Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Hot Chicken Salad

Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

1-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
1 cup chopped celery
1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained and coarsely chopped
1 cup seasoned salad croutons
1/4 cup slivered almonds, chopped and toasted
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon reduced-fat butter, melted
3/4 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese

In a small saucepan, whisk flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil over medium heat;cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, onion and salt until smooth. Whisk in the milk mixture. Stir in the chicken, celery, water chestnuts, croutons and almonds.

Spoon into a 2-qt. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes.

Combine bread crumbs and butter; stir in cheese. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes longer or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Tips and Tricks
I omit the almonds and salt and celery, and instead of grating the onion, sometimes I just chop it very finely. Grated onion is very strong, so be sure not to use too much! Instead of mixing the yogurt and mayo in a separate bowl, I add those items straight to the saucepan I made the milk mixture in. Buy sliced water chestnuts to save time. Use whatever cheese you have on hand. The prep is listed as 25 minutes, but it takes me about half that time. You can also make the casserole ahead of time and refrigerate it until ready to bake. I also premake the crumb topping and refrigerate that as well.
Make It Healthier
Use croutons that are trans-fat free and low in sugar and sodium. Omit the salt. Use fat-free yogurt. Use whole grain bread crumbs.
How Kids Can Help
Measure and dump ingredients. Spoon chicken mixture into dish. Mix bread crumb mixture. Older kids can grate cheese.
Suggested Sides
green salad, fresh fruit, steamed green beans

Nutrition Facts
3/4 cup equals 323 calories, 15 g fat (5 g saturated fat), 78 mg cholesterol, 592 mg sodium, 19 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 29 g protein
Diabetic Exchanges
3 very lean meat, 2-1/2 fat, 1 starch, 1 vegetable

1 comment:

Marie@moneyrake.com said...

Now this is such a 'must try'. bookmarked your site!