A chicken salad is perfect in a lettuce wrap! Doesn’t it look like it belongs there? Chicken salad has been a family favorite for years and years. Today we still love it, but my recipe has changed to so be so much lighter and more nutritional besides. Often I’ll serve it on a bed of greens for a satisfying dinner.
The difference today? Far less mayonnaise and a couple of my favorite ingredients lately: spinach and cauliflower. It tastes even better! The spinach adds color as well as flavor. The cauliflower fits right in for a little extra crunch.
It’s a wonderful way to use up any leftover rotisserie chicken. That is what I used for this salad since I had some left. In the past chicken was one of the ingredients I used so often that I would fix a larger batch for the freezer.
If you like to have it on hand, here is an easy way to fix it. I’d buy two or three whole fryers, wrap them together, side-by-side, in foil in a large pan, and roast them at 325 for 2 to 3 hours. Once cooled, pull all the meat off the bone and freeze portions in individual packages for salad, casseroles, or whatever. It goes a long way and I always have some on hand when needed. Either version of cooked chicken works since the meat is so moist.
One of the keys to the taste of this salad is in the preparation. The smaller the bites of chicken—and the vegetables too–somehow the better it tastes. I love the tangy taste of the lemon juice. Plus, the juice eliminates the need for much salt and lowers the amount of mayo substantially.
When I first started making this, it was heavy on the mayonnaise and light on the lemon juice. That is reversed now for a lighter calorie count and a tangier, improved flavor.
There are photos below showing the size I chopped the veggies, courtesy of my favorite small appliance, My Ninja Master Prep Pro.
It makes a great sandwich too, but it’s such an easy salad to use for a lettuce wrap. Easy for all ages to pick up to eat with fingers even. It’s really yummy, however you serve it!
Lastly, if you have family members who avoid vegetables, try this. They probably won’t even know notice the spinach and cauliflower are included, and the fun of eating it this way might have them eating lettuce too. Great taste, satisfying richness, and pretty enough for a party.
Rating
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 3 to 4
- Butter lettuce, cleaned and patted dry
- 1½ cup cooked chicken
- ¼ cup finely chopped onion
- 1 to 2 stalk celery, finely chopped
- 1 cup fresh spinach, finely chopped
- 1 cup cauliflower finely chopped (not quite grated size)
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- salt and pepper to taste
- Clean and dry butter lettuce, set aside.
- Chop chicken into ¼ inch sized bites. Try to keep the bites quite small.
- Combine all ingredients, mixing well, then chill. Stir occasionally while salad is chilling.
- Scoop small serving onto lettuce, 2 wraps to a plate.
- Serve with lemon quarters.
- You can eat it immediately, but it is even better chilled a few hours.
Looking for more ideas for wraps? The first includes paleo wraps–a delicious variety. The second is the new Hungry Girl diet cookbook. Lisa includes wraps and wonderful, creative recipes that are taste sensations.
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