Healthy Tarragon and Almond Chicken Salad

Posted on by llbalanced
Healthy Tarragon and Almond Chicken Salad
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    [post_date] => 2015-04-27 12:22:21
    [post_date_gmt] => 2015-04-27 18:22:21
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    [post_title] => Healthy Tarragon and Almond Chicken Salad
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    [post_modified] => 2016-02-12 17:30:36
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04.27

As a deeply rooted Nashville girl, nothing says “home” to me like chicken salad. When I first moved back from NYC, I found myself craving the flavor, the comfort, the memories of chicken salad...everything, save the nutrition.

Let me type loud and clear—I am not anti-mayonnaise. After all, mayo is primarily made up of staples in a healthy pantry: eggs, oil, vinegar. My issues are two fold: 1) most store bought mayos contain weird preservatives and processed vegetable oils 2) in classic "salad" (tuna, chicken, egg) preparations, way too much mayo is used. To get that creamy, spreadable texture us Southerners know and love, a recipe might easily call for a CUP or more. In my opinion, thats more calories and saturated animal fats than the average person needs for lunch.

But LL Balanced is a positive space, so let's keep our eyes on the prize and come up with a healthy alternative! Avocado is the Harry Styles of the produce kingdom, and for good reason. It's as versatile as it is nutritious, and y'all have now seen me use in everything from pasta sauce to cupcakes. Here, it saves the day once again, providing a luscious and creamy backdrop for our chicken salad. With help from avocado, I only needed 2 tablespoons of mayo to reach the desired consistency.

This avocado "sauce" is delicious enough to eat as a dip (sliced fennel or cucumbers FTW), but combined with crunchy almonds and the unmistakable flavor of tarragon? Bangarang! My fiancé's love of nachos is rivaled only by his love of chicken salad, and he proclaimed this the best he's ever had.

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Plus, this recipe couldn't be easier! Store-bough rotisserie chickens are your best friend when you need easy, healthy, batch meals, and I love using the antibiotic, hormone free ones found at Whole Foods. Once you have your chicken shredded, just blitz your sauce in a blender or food processor, add the mix-ins and done.

Let yourself get excited about indulging in your favorite Southern picnic dish with this outrageously scrumptious LL Balanced chicken salad!

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TOTAL TIME :
5servings
INGREDIENTS
  • 1 rotisserie chicken (cooled and shredded)
  • 1 large ripe avocado
  • 2 cloves garlic (peeled and roughly chopped)
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon raw honey
  • 2 tablespoons mayo (I use Sir Kensingtons or Spectrum)
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon (sub 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • fresh black pepper (to taste)
  • Water as needed
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 2 stalks celery (sliced into 1/4 inch thick pieces)
DIRECTIONS
  1. Place shredded chicken in a large bowl.
  2. Combine avocado, garlic, mustard, onion powder, honey, mayo, tarragon, lemon juice, sea salt and pepper in a high-speed blender and puree until smooth, adding water to achieve the texture of a thick sauce.
  3. Pour sauce over chicken and stir to incorporate evenly. Add celery and sliced almonds. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 1 hour for best taste.
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