Ok so I know it’s already Wednesday, but man, I had the most amazing weekend. I spent one day technology free – I mean no phone, no social media, no TV, not even music to distract me. I got sun, swam in the pool, read half a book, made a delicious new recipe (more on that in a sec) and napped. A glorious, no alarm kind of nap. The other day I spent meal prepping, walking, swimming, tanning and finishing that book. It was so incredibly restorative! Technology-free weekends or at least afternoons may very well be my new favorite thing!
So, about that recipe. I’ve been fiddling around with the ketogenic diet/lifestyle in my mind for a while now. My uncle, mom and dad are doing it and have been thrilled with the results, so I decided I’d give it a try. I’ve already gotten used to not eating most carbs and I’m not huge on fruit, so it’s not that crazy of a stretch! While looking for new recipes on Pinterest, I found this one for chicken salad. So glad I did, it was delicious!
Here’s my adaptation of Julie’s Cucumber Dill Rotisserie Chicken Salad:
First, I start by cooking my own raw chicken. I use fresh chicken breasts with rib meat. If you’ve frozen them, I would thaw them before cooking. Place them in a pot and season as you like. These have salt and pepper.
Next, fill the pot with enough water to where both pieces are completely submerged. Yes, the seasoning will float around awkwardly. Next, put the pot to boil. Once the water boils, bring it down to a simmer. Two breasts like these take about 12 minutes. I flip halfway through.
Chicken is done! Cooking like this is perfect for shredding chicken, but I rough cut it for this recipe. I know you guys are super impressed by my Ikea fork and cutting board, but I really do have to brag on this knife. It’s part of a knife block my parents gave me as a housewarming gift and boy oh boy am I loving it. This knife is heavy, perfect for chopping anything and everything. Plus it’s one a huge sale right now! Anywho. Moving right along…
While the chicken cooks, I prep the rest of the ingredients. If you’re planning on eating this as soon as you make it, I recommend cooking the chicken earlier so it has time to cool and then get cold again in the fridge. I make this ahead, so it doesn’t matter so much.
Once all the ingredients are chopped/cooked/measured out and ready to go, you must arrange them beautifully in a pretty bowl! Ha! Let’s be honest: I would normally prepare this in a plain mixing bowl in a haphazard manner, but for the sake of organized chaos and prettier photos, I mixed them in this pretty square bowl so you could see all the ingredients!
Mix with a spoon or spatula and voila! You have yourself a delicious, refreshing summer chicken salad.
Here’s a close up to see all it’s colors and textures! An additional note: the original recipe ended up being a bit light in flavor for me, so I ended up adding more dijon mustard than what was called for to make it tangier!
I ate this summer chicken salad by itself, in a lettuce wrap and on a bed of spinach . You could eat it in a sandwich or with crackers too. Hope you enjoy!
Cucumber Dill Dijon Greek Yogurt Chicken Salad
Ingredients:
3 cups chicken, chopped and chilled
2/3 cup full-fat Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
3/4 cup seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon (dried) dill
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
- Mix all ingredients together and stir until completely combined.
- Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will probably only last two days before the cucumber isn’t crisp.
This summer chicken salad kind of reminded me of Greece…maybe it was the dill? Maybe I’m just always thinking of travels.