cup of nuts has almost 400 calories  – so don’t toss them in with a heavy hand!

Seedless and sliced.

Pulled.

Pre-mix.

Lettuce bed.

Hand-held dinner.

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(Healthier) Chicken Salad

Serves two.

This time around I poached my chicken but you can easily grill it, bake it, broil it, pan sear and cook it, use a pre-bought rotisserie chicken, etc.  Just try to start with about 1 to 2 cups chicken. Add more or less grapes, celery, etc, as you like, but keep in mind – grapes are super high in sugar and have about 110 calories per cup.

Also, if you can’t find prepared tzatziki where you live, go ahead and make a batch. You’ll use it up – trust me.

Ingredients

• 1 6-8oz boneless skinless chicken breast, or 8oz+ skinless chicken breast on the bone
• 4 cups chicken broth or stock or water
• 2 large stalks celery, cut  into 4 vertical strips and then sliced horizontally into tiny pieces
• 1 TBL minced shallot
• 1 cup red seedless grapes, halved
• ¼ cup prepared tzatziki sauce
• 1 TBL low-fat sour cream
• salt
• pepper
• Boston (bibb) lettuce, for serving

Directions

1.) Bring the chicken broth/stock or water to a boil. Add the chicken breast and boil until cooked through, about 15 minutes (or until a meat thermometer reads at least 155° which will carry over to 165°). Once cooked, let cool until easily handled.

2.) Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, combine the celery, shallots, grapes, tzatziki sauce, and sour cream. Stir together and keep in the fridge while the chicken finishes cooling.

3.) Once cooled, pull the chicken apart with 2 forks or your fingers, into bite-sized pieces. Add to the large mixing bowl and toss with the tzatziki mixture. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.

4.) Chill at least 2 hours, preferably overnight. Serve in Boston lettuce leaves, or with wheat toast.