Healthy Eating :: Green Tarragon Chicken Salad

I ♥ chicken salad!  It's so delicious and easy in a sandwich or even in chunky bits served with bread on the side.  But, let's face it, it's not the healthiest salad considering the amount of mayonnaise in it.  So, I set out to make a healthy version as a quick weeknight dinner!  I thought of replacing the mayonnaise with plain, non-fat greek yogurt, and then sweetening it up with a little bit of apple juice.  It was delicious! Especially after adding a bit of Dijon mustard and spicing it up with tarragon. Yum!  Isn't tarragon perfect for chicken?

I added lots of broccoli,  haricot verts, and green apple chunks for a bit of crunch.  Big chucks of veggies and chicken, all atop a toasted whole wheat pita bread.  The dressing is great for any salad, but keep some aside to add to the chicken salad leftovers the next day.  I'm going to start replacing mayonnaise with yogurt more often!

Enjoy!

GREEN TARRAGON CHICKEN SALAD (serves 2 w/leftovers)

1 lb Boneless Chicken Breasts

Haricort Verts (about 2 cups)

Broccoli Florets (about 2 cups)

1 Granny Smith Apple

1/2 cup Tarragon Mustard Dressing (see below)

Kosher Salt & Pepper

Olive Oil

Juice of half a Lemon

1 tablespoon strong mustard

For Tarragon Mustard Dressing:

1/4 cup Dijon Mustard

1/3 cup plain yogurt

1/2 tablespoon chopped Tarragon

1/3 cup all natural Apple Juice (I ♥ Red Jacket Orchards Fuji Apple Juice)

Juice of half a lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 425F. Season the chicken breasts with a dash of olive oil, salt, pepper, juice of half a lemon, and a tablespoon or so of strong mustard. Place in an oven safe pan and cook until until chicken is thoroughly cooked and starting to brown lightly. Set aside to cool.

...Now to the greens! Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add a generous sprinkle of salt. Separately prepare a large bowl with ice cold water and ice cubes. When the water is boiling, add the broccoli and cook for 45 seconds (yes...only 45 seconds! you want it to be crispy). Remove the broccoli from the boiling water and throw it into the ice water. This will 'shock' the greens and stop it from cooking, leaving it beautifully green and crispy. Repeat with the green beans.  Set aside.

Prepare the tarragon dressing by whisking all the ingredients.  Taste and add salt and pepper.

Chop the chicken and vegetables into small cubes for a chicken salad sandwich, or large pieces for a salad.  Add dressing to taste and mix until every bit is covered in sauce.  Serve immediately, and leave any leftovers in the fridge.