This easy chicken salad is a perfect busy runner’s lunch — you can make it beforehand, and it travels well to the office or running trail. It’s packed with lean protein and carbs, which are important for muscle repair and energy reserves.
If you’re not keen on cooking, or simply impatient/lazy when it comes to preparing meals, use meat from a supermarket rotisserie chicken. I added a handful of sliced grapes for extra crunch and color. If you can’t find chickpea flour (a pulse flour made from ground chickpeas and a staple in Indian cooking), substitute whole-wheat or all-purpose flour.
Curried Chicken Salad
For salad:
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/3 cup 2 percent plain yogurt
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
1 pinch cinnamon
1 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup carrot, chopped
1/3 cup red onion, chopped
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
For crackers:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup chickpea flour
1/2 teaspoon canola oil
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt, plus more for garnish
1/4 cup water
Dried onion flakes and poppy seeds, for garnish
Make salad: Bring large pot of water to boil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 40 minutes. Drain and let cool.
As chicken cooks, prepare dressing by stirring together yogurt, salt and spices in a large bowl. Add celery, carrot, onion and pistachios. Stir to blend and set aside.
Make crackers: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and mist with cooking spray.
Combine chickpea four, oil, baking powder and salt and stir to blend. Add water and mix to make a smooth batter.
Scrape mixture onto parchment paper and spread thin. Sprinkle lightly with additional salt, dried onion and poppy seeds. Bake for 7 minutes, then remove from oven and cut into squares with a sharp knife. Bake for 5 to 6 additional minutes, or until edges begin to get golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Test to see if crispy; if not, return to oven for a few more minutes.
When chicken is cool, chop into cubes and fold into dressing and veggies until incorporated. Taste and add more salt if needed. Chill before serving with Chickpea-Flour Crackers.
Serves 4.
Salad nutritional information: 189 calories, 4 g fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 1 g fiber, 28 g protein.
Cracker nutritional information: 104 calories, 2 g fat, 14 g carbohydrates, 2 g fiber, 6 g protein.
—“Racing Weight Cookbook: Lean, Light Recipes for Athletes” by Matt Fitzgerald and Georgie Fear (Velo Press, $24.95)
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