Mama Maui Chicken Salad

 

You all loved the lightened up copycat recipe of the Jalepeno Holly chicken salad and Lauren’s Lemon Basil I shared and this was the next most requested flavor. It’s so refreshing and perfect for a girl lunch anytime of the year. We all loved it!The guys actually did too ha. 

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (about 3 lbs raw)
• 1 1/2 c nonfat Greek yogurt or blended smooth cottage cheese
• 4 oz 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened or whipped cream cheese works too
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 large ribs celery, finely diced 
• 4 pieces cooked bacon, chopped small or crumbled 

•  1/2 c canned (no sugar added) pineapple tidbits

• 1/3 c pickled jalapeños, sliced and chopped small
• 1 T Jalapeno juice (optional)
  

STEPS:

1) If you haven’t cooked your chicken, in a large stock pot place 3-4 chicken breasts and cover them with water. Just to cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and turn down to low heat and cook covered on low for 15 min. Make sure it’s done and cooked through. To shred in blender, one breast at a time blend for 5 seconds or until shredded. Too long and you’ll have chicken baby food. It’s quick ha. 

2) To make the chicken salad, add softened cream cheese and Greek yogurt to a bowl with the onion powder, salt, and pepper. Stir or mix until completely smooth with no clumps. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the large bowl and stir well to combine. Makes 7 cups and I usually have about a cup and a half as a serving. Store in fridge, good for up to 5 days. 

*Note - I’m getting feedback that fresh cut pineapple from the produce section at the grocery store makes the whole chicken salad taste bitter the next day so I did some research and learned that when you mix fresh, raw pineapple with dairy products like Greek yogurt, a dramatic chemical reaction occurs over time. Fresh pineapple contains a highly active enzyme called bromelain that breaks down the protein in yogurt and the chicken. It’s safe to eat, but not tasty. 

When the raw pineapple sits in your chicken salad overnight, the bromelain actively attacks and digests the casein proteins found in the Greek yogurt. It broke those long proteins down into smaller fragments called bitter peptides. This protein breakdown is what created that intensely bitter, metallic, and unpalatable taste by the next day. It also breaks down the chicken proteins, though the yogurt reaction is what primarily drives that distinct bitterness. Canned pineapple goes through a pasteurization/heating process. This intense heat denatures (deactivates) the bromelain enzyme, making it completely safe to mix with dairy without turning bitter. If fresh pineapple is your only option, cook it first. 

MACROS PER 1 CUP:

216cal/6fat/4carb/0fiber/3sugar/33protein

🍑Nourishment Breakdown

PROTEIN chicken, Greek yogurt 

FAT cream cheese, bacon

FIBER celery but not much 

CARB/STARCH some in pineapple