Lemon Almond Roast Chicken Salad.
Snack time! I mean lunch time. I mean everything time.
Hi hi. How was your weekend? What did you do? Where did you go? Did you finish it off by sitting at your computer with a sheet mask on your face, a sheet mask that makes you look like pantyhose-face-covered bank robber, and eating a sleeve of chocolate covered biscuits first then a bowl of popcorn second all while shopping online for a. new workout shoes, b. everything in sephora, c. mom jeans that don’t look like mom jeans but actually are mom jeans or d. all of the above?
Do you want to talk about the weather and how it’s going to be spring and we’re all crawling out of our deep dark winter holes that made us need mom jeans? No. Okay.
Should I have made a St Patrick’s Day recipe for today? Did you see eight million pies on instagram on Saturday? Were you like, “I’m so bad at math, I can’t even deal with Pi day?”
We can talk about salad? Not real salad. Not leafy green salad. Though given the mom jeans, maybe that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
This chicken salad? Um. It’s from my GROCERY STORE. Well, not like really from my grocery store. Not like I bought it from my grocery store and threw it in a bowl and took a pic. No no. But. The idea came from my grocery store. They’ve had a lemon almond chicken salad for years. We are talking YEARS. My cousin loves it. My mom loves it. I am scared of it because regular grocery store deli cases sort of freak me out.
It’s a phobia. I’m a brat.
The slicer. I’m petrified that someone is going to slice their finger or hand or face off while at the same time having that terrible feeling or wanting to touch the slicer to see what would happen, like the garbage disposal in the sink. Slimy meats that have the rainbow glow under the lights because they’ve been there for three days? The bricks of cheese. Huge bricks of orange cheese. You’d think it would be my heaven, hello, bricks of cheese, but no. I am a big deli counter snob. The only way I can get into it is if I have a spy. In (on?) the deli counter.
Also: wet salad. It’s a thing, and a thing that I cannot do.
Because! My thing with chicken salad and with, well – any kind of salad be it tuna or salmon or even lobster – is that I don’t like it to be super wet. I don’t love tons of yogurt or mayo or whatever delicious substance is being used to bind said salad together. In fact, I used to totally loathe mayo, period.
But now, I’ve learned to love it in it’s pure form when there is a just a small amount used. Like a thin smear on the most perfect BLT (totally need that for lunch today) or as the base for a makeshift killer aioli. If you’re a mayo hater or know a mayo hater, I’m here to tell you that you can’t taste the teeny bit of mayo in this salad whatsoever. I totally get it – if you hate mayo you might not even have it in your fridge, but I find that it is SUPER important and key to this recipe. Just that little bit adds a depth of flavor, makes it slightly creamier and takes away the relatively sharp tang of the yogurt.
If you don’t want to buy a tiny tub, make your own! I beg of you. Mayo is real food: eggs, vinegar, mustard, oil (I like using extra virgin) and making my own is how I learned to appreciate it.
Otherwise, if you’re going to stick to all Greek? Taste taste taste and season the hizzeck out of it.
Ew. You can slap me.
There is one thing that you won’t ever find me putting in my cold salads, and that is celery. BAH. Celery can talk a long walk off a short pier. I am so not a fan. Celery and fennel seeds can go ride off into the sunset and find the Bermuda triangle.
But if you’re into it, I mean… I guess you can try it.
You know why this salad is also the bomb dot com? (Ew again.) Toasted almonds! The crunch. It’s so satisfying and unexpected and delightful. The flavor is insane when combined with a little lemon and the roasted chicken. Also, (is this the thirteenth “also” of this post?) you can use a rotisserie chicken if you’re in a pinch! Or roast you own whole chicken instead of pieces.
Wait, who has time for that?
You can grill it! It’s almost summer. It’s grillin’ time. (It’s time for me to stop.)
And finally, can I take a moment for these crackers? They are a stone ground wheat cracker and super crunchy and thick and fabulous. Nothing too special, but ideal for salads like these. SO so good.
Like I will pretty much spread anything on this cracker. Anything.
Lemon Almond Roast Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 1/2 lemon, zest freshly grated and juiced
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 3/4 cup plain greek yogurt, I recommend whole or 2%, but do what ya want!
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover the chicken with the lemon pepper and salt. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Place the chicken in the skillet and sear on both sides until golden, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Cover the skillet and place it in the oven, roasting for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Remove and let the chicken rest for 10 minutes, then slice it into chunks. At this point, I like to shred it – but it’s up to you. Do you want shredded chicken salad or cubes? I like shredded.
- While the chicken is roasting, add the almonds to a nonstick skillet. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the almonds toast and get golden brown and fragrant. They can burn in a second so keep an eye on them! This takes around 5ish minutes. Remove the almonds and let them cool. You can crush a few up with your hands if desired.
- Place the chicken, almonds (save a few for topping if you’d like – it’s not necessary), lemon zest and juice, green onions and parsley in a bowl. Stir to combine. Fold in the yogurt and mayo, stirring until the entire bowl of chicken is moistened. Note! I do NOT like a very “wet” chicken salad, so if you’d like it to be wetter, feel free to add in more yogurt and/or mayp! Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. This is delicious when it sits overnight, so making it the night before is a great option!
Did you make this recipe?
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I appreciate you so much!
That was enough babbling.
93 Comments on “Lemon Almond Roast Chicken Salad.”
Almonds in my salad! Hurray!
I’m really not a fan of mayo, but will take your word for adding it to this salad. Maybe only 1 tablespoon. ;)
i feel the same way about celery unless its in my chicken noodle soup, that i can handle. i love the creamy and crunch factor in this salad.
I can’t get my husband into the almond thing. He likes wet stuff. Soggy shrimp.drippy tuna fish, yuck. Havesomelettucewithyoursaladdressing kind of guy.
But he’s the best,so I can live with that stuff.
I love the plate By the way. .I’ve been looking at something like that for my
kitchen back splash…….2 years and deciding.
Pratt & Larson does something
like that.
Looks delicious and the plate is lovely too! :-)
Mmmmm — I’m not much of a chicken salad person … mostly because the ones that I have had are terrible, but I’ve got to give this one a shot!! It sounds too good to pass up!
I buy this from Giant Eagle at least once a week! Can’t wait to try this recipe.
Oh my gosh. The slicer! I can’t even deal with it. It’s kind of my siren song. Like I think about things getting sliced off with it, then I get freaked out MAJORLY! Yikes. I can’t watch. So I avoid the deli counter. This salad = perfect. I want it right now!
Isn’t it crazy how we have something for years and never really think about it and then one day we make it and it’s THAT much better? THIS chicken salad is calling my name, love anything with a twist of lemon, so I’m pumped to try this!
My weekend flew by. Sometimes I just wonder why time is going so fast. I was in Chicago for a little blogger retreat. Funny story though – I grew up in Chicago (now I live in Milwaukee which is only an hour and a half away) and the day i arrived, a little piece of an orthodontic wire i have behind my bottom teeth (this is tmi I know) came loose and was totally hurting me. I called up my childhood dentist and actually got an appointment to have it fixed. How crazy is that? I felt like I was 10 years old lol. Anyway, now that i’m all fixed up and can eat, I’m totally going to make this chicken salad!
omg. that is so crazy! ha.
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Chicken salad is the only salad I want to live off of during the summer. So fresh and so clean (did I really just saw that?). Love the lemon and almonds. Definitely trying next salad round!
most favorite ever.
Definitely giving this a go! :) x
My husband just loves chicken salad and is always asking me to make it. I am in need of a new recipe and this looks like just the one. I will definitely be making this!
This recipe looks incredible. I’m usually not a big fan of deli salads, but… woah. Need to make this, ASAP.
THE DELI COUNTER SLICER IS YOUR SIREN SONG. I think the deli counters kind of freak me out too … It’s like, how long as that stuff BEEN IN THERE? And I’m with you about salads that aren’t too wet. Ew. This one sounds great.
Que maravilha!
I used to work in the deli at giant eagle and this stuff sells like gangbusters. Like, we couldn’t keep it in the case and were constantly refilling trays of chicken salad. If you were worried about freshness have no fear with this stuff. It never lasted long.
ahhhh so good to know! thanks!
I am 100% with you on hatred of wet salads. I’m glad you understand me on this. I too used to be a total mayo hater, but when I was down in Chile they use a kind of homemade mayo on everything that I actually loved! I still need to get off my lazy butt and try making my own.
Chicken salad is the perfect salad for summer. It’s so light and fresh. Loving the almonds. Definitely giving this a try!
That looks like the most perfect chicken salad! Love the lemon almond combo. That sounds fantastic!
Haha, I wanted to see all those pies on instagram, but the link sent me to homemade mayonnaise!
Regardless, this looks SO good!!
I am so with you on the hating celery and fennel seeds. Those are my two main food no-nos. Eww. Glad to hear someone else speak of how truly awful they are.
Love the use of saltine crackers- they are my go to all the time! The salad looks so good, i might need to make this for lunches this week!
Hahaha, I will be adding more mayo to my version. I’m in love with mayo (I used to just eat mayo sandwiches. yes you heard that right, but please don’t ban me from your blog, mmkay?), but I totally agree with you about celery and fennel. My grocery store makes a chicken salad that’s actually very delicious, but there’s a crap ton of celery in it. If I’m feeling squirrely, I’ll buy it and go through the painstaking process of removing all the devil celery so I can actually enjoy the good stuff. I believe your way is probably MUCH easier.
I’m with you, Jessica. I despise celery. I will cry if it touches me. That’s not even an exaggeration! I can’t stand it. This chicken salad is perfect. I’m also not a fan of mayo so yogurt works as an awesome substitute.
No need to share a St Patrick’s Day recipe today. This looks about a billion times better than all the green-hued recipes floating around right now. I seriously can’t wait to try it! Looks amazing!
WOW this looks out of this world amazing…adding lemon to this was an absolutely brilliant idea…definitely pinning this one to make sometime soon! yummmmm!
This looks amazing, Jessica! Can you share the brand of crackers you love to spread this (and your little cutie!) on? Thanks!
This looks delish!!!! Def giving this one a try
I am not a fan of the deli counter salads either. They never look appetizing, at least not the discolored top layer of salad. Eww! I need to make this salad. It looks fantastic! Ugh, when I make mayo at home i only have like a 25% success rate, no matter how long I allow the ingredients come to room temp. It is maddening! I have wasted so much oil.
I cannot stand fennel! Yuck!!! I have to read every package of sausage prior to throwing it in my cart to make sure it does not have fennel seeds, otherwise I pass. Most of them do however. And this is also why I hate Italian sausage. So gross! And I also feel like celery has no business in my salad.
i used to work in a deli and I did cut myself once on the blade, not while slicing, but when cleaning the slicer at the end of the night (more than a decade later I still have the scar on my finger). I will say that deli slicers are very safe and it is really hard to cut yourself when using them, unless you choose to use them wrong.
On a happier note, I love chicken salad and can’t wait to try this recipe!
Yes please make a St. Patrick’s Day recipie…..
I happen to love mayo, and chicken salad, so obviously love this! And good lord, while I’m not a deli counter snob (except for the REALLLY slimy meats), I too have that premonition that the person cutting my cheese or turkey is going to slice their hand off!
Yeah!!! Someone shares my hate for celery!
NO. WAY. I grew up in Pittsburgh and LUSTED after this chicken salad! Not every Giant Eagle had it, either, so it was like a total (expensive) treat when we got it. I’d sneak bites right out of the container with a fork! I need to make this like yesterday… This is why I love you….
This looks so good! I am awful at coming up with lunch ideas. This will work for a few! :)
This looks so fresh and delicious..loving everything citrus lately. Making this week!
This post was hilarious. But actually. hank you.
Also- looks yum :) Will try once I’m done my “vegetarian lent” fiasco.
You have no idea how happy I am that you also hate celery. I’m constantly told that there is no way I can hate it because “it has no taste.” IT DOES! Additionally, I share your feelings on wet salads. So this recipe makes me really happy. Because maybe it means we’re food twins. Which I would be totally ok with since every single recipe I make of yours ends up being my new favorite because it’s always delicious. And I’ve made a lot. And now I’m the one babbling…
This is the most amazing looking chicken salad I’ve ever seen! Cannot wait to give this one a shot!!
Agreed on the celery! Unless it’s in teeny tiny pieces. I’ll be giving this a try!
I’m a mayo girl, all the way. When I was a kid, I used to eat mayonnaise sandwiches. Just mayo on bread. And mayo on crackers. True fact: Poor people come up with strange snacks when they’re hungry. haha
Meanwhile, I love chicken salad. Definitely going to hafta try this one. I’m grateful you don’t like celery, too. Because, yuck! No worse surprise than digging into some yummy chicken salad only to encounter an awful bite of celery. :-D
Okay, so don’t hate, but I did add some Slap-Chopped celery to this salad only after realizing I used too much Greek yogurt and mayo (is there such a thing!?!?)
BUT ALSO
Slap Chopped in some carrots – um HELLO GORGEOUS and delicious addition. Adds a bit of crunch :)
This salad looks super amazing. I’m not a fan of the deli counter either, mostly because when I’m just trying to peek at their selection, someone would quickly approach me to help me. All I want to do is look first and I feel like they’re watching me look at their selection. So I avoid the deli counter.
As for the weekend, I spent my Sunday sampling chocolate at the SF Chocolate Salon. As in 10:30-3:30. So I devoured chocolate for breakfast AND lunch. Best weekend ever. lol
Now, for some salad.
I too loathe mayo. I have made chicken salad with avocados and I think this will work with those as the lemon will keep it from browning to much. Also, yum!
Oh man! I am totally making this chicken salad this weekend and I may just try making my own mayo for once! Also, I totally feel you on the celery and fennel seeds. Blech.
That salad looks delicious, I have to make it for next weekend.
I’m lucky. I love mayo, lemon and almonds and this sounds so right up my alley, in your words, I can’t even!
Deli? The only deli where I have ever had anything that tastes remotely like homemade is Sprouts. I love their blue cheese potato salad so much I have it on my agenda to re-create it. I’m betting this is far better than what you can purchase pre-made and can’t wait to try it.
I cannot wait to make this. My husband says the same about celery, I think I’ll make it with for me and without for him. :)
I LOVE Giant Eagle’s lemon almond chicken salad!!! And those are my very favorite crackers! Stoned Wheat Thins!! Yay that I can make the salad at home now!
Thank you!!!