Here’s the classic chicken salad recipe with added Weight Watchers points information:
Classic Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cooked, chopped chicken (poached, grilled, or rotisserie)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup diced celery
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped grapes (optional)
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans or almonds (optional)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked chicken, mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery, red onion, grapes (if using), and nuts (if using).
- Gently toss everything together until evenly combined. Be careful not to overmix, or the chicken will become shredded.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the flavors to meld.
Tips:
- You can use different types of mayonnaise, such as Dijon mustard mayonnaise or Greek yogurt for a lighter option.
- If you don’t have fresh grapes, you can use dried cranberries or chopped apples instead.
- For a more flavorful chicken salad, you can add some chopped fresh herbs like parsley, dill, or chives.
- This chicken salad can be served on bread as a sandwich, on a bed of lettuce as a salad, or wrapped in tortillas for a healthy and delicious lunch.
Weight Watchers Points:
To calculate the Weight Watchers points, we need to break down the ingredients. The points listed below are based on the myWW (formerly Freestyle) system:
- Cooked Chicken (2 cups, about 280g): 0 points (assuming skinless, boneless chicken breast)
- Mayonnaise (1/2 cup, about 120g): Approximately 24 points (regular mayonnaise)
- Lemon Juice (1 tablespoon): 0 points
- Celery (1/4 cup, about 30g): 0 points
- Red Onion (1/4 cup, about 30g): 0 points
- Grapes (1/4 cup, about 40g, optional): 1 point
- Pecans or Almonds (1/4 cup, about 30g, optional): Approximately 5-6 points (depending on the type of nuts)
- Salt and Black Pepper: 0 points
Total Points (without grapes and nuts): 24 points
Total Points (with grapes): 25 points
Total Points (with nuts): 29-30 points
Total Points (with both grapes and nuts): 30-31 points
These points are for the entire recipe. If you divide the chicken salad into four servings, the points per serving would be approximately:
- Without grapes and nuts: 6 points per serving
- With grapes: 6.25 points per serving
- With nuts: 7.25-7.5 points per serving
- With both grapes and nuts: 7.5-7.75 points per serving
Enjoy your delicious and nutritious chicken salad!
