In hindsight, I should have chopped the apples smaller, but the flavor combination was good.
I’m not a big fan of mayo. It just seems too thick and too creamy for my liking. Naturally, it makes no sense that I’d be on a quest for a recipe for chicken salad that didn’t make me gag.
I tried all kinds of mayo alternatives: Greek yogurt, sour cream and strange concoctions involving buttermilk (eww, don’t ask). What ended up working the best was to use mayo (go figure), but cut it with other ingredients and not use too much of the dressing.
Here’s what I’ve come up with. The amounts given offer a light coating of dressing, just enough to hold it together. If you want a thicker, creamier texture, double the recipe and use twice as much.
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
- Leftover cooked roasted/rotisserie chicken, about 2 cups, cubed
- 1/2 apple, diced smaller than you’d think would be necessary
- Handful of dried cranberries
Instructions
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, thyme salt and pepper.
In a second bowl, toss together chicken, apples and cranberries.
Add dressing mixture to chicken mixture. Toss to coat.
Serve on your favorite bread, or nestle it into a romaine lettuce heart for a little bit of crunch.
Your kid may not have aversion to sauces and dressings.
Results
The Tiny Kitchen Assistant refused it completely, which I should have expected, considering his aversion to anything resembling a sauce or dressing.
The Husband nodded and gave it a thumbs up, but not without asking me why the heck I was experimenting with mayonnaise in the first place. “Daddy,” the Tiny Kitchen Assistant said with a sigh. “It’s for the Betty blog!”
Tags: apples, chicken salad, cranberries, fruit, main dish, mayo, mustard, Recipe, sandwich
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