Chicken Salad Recipe in a Jar
Posted on April 18th, 2012 by Becky || 11 comments
Every time I make chicken salad or order it at a cafe, I’m always reminded of a dear friend from college. We used to meet up regularly for lunch in search of the best chicken salad in town. We hunted down every cafe in Norman, Oklahoma, that had chicken salad on their menu to sample their creation. My favorites were always the recipes loaded with fruit and nuts, like this one. Our lunch dates were always full of encouragement and care as we prayed for one another and caught each other up on the details of life. Chicken salad will forever remind me of my friend Mindi and our quest to find the best recipe.
This chicken salad was made in haste for a little picnic I was having with a friend. We took these cute salad jars with us to the park while we watched her son pretend to be a wild animal as he climbed trees and swung on branches. Along with the entertainment, we enjoyed some kale chips and chocolate. It was the perfect afternoon picnic.
Chicken Salad is a perfect picnic style recipe that is easily made in a jar. I have a long list of things to try out making in jars that I hope to share with you. On the left side of the blog there’s a category called ‘In a Jar’, which you’ll find many recipe that are easy to make or take in a jar. Salads like this one are easy to just shake up and enjoy on the go.
For this chicken salad recipe I used kefir for the cream-y ingredient and for the dressing on the spinach I used a combination of balsamic vinegar and hazelnut oil, plus a few pinches of salt and pepper. Of course, if you’re more of a classic chicken salad person, you can substitute the kefir for mayo or use plain yogurt if kefir is not available.
Here are the easy steps to making these Chicken Salad Jars:
Pour a 1/2 tablespoon of hazelnut oil or olive oil and 1/4 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar into the bottom of the jar. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.
Layer on a handful of spinach.
Top with Chicken Salad then extra grapes. Walah!
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked, shredded chicken, (2 small chicken breasts)
- 1 tablespoon of shallot, minced
- 1/4 cup kefir (substitute mayo or plain yogurt)
- 1/2 cup grapes, sliced in half
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil or olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 handfuls of spinach
Instructions
- Toast Pecans at 400 degrees for 4 minutes or until fragrant, then chop. Slice grapes in half. Combine shredded chicken with shallot and kefir then add grapes and pecans and season with salt and pepper. In two medium jars pour 1/2 tablespoon of hazelnut oil and 1/4 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar in each. Place one handful of spinach in each jar, then top with the chicken salad mixture.
- When you're ready to eat, shake the jars up and enjoy!
Yum! I’m going to try this with tempeh!
Sounds like a fantastic idea! Please let me know how it turns out!!
Such a fun idea. I love fruit and nuts in my chicken salad too. Who makes the best chicken salad in SLC?
Great question!! Maybe you and I need to discover it together. I have had some pretty good chicken salad from Kneaders. But besides that I haven’t found anything great.
Yum, love the ingredients you’ve used!
Feel so honored that you posted this about our friendship! I always think of you as well when I devour any delicious chicken salad!
This sounds so good, and I love that it’s in a jar! We are planning lots of picnics, this is so perfect!!
This looks delicious!! Now I want to make chicken salad! I think you need to make some more pate a choux. Chicken salad is AWESOME stuffed in cream puff shells!!
Hi Becky,
This looks awesome! I just bought some of those lovely Weck jars so I can’t wait to try this recipe. Is it OK to substitute walnut oil for the hazelnut oil?
Thanks!
Yes, walnut oil or olive oil can be substituted for the hazelnut oil. Or you can just soak some roasted hazelnuts in a mild olive oil for a few days to make something similar to hazelnut oil. Enjoy!!
Thanks! That sounds awesome. I happened to go looking for some hazelnut oil this afternoon and found one from La Tourangelle. Can’t wait to give this recipe a go!