Chicken Salad with A Surprise Ingredient

We had an unexpected lunch guest yesterday and I needed to come up with something in a hurry, using what I had on hand. I came up with this version and it was great! I had baked bread earlier in the day so this became a sandwich filling although it could easily be eaten on a bed of salad greens and some tomatoes.

And guess what? I ran out of something I needed and had to make a emergency substitution. I think this is what made it so good this time!

This is my recipe and method, but as always, feel free to change it up to suit your tastes.

Chicken Salad

3 cups chopped chicken

1/2 cup Greek yogurt

1-2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon celery salt

Mix everything except the chicken together. Taste and season accordingly. Add chicken and stir to combine. I don't add all of the dressing at once, just in case I don't need it all. If the chicken is too dry for your tastes, add a little more yogurt until it suits you.

The secret to this chicken salad is the yogurt. When it is blended with the other seasonings and ingredients the tangy yogurt is a great base for the salad. Also, it cuts the richness and fattiness that the mayonnaise will sometimes add.

So, look at it this way: use the Greek yogurt and you can eat more chicken salad! :)

Or, if you aren't into that sort of thing, you can use mayo. It will be fabulous! To be honest the yogurt was a freak accident. I usually use mayo for my tuna and chicken salads, but I was out. I don't think that regular yogurt would be a good substitute here ONLY because it is so thin. Greek yogurt is closer to the consistency of mayo.

Looks good enough to eat, doesn't it? ;)