Homemade chicken salad makes for an easy and affordable lunch. Jennifer Manalili, City Times.
Homemade chicken salad makes for an easy and affordable lunch. Jennifer Manalili, City Times.

Save money, bring lunch from home

With school back in session, you might feel like life is going a little too fast and there never seems to be enough time to make yourself something good to eat. And while City College is after all located in downtown near a plethora of amazing eats (check out our review of Burger Lounge online), there’s just something about knowing you won’t have to shell out a few bucks to appease your rumbling tummy.

Enter this delicious chicken salad. It’s fairly simple, I’d even bet you may already have most of the ingredients in your kitchen and if you don’t it’s still very affordable. It’s healthy, especially since it’s not drenched in mayo and if you utilize baked or boiled chicken like I do. And it keeps well in the fridge for a few days so you can get a few meals out of this. (It’s also an easy recipe to double.)

The best part about making chicken salad is you can top it and serve it any way you want. Toast some bread if you’re eating it at home and top with some sliced onion or crumble in some bacon and cheese. If you’re on the run, scoop some into a tortilla and eat it like a wrap. Either way, you’ve got a winner on your hands.

Curried chicken salad

2-3 chicken breasts, baked, grilled or boiled (You can also use leftover rotisserie chicken.)

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 tablespoons mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon of curry powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 apple, diced

Juice of ½ a lemon

2-3 stalks of celery, leaves included, diced

½ small red onion, diced

¼ – ½ cup walnuts, chopped

1. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, slice it into bite-sized pieces. Toss the chicken with salt, pepper and curry powder, then toss with mustard and mayonnaise. Set aside.

2. Dice your apple and squeeze the lemon juice over it to keep it from discoloring and to add a little acid to the salad. Toss the apple with the diced celery, red onion and walnuts. Add this mixture to the chicken mixture and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt, pepper, mustard or mayonnaise as you see fit. It will keep well in the fridge for up to three or four days.

3. Assemble your sandwich with your favorite bread and a few slices of tomatoes or lettuce leaves or make a wrap like I did using one flour tortilla and romaine lettuce. Cheese or crumbled bacon also make amazing toppings. Pack your wrap or sandwich with some fruit and maybe some chips and you’re good to go.


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Save money, bring lunch from home