No-cook recipes are necessary this time of year when the scorching days seem to never end. Salads are the easiest solution, but they aren’t always hearty enough for a full dinner. Instead of making a leafy green or tomato salad, take inspiration from the deli counter and combine two creamy classics — coleslaw and chicken salad — into a dish that’s filling but still easy, quick and refreshingly cold.
Shredded coleslaw mix from the produce section and a rotisserie chicken eliminates most of the prep time and all of the knife work. To quickly tenderize the cabbage in the coleslaw, use your hands to scrunch or massage a bit of salt into it and let it rest while you attack the chicken. Remove and discard the skin, then pull the meat from the bones, shredding it with your hands as you go. (Freeze the carcass to make stock when it isn’t 100 degrees outside.) You’ll probably have a bit of leftover chicken meat, which you can save in the fridge to toss onto tomorrow’s salad or into a bowl of pasta.
Because rotisserie chicken is often a bit dry, you’ll want to make a relatively wet dressing from buttermilk, mayonnaise and vinegar. The measured amounts below should work for most chickens, but if the salad seems dry after mixing, you can always add a bit more buttermilk until it turns creamy.
Serve this salad on hamburger buns with lettuce for extra crunch. If you’d like a lighter meal, you can skip the buns and serve the salad on lettuce leaves.
Coleslaw Chicken Salad
3 cups shredded coleslaw mix
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 rotisserie chicken
6 tablespoons low-fat buttermilk, plus more as needed
1/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
On the side: Hamburger buns and/or lettuce leaves, for serving
Place the coleslaw mix in a large bowl and add the salt. Use your hands to scrunch the salt into the coleslaw to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes while you prepare the chicken.
Remove the skin from the chicken and pull the meat from the bones. Discard the skin and bones or save to make chicken stock. Use your hands or two forks to shred the meat into bite-size pieces. Measure out 4 cups of the chicken and add to the bowl with the coleslaw. Reserve the remaining chicken for another use.
Add the buttermilk, mayonnaise and vinegar to the large bowl. Stir well to combine. If the salad is dry, stir in additional buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it is creamy. Season to taste with the pepper and additional salt. Serve on buns with lettuce as a sandwich or in lettuce cups.
Serves 4.
Per serving (without buns or lettuce leaves): 382 calories (percent of calories from fat, 46), 47 grams protein, 4 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 20 grams total fat (4 grams saturated), 177 milligrams cholesterol, 961 milligrams sodium.
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