Happy Labor Day, my friends!
This is the time of year when I like to make cooking as simple as possible for myself. Unless I’m grilling out, I don’t want a lot of prep time OR a lot of oven heat cranking in my kitchen.
Today’s recipe is the perfect solution. There are a ton of chicken salad recipes that use mayonnaise or Greek yogurt. I love those versions, but sometimes I need flavor variety. Enter…ranch dressing!
(Is there any problem that ranch dressing can’t solve?! I digress…)
I remember back in college, one of my roommates made this combination all the time, and I loved it! So I decided to create an official recipe to share with you.
This is delicious in a wrap or on a bed of lettuce, but I personally like it best with whole grain crackers. It makes a quick, easy meal or snack.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1-1/2 cups diced cooked chicken (or three 5-oz. cans, drained)
- 1/3 cup diced celery
- 1/4 cup Ranch dressing (watch for minimal preservatives!)
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 Tbsp. sliced almonds
- Dash of sea salt and ground pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Toss all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, preferably one that comes with a re-sealable lid.
- Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
A couple things to note:
Be sure to watch the ingredients in your ranch dressing. A lot of popular brands have MSG and other preservatives. My personal favorite is this version from Trader Joe’s…
I recommend using chicken you’ve cooked yourself, but in a pinch, you can used canned chicken. I like this brand from Kroger. Just be sure to watch your salt intake elsewhere since canned chicken is higher in sodium than the fresh stuff.
