Chicken Salad Chick

Plus variations for Curry Chicken Salad, Herbed Chicken Salad, Pesto Chicken Salad and Waldorf Chicken Salad

Chicken Salad in Avocado with Dressed Greens

Let’s talk chicken salad. I’m not a big fan of meal prep. I want my dinner cooked fresh instead of reheated. But I love having a big batch of something to snack on in the fridge: Chicken salad, tuna salad, garbanzo salad, or soup to reheat for lunch on the go. I’ve been working on a healthy meal plan to share with you guys to help you stay on track with New Year’s goals, but first, chicken salad. I have some recipe variations plus directions for an easy whole chicken cooked in an Instant Pot or slow cooker that can be shredded for use throughout the week. It's not exactly meal prep, but it's something to make your lunches more interesting.

One tip I want to share about the consistency of the chicken is that if you like your chicken shredded, you can pulse it in the food processor a few times. Don’t over purée, or you’ll have a gooey chicken salad. But this will give you chicken that’s nicely shredded. Of course, if you prefer it chopped or pulled into thicker pieces, that’s fine, too! If you use a rotisserie chicken, try to pull off the chicken right when you get home. It will be easier to work with when it’s warm. You can make the chicken salad later in the week, but you’ll have one prep step behind you.

Chicken Salad in Avocado with Sprouts, Radish and Everything Bagel Seasoning

Recipes in this post:

• Curry Chicken Salad

• Herbed Chicken Salad (with Waldorf Chicken Salad Variation)

• Pesto Chicken Salad

• Whole Chicken in the Instant Pot and Slow Cooker

I’m currently in NYC and then headed to Paris tomorrow. I can’t wait to update my travel posts on both cities because we’ve had delicious dinners (I Sodi was a delight!). Last night, as we walked into The Polo Bar, Hoda Kotb was departing. There was a celebration dinner for her and the restaurant stood and clapped as she departed. Seeing her celebrate on her last day at The Today Show was serendipity.