Spices or herbs
help slim down
versatile chicken salad

The warm summer months call for recipes that are refreshing, quick to prepare and easy to tote to the beach or park. Chicken salad is a classic that meets all of these criteria.

Another virtue of chicken salad is its versatility. Chicken salad is more than a delicious sandwich filling. Spread it on crackers or baguettes to make an open-face pupu. Scoop it onto a bed of lettuce for a main-dish salad. Toss it with cooked shell or rotelle pasta for a new twist on macaroni salad.

Add pizzazz to your chicken salad with spices and herbs -- chopped parsley or chives for conservative palates, curry powder or fresh tarragon for the more daring. Garnish with chopped tomatoes, capers or sliced olives.

Traditional chicken salad is bound together with a generous amount of mayonnaise. The result is a dish high in fat and calories.

We agree that chicken salad should be moist and flavorful. So, we've come up with two alternative dressings that provide approximately 60 percent less fat and about 40 percent fewer calories than traditional chicken salad. Enjoy!

Chicken or Turkey Salad

Adapted from "Joy of Cooking" by Irma Rombauer (Scribner, 1997)
2 cups cooked diced skinless boneless chicken or turkey breast
1 cup diced celery
Salt and pepper to taste
Choice of dressing
>> Original Dressing:
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley (optional)
>> Alternate Dressing No. 1
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
6 tablespoons nonfat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon honey
>> Alternate Dressing No. 2
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 tablespoons nonfat yogurt
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Place chicken or turkey and celery in a large bowl; toss. Combine ingredients for dressing of your choice. Toss dressing with chicken or turkey mixture. Refrigerate overnight. Serve cold. Serves 8

Approximate nutritional analyses, per serving (not including salt to taste):

Using original dressing, using 1/2 cup mayonnaise: 160 calories, 12 g total fat, 2 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 120 mg sodium, 1 g carbohydrate, 11 g protein.*

Using first alternative dressing: 95 calories, 4 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 130 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 11 g protein.*

Using second alternative dressing: 100 calories, 5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 30 mg cholesterol, 250 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, 12 g protein.*

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If you want a lower-fat makeover of your recipe, mail recipes to Recipe Makeover, Features Department, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu, HI 96802. Or email to drdobbs@juno.com using Recipe Makeover as your subject title. Make sure to include your name and phone number or email address.

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Health Events

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Barbara Burke is a Hawaii-Pacific University instructor who has been teaching
and writing about food and nutrition since 1975.

Joannie Dobbs, Ph.D., C.N.S., is a food and nutrition consultant
and owner of Exploring New Concepts, a nutritional consulting firm.
She is also responsible for the nutritional analyses
indicated by an asterisk in this section.

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