Weekend Hike Chicken Salad

About 2 years ago when my husband Kyle and I really started getting serious about hiking and traveling to different cities to try new trails, we started this accidental tradition of bringing store bought chicken salads on our hikes for lunch. It was kind of born out of a one time occurrence of stumbling upon this delicious chicken salad in Austin, TX and from then on we were totally hooked. There was something about sitting on top of a mountain peak eating chicken salad and Mary’s crackers enjoying incredible views that just got us totally high (the simple things in life ya know).

Unfortunately, it seemed harder and harder to come across stores in these smaller cities that sold high quality chicken salad, and so our tradition of buying store bought versions has died out. But the tradition hasn’t fully gone away as we’ve now transitioned to making our own! And I have to admit - it’s now my favorite version (OK maybe it doesn’t beat the Austin one but I’ll take second place).

After several iterations of this recipe, from roasting an entire chicken to including way too much mayo (thank you Kyle), we finally have a successful chicken salad recipe that can be enjoyed on our weekend hikes or during the week for an easy lunch or even dinner.

We hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do!!

Weekend Hike Chicken Salad

Author: Olivia Moeller

• prep time: 15 mins
• cook time: 30-40 mins
• total time: 45-60 mins

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients:

For the chicken:

• 1 chicken breast (I usually make 2 and save one for another meal)
• 1/2 cup of coconut milk (can reduce by half if cooking 1 breast)
• 1 tsp of garam masala
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of salt

For the chicken salad

• 2 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
• 1/2 watermelon radish or 3 small red radishes, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp of walnuts (or other nut of choice), chopped
• 2 tbsp of seeds (e.g. pumpkin, sunflower)
• 1 cup of pre-bought coleslaw mix (option to julienne a few carrots and 1/4 head of cabbage instead)
• 3 heaping tbsp of Avocado Oil Mayo (I like this brand)
• Handful of raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
• Spices of your choice (I like oregano, garlic and pepper)

Instructions:

1. To cook the chickn breast, first marinate it for 30 minutes - 4 hours.
2. To marinate, put the chicken breast(s) in a oven safe baking dish and pour coconut milk over chicken ensuring all sides are covered. Add spices to cover chicken.
3. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
4. Cook the chicken for 30-40 minutes or until it reaches an internal temp of 165 degrees.
5. Take chicken out and let rest for 15 minutes so the juices can disperse throughout and help tenderize the chicken.
6. Once cooled, cut or shred the chicken breast into small bite size piecs and add to a large mixing bowl.
7. Add all other ingredients, adding the mayo and spices last. Mix very well to make sure the mayo is well dispersed. You may want to slowly add the mayo - this recipe is bit heavier on the mayo so if you like it to be on the drier side you can taste it in between tbsps.
8. Serve over a bed of arugula or spinach with a side of crackers or on a piece of toast!