Hummus Chicken Salad
Posted by Aggies Kitchen on January 21st, 2010. Filed under: Chicken, Healthy, Healthy Meals, Salad, South Beach Friendly.I’m a big lunch person…and what I mean by that is that a few slices of turkey between two slices of bread usually doesn’t cut it for me. I enjoy having a good lunch…I usually work out in the mornings so let’s just say I have a nice appetite right around lunch time. I play with different salad ideas a lot because it’s so easy to prepare for them if you take the time to think ahead (precut veggies, bagged lettuces, leftover roasted veggies, crumbled cheese and deli meats…ideas are endless). And once I find a salad I like, it usually makes an appearance more than once a week.
This recipe for chicken salad caught my eye over the holiday break. I found it in the Home Cooking The Costco Way cookbook that Costco gives out at their stores usually once a year. My sister in law Paula is nice enough to pick one up for me each time, and I’m so thankful for that because the three Costco cookbooks I have are full of great recipes! Most of the recipes include products they carry but can easily be substituted with similar products if unavailable.
I liked this chicken salad…I’m a big fan of hummus and not so much a big fan of mayo so this recipe really worked for me. I used leftover rotisserie chicken from the deli and Sabra Lemon Hummus. I also squeezed additional lemon for dressing over my plate since I was eating it more as an entree salad. The photo in the book suggests serving the Hummus Chicken Salad in lettuce cups or wraps, which looked delicious. This recipe makes 4 servings so store it in some tupperware in your fridge for an easy lunch or light dinner!
Hummus Chicken Salad
Recipe from Home Cooking The Costco Way
1/2 cup Sabra Hummus (or your favorite hummus, though I love Sabra!!)
2 tablespoons finely diced celery
1 tablespoon finely chopped green onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1 cup cubed grilled chicken breast (or any leftover chicken)
1 tablespoon water (I omitted this, instead used lemon juice)
Bread or salad greens, for serving
In a large bowl, stir hummus, celery, green onions, bell pepper, salt and a sprinkling of pepper.
Add chicken and water (or lemon) and stir until mixed thoroughly.
Serve with bread or over your favorite salad greens.
Makes 4 servings.
Also last week the Cooking Light Virtual Supper Club met up sharing delicious Soups and Stews. I unfortunately was unable to participate due to too much traveling and not having it together but I didn’t want you to miss out on what the ladies cooked up! Here’s what was on the menu:
January 21st, 2010 at 12:52 pm
YUM Aggie! I am so hungry right now! This really looks incredible!
January 21st, 2010 at 1:06 pm
I got that cookbook too. I remember flipping through it the day I got it, but I haven’t looked at it since then. This salad looks really fabulous (I agree about hummus being a better idea than mayo), so I’ll have to dig out the book.
January 21st, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Oh my goodness everything is about hummus today! I MUST have some!
I love this idea, it’s genius! Beautiful photos too!
January 21st, 2010 at 1:47 pm
This looks so light and refreshing! I love chicken salad but sometimes the mayo version can be too much – using hummus is a great idea!
January 21st, 2010 at 2:09 pm
You must have read my mind! I have been wanting to have healthier lunches and this sounds and looks amazing. Definitely going to try this. Thanks Aggie!
January 21st, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Whoa! We love hummus – what a fantastic idea! Will definitely be trying this soon. Thanks a bunch.
January 21st, 2010 at 2:51 pm
This looks delicious and healthy. I love hummus, can’t wait to try this recipe. Thanks!
January 21st, 2010 at 3:04 pm
What a great recipe! I should make this for my mama- she would be a huge fan. I love lemony hummus.
BTW – I love the looks of your game day chili. I am so adding some cocoa to my next batch
January 21st, 2010 at 3:41 pm
That looks SO good! I’ve never had lemon-flavored hummus – seems right up my ally though!!
January 21st, 2010 at 3:42 pm
This looks delicious and colorful!
January 21st, 2010 at 4:13 pm
I don’t do chicken but I love me some hummus!
January 21st, 2010 at 4:32 pm
I have always liked the idea of chicken salad but never been able to enjoy actually eating it. I am just not a mayo fan at all. Using hummus in its place is genius! I’m so excited to try this.
January 21st, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Oh man…I know what I’m making next time I whip up a batch of hummus!! Thanks for a great healthy lunch idea!!
January 21st, 2010 at 6:16 pm
I love hummus too.. but I think I am the PR girl for mayo… seriously. I can just down it… this is great to be South Beach Friendly too… I need to to jump start my diet.. I eat well and work out hard.. but think I need to cut back more..
January 21st, 2010 at 7:14 pm
The hummus is a brilliant alternative to mayo. I will be giving this salad a go very soon. I love healthy lunches such as this.
January 21st, 2010 at 7:20 pm
I love the idea of using hummus instead of mayo! very healthy alternative the entire dish sounds tasty
January 21st, 2010 at 8:39 pm
Sounds delicious to me. Nice out of the ordinary way to use the hummus!
January 21st, 2010 at 8:54 pm
You are so on my kind of food right now…I have the Lemon Hummus in my fridge as we speak and I am not a huge fan of mayo either…thanks for the yummy suggestion.
January 21st, 2010 at 8:59 pm
lunch is my favorite meal of the day too. this looks just delicious!
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:26 am
I usually use greek yogurt instead of mayo, but hummus is a great idea! looks refreshing, you have wonderful photography
January 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 am
Adding the hummus is a pure stroke of genius for a lighter and healthy alternative..plus it tastes great what could be better!!!
January 22nd, 2010 at 1:40 pm
What an ingenious idea! I love the look of this yummy salad!
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:22 pm
Aggiw, this is a lovely creation. I never would have thought of combining the ingredients in this way. I can’t wait to give this a try.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:23 pm
What a great idea! I definitely want to try this!
January 23rd, 2010 at 11:29 am
What a great take on chicken salad! Thanks for the recipe, I have been wanting to try it since you posted about it on facebook.
January 24th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
Aggie,
Can you come and make my lunches erveryday? This salad looks wonderful. I love chicken salad. What a different combo with the hummus. I need to look through my Costco cookbook for recipes to try like this one.
January 25th, 2010 at 6:04 am
this is marvelous! i love the concept of chicken salad, but the very thought of mayo makes my stomach turn. hummus is delicious though, and the perfect binder for a refreshing chicken salad! bravo, aggie.
January 29th, 2010 at 10:23 pm
Hummus is such a scrumptious replacement for mayo in this salad. It looks fantastic!
January 31st, 2010 at 7:29 pm
printing!!!!
hello!
February 2nd, 2010 at 7:31 pm
I made this tonight and stuffed it in a wrap…. AMAZING!! Me and Austin loved it.
I’ll be posting about it later and will of course link back to your awesome blog!! THanks!!!!!
February 3rd, 2010 at 8:17 am
I too love hummus and don’t care for mayo too much, but I would never have thought to use hummus as the only “dressing” component in a chicken salad. And you know what? Before I even got to the part about using lemon hummus, I was already thinking that would be perfect! Of course it would be great to experiment with some other flavors too, like a spicy chipotle or red pepper hummus. I think my husband and I would really enjoy this as a change to our regular lunch routine!