What do you do when you’re insanely stressed out?
I know some people that take out their stress at the gym (ew). Others will do yoga. Nap. Read. Get lost in a wonderful television show and binge it for hours.
I tend to take out my stress on food. I’ll grab those conference room donuts and won’t look back. I’ll come home after work and raid the fridge. It’s a nasty little habit, but at least I can admit that I’m doing it.
One of my go-to snacks that I reach for when I’m in a stressed out mood is a jar of pickles. If you catch me with a few pickle spears in hand, you know I’m not to be messed with. I’ll only eat one brand of pickles: Claussen. They’ve got the best crunch, the best flavor, and are the best pickles on this planet. I’m not getting paid to say that, either. I just truly live Claussen dill pickles.
With my stress level getting real hairy here lately, I decided to take my pickle obsession to the next level. I made a chicken salad fit for a pickle lover: about a cups worth of chopped dill pickles mixed with some chicken. The ratio of pickles to everything else in this salad is probably 3 to 1. It’s a feast fit for a pickle lover.
Along with those lovely pickles, this chicken salad is creamy and very dilly. There’s about a tablespoon of dill weed mixed into the concoction so you are just enveloped with the dill pickle flavor.
A creamy, pickle-laden chicken salad is just what the doctor ordered. If you whip the cream cheese, mayonnaise and seasonings together before adding the chicken, pickles and green onions it makes this salad that much better. You get this creamy, whipped texture that will delight your tastebuds and entice your eyes.
I served this chicken salad on butter lettuce leaves (my favorite green to serve sandwiches on). I bet this would also taste incredible in a croissant, or a hoagie, or even a tortilla wrap. I’m back on the keto-train, though, so lettuce wraps are my jam.
Pro-tip: I usually poach my chicken for chicken salads. How do you poach chicken? It’s simple. Brown the breast for a few minutes on each side in a deep skillet, then pour water or chicken broth over the top so that the chicken is covered by about a 1/2 inch of water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 8-10 minutes. Let cool and then chop up. It’s super easy!
Enjoy!
Pickle Lovers Chicken Salad
A creamy, dilly chicken salad with loads of chopped dill pickles.
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken breast
- 1 TBS. olive oil
- salt & pepper
- 2 TBS. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 cup chopped dill pickles
- 3 green onions, sliced
- 8 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1 TBS. dillweed
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 TBS. chives
Directions
- Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder and paprika. Brown chicken on both sides for 1-2 minutes. Pour water over chicken so that it’s covered with 1/2″ of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover & simmer for 8-10 minutes. Drain off water and let chicken cool then chop into bite-size pieces.
- In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip together cream cheese and mayonnaise. Add salt, pepper, dill and garlic powder and mix well.
- In a large bowl, combine pickles, green onions, chives and chicken. Stir in cream cheese mixture and mix well. Cover and chill.
- Serve chicken salad on lettuce leaves, croissants, or tortillas.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Heat oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Season chicken with salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon garlic powder and paprika. Brown chicken on both sides for 1-2 minutes. Pour water over chicken so that it’s covered with 1/2″ of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover & simmer for 8-10 minutes. Drain off water and let chicken cool then chop into bite-size pieces.
In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip together cream cheese and mayonnaise. Add salt, pepper, dill and garlic powder and mix well.
In a large bowl, combine pickles, green onions, chives and chicken.
Stir in cream cheese mixture and mix well. Cover and chill.
Serve chicken salad on lettuce leaves, croissants, or tortillas.
This is the way my mother made tuna salad. I usually make it with sweet pickled but my mother would put dill pickles in all sorts of salads. She canned her own dill pickles. Thanks for sharing. You brought back memories.
I’m so glad to have sparked your memories! I love sweet pickles in my tuna, too. Dill pickles are a great change of pace though.