Chicken and salad: two great foods on their own that often can make for a lousy dish when combined. That's because salad, when attached to chicken, is secret-speak for mayo overload. In fact, chicken and tuna salad sandwiches are consistently the worst option you'll find on a deli menu, be it Subway or your neighborhood sandwich shop. We use a modest amount of olive-oil-based mayo, then punch up the flavor with plump golden raisins and the complex savory notes of curry powder in this chicken salad sandwich recipe. Make a big batch of the salad as part of your weekly meal planning and work it into other sandwiches, stuffed in pitas, or crowning a bowl of mixed greens.
Nutrition: 440 calories, 15 g fat (3 g saturated), 510 mg sodium
Serves 4
You'll Need
3 Tbsp golden raisins
3 cups chopped cooked chicken
2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
1⁄2 onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
1⁄2 tsp curry powder (From both a flavor and a nutritional standpoint, spices need to be replaced every 6 months to a year.)
1⁄4 cup olive oil mayonnaise
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 large lettuce leaves (romaine, iceberg, or anything else)
8 slices whole-grain bread or English muffin halves, toasted
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
How to Make It
- Cover the raisins with hot water and soak for at least 10 minutes (the warm water will help the raisins plump up); drain and place in a large bowl.
- Add the chicken, celery, onion, carrot, curry powder, and mayonnaise. Mix well and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the lettuce leaves on top of 4 bread slices, then top with tomatoes, chicken salad, and the remaining bread.
Eat This Tip
Curry powder is as ubiquitous throughout Indian cooking as it is diverse, with each cook preferring a different blend of spices such as coriander, cumin, fennel, and cardamom. One thing they nearly all have in common is that distinctive yellow tinge, which comes from turmeric, perhaps the world's healthiest spice. Studies have shown turmeric's vast antioxidant portfolio to be an effective defense against arthritis, prostate and colon cancers, and various other diseases. Get your dose by rubbing curry onto chicken and fish; mixing with yogurt, garlic, and ginger for a sauce or dip; or coating roasted nuts.
This recipe (and hundreds more!) came from one of our Cook This, Not That! books. For more easy cooking ideas, you can also buy the book!