I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. I received a stipend to facilitate my purchase for my review as well as a promotional item for my participation.
Chicken salad is one of my favorite on-the-go meals. It is filling, yet light on the tummy. I love making large batches for my husband and I to use for lunches during the week.
I am frequently incorporating new fruits, vegetables, nuts and proteins into my chicken salad recipes. It is exciting to taste test new added ingredients – to keep the standard chicken salad interesting. I have yet to tire of chicken salad!
Bonus: chicken salad is a great sharing dish! It is always welcomed at various get-togethers, like barbeques or dinner parties. When I bring them to share – they often get gobbled up first!
For this specific chicken salad recipe, my special ingredient was: BLUEBERRIES!
I decided to use blueberries because they are delicious, antioxidants, anti-inflamatories and are on sale right now in the grocery store (thanks to the South American season)! They are a food that I can feel good about eating, and it fits into my healthy lifestyle goals.
I was glad I actually had some left over blueberries from my shopping trip, since I tend to eat blueberries by the handfuls as soon as I buy them!
Aren’t they just the best simple snack?
Anyway, here is my *award winning* blueberry chicken salad.
Blueberry Chicken Salad Wraps
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 green apple (diced)
- 2 celery stalks (diced)
- 1/2 small red onion (diced)
- 1 cup blueberries
- 2 small organic chicken breasts
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup full-fat greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- head of lettuce for wraps
Instructions
1. Cook chicken and quinoa. Here is my recipe for how to cook the perfect poached chicken for chicken salads. If you don’t want to cook your chicken, you can use canned chicken, but boring. After you have cooked the chicken, shred it. Cook the quinoa as package instructs. Scoop out 1 cup for the recipe.
2. Wash and dice. Wash and dry all fruits and vegetables. Using a cutting board and a sharp knife, dice the green apple, celery, and red onion.
3. Combine and stir lightly. Once your ingredients are all prepped, add them to a large mixing bowl. Be careful when stirring together, as to not puncture the blueberries. Tip: Add the majority of the blueberries after the salad is mostly mixed.
4. Make lettuce boats. Unravel the head of lettuce so you have enough pieces to make a few wraps per person. Scoop out a couple of spoonfuls of the chicken salad into each wrap.
5. Enjoy and store. You can add this chicken salad to bread for a sandwich, or lettuce wraps for a low-carb alternative. Eating it as-is is just as delicious too! Make sure to keep leftovers in the refrigerator until you serve it again!
About the Sponsor
Thank you U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council for sponsoring this recipe. Make sure to check out tips, blueberry recipes and more their website and get the latest updates from their social networks: Facebook, Twitter @Blueberry411, Instagram and Pinterest.
U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council Sweepstakes
Enter the Little Changes Sweepstakes – you could win a trip to LA, $500 Whole Foods or Lululemon gift cards. Check out the hashtag #LittleChanges. The Sweepstakes ends Feb, 16, 2015.