Nommin' Chicken Salad — Simply Spencer Nutrition

Serving size, 8

(This is a great option for those that are GF, DF, SF, PNF, Whole30, and Paleo.)

This chicken salad is my go-to for a quick and healthy meal. Because chicken salad is so versatile, this recipe can be used in a variety of ways. And even better, this will be a recipe even your kids will love! For me, I especially love to make a huge batch of it at the beginning of the week, so that we can have it as a quick grab-n-go throughout the week. When I am on top of my game, I really love to pack Jeremy off to work with a fresh lunch. This is one of those staple recipes that makes an early morning lunch packing quick and easy. I cannot recommend enough! Especially since lots of us have kids that are now back in school, or we have started slowly going back into work. And not to mention, the wallet much prefers a homemade meal as opposed to eating out. ;)

Ingredients:

· 2 ½ lbs raw chicken breasts

· 3 stalks of celery, chopped

· 1 cup red grapes, sliced halved or quartered

· 1 cup chopped walnuts (if you need to adjust the nuts added to this recipe due to food allergies, I also love raw, sliced almonds)

· 1 ½ cups homemade mayonnaise

· Salt & Pepper to taste

Materials:

· Large stock pot for boiling chicken

· Electric mixer

· Knife & cutting board

· 2 bowls for chicken and mixing ingredients

Directions:

1. Fill stockpot with water ¾ of the way full and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add chicken breasts. Chicken should boil ~15, or until no longer pink and it has reached an internal temperature of 165°F.

2. Once the chicken has finished boiling, remove from water and cut into large chunks. Add the chunks to your electric mixer and begin mixing. Yes, I know this sounds ridiculous, but it WORKS. The trick is, throw the chicken in to the mixer while it is hot; it shreds much more easily. You will also only want to shred about ¼ of the chicken at a time, so that it does not get thrown out of the bowl while mixing! Mix chicken until shredded to your preferred consistency; this should not take more than a few seconds.

3. Place shredded chicken in a bowl and set in the refrigerator to cool.

4. As the chicken is cooling, clean and slice the celery and grapes. Throw into the mixing bowl and add walnuts and mayonnaise.

5. Once chicken is completely cooled, add chicken to the mixing bowl and mix ingredients.

6. Now you are ready to serve! The chicken salad should last up to ~5 days refrigerated.

Things I love to eat my chicken salad with:

Mixed Spinach Salad – Spinach and arugula with avocado, strawberries and a pinch of feta cheese if you are not dairy-free; top with ¾ cup of chicken salad!

Chicken Salad Wedges – Fill 2-3 romaine lettuce boats with chicken salad inside, topped with tomatoes and sliced green onions.

Open-Faced Chicken Salad Sandwich (*not gluten-free) – A slice of toasted whole grain bread with spicy mustard, sliced tomato, ¾ cup of chicken salad and topped with pea sprouts.