Lemon Almond Chicken Salad

There’s a long, extended weekend in store for me.

I decided to take a few days off this week while my stepdad is in town. I’m headed back to my hometown for a few days to relax and see old friends. As for today, I don’t plan on leaving this couch at ALL. I’ve needed a nice break to just decompress before work starts to get really hectic (May ratings are right around the corner). I plan on stuffing myself full of all the delicacies Wichita Falls has to offer (cheese enchiladas and steak on garlic, anyone??) and then I’ll be back to the real world.

It’s the day before Easter Sunday and I’m celebrating all things spring. Nothing screams Easter to me like chicken salad and deviled eggs. There’s a pot of boiling water on my stove right now and I’m just waiting for my husband to bring home some mayonnaise so I can devil those suckers up.

As for the chicken salad, I’ve accidentally eaten it all. Oops. This may be my most favorite type of chicken salad. It’s not sweet and stuffed full of grapes or apples, but it’s still refreshing and simple.

Lemon pepper seasoning happens to be one of my most-used spice blends in my pantry. I added it to the two monster chicken breasts I got at the grocery store and then roasted them before shredding the chicken to pieces to put into this chicken salad. The other components for this salad are simple: fresh dill, fresh lemon juice, toasted almonds—and that’s about it. Well, and mayonnaise, of course. You can’t have chicken salad without mayonnaise, don’t you know.

My keto diet has taken a back seat lately (I ate ice cream for dinner the other day, so…) but I still put it to use most days during the week. I ate this chicken salad on butter lettuce leaves intead of bread, but it would also be tasty on crackers or just by itself. Rolling the chicken salad up into butter lettuce leaves, though…now that was perfection.

One tip I can give you for shredding the chicken: use a Kitchen Aid mixer with a paddle attachment, if you have one. That way you don’t have to wait for the chicken to cool, and you don’t make a mess like you would with using two forks. The paddle attachment shreds the chicken perfectly, too.

Enjoy!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large cast-iron skillet or ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Season chicken with lemon-pepper seasoning and salt and sear until browned on both sides, about 2-3 minutes per side.

Cover skillet with foil and place in the oven and roast chicken for 10-12 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink.

Meanwhile, toast almonds by placing in a skillet over medium heat. Toast and stir for 2-3 minutes until lightly brown. Remove from heat.

Once chicken is cool, shred (using two forks or a stand mixer). In a large bowl, toss chicken with almonds, lemon zest and juice, green onions and dill. Stir in mayonnaise.

Serve chicken salad in lettuce leaves or bread.