Is chicken salad even healthy?
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Sorry, my misunderstanding. Confusion because I didn't realise the difference in meaning; didn't know that there is a "store bought spreadable type."1
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You gotta make it yourself. Way better anyway when it's homemade.1
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Whether it's "healthy" or not depends on what you are looking for, how it's made, etc.retro_gamer wrote: »I'm still trying to wrap it around my head how something that is hailed as healthy food can be so calorie dense, like peanut butter which I never eat, I guess It's good for people who are putting on weight but unless I hear of a healthier variant I will probably not eat chicken salad anymore.
I find this incredibly confusing because I have NEVER heard chicken salad "hailed" as a healthy food. Most I know consider it a high cal, indulgent food, because it tends to be full of mayo.
I eat it (usually homemade) occasionally and don't consider it "unhealthy," but I'd certainly not consider it particularly healthy. You can make it so that it has a decent amount of veg (I'd always have more veg on the side, however) and less fat (which adds calories, not because fat is bad).
Chicken is often called "healthy" (IMO, diets are healthy or not, not individual foods), because it has lots of protein, but covering it with mayo obviously makes a difference.
Calories alone is a bad way to think about health, however. Avocado and almonds are both high cal, but I consider both healthy, and consider salmon something that adds more to my diet than cod, on average, even though it's higher cal (and although I think both can be part of a healthy diet).
I would look at things like micronutrients and macros and what else you are eating at the meal and over the course of the day.3 -
Wendyanneroberts wrote: »Sorry, my misunderstanding. Confusion because I didn't realise the difference in meaning; didn't know that there is a "store bought spreadable type."
Are you in the UK?
In the US salad with chicken on it is called, well, salad with chicken.
Chicken salad in the US is a dish where the chicken is mixed with fat (usually mayo) plus some other additions (often grapes and slivered nuts and celery, but there are many different kinds). It can be made into a sandwich (I think a similar thing is called chicken mayo in the UK) or eaten on its own as a cold dish with other sides.4 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Wendyanneroberts wrote: »Sorry, my misunderstanding. Confusion because I didn't realise the difference in meaning; didn't know that there is a "store bought spreadable type."
Are you in the UK?
In the US salad with chicken on it is called, well, salad with chicken.
Chicken salad in the US is a dish where the chicken is mixed with fat (usually mayo) plus some other additions (often grapes and slivered nuts and celery, but there are many different kinds). It can be made into a sandwich (I think a similar thing is called chicken mayo in the UK) or eaten on its own as a cold dish with other sides.
Similar things are: egg salad (chopped up eggs with mayo/mustard and seasonings) and tuna salad (canned tuna, mayo, seasonings). All generally put between two slices of bread.3 -
retro_gamer wrote: »Hi, so yesterday I bought this little tiny container of chicken salad from target and ate about 3 small sandwiches with it yesterday and today. I looked at the container today to see how much protein was in it and was shocked at the nutritional information...
350 calories for 1/2 a cup serving and 3.5 servings per container, that means that the little tiny container had over 1200 calories... that's more calories than a Burger King double whopper with cheese and small fries. Not only that but there's only about 40 grams of protein. I'm still trying to wrap it around my head how something that is hailed as healthy food can be so calorie dense, like peanut butter which I never eat, I guess It's good for people who are putting on weight but unless I hear of a healthier variant I will probably not eat chicken salad anymore.
Nutritional quality has nothing to do with caloric density...there are tons of food that are healthy but they are calorie bombs...think nuts and avocados, etc. These are sources of quality fats which are essential to proper nutrition.
As chicken salad goes, it depends on how you make it...if it's a ton of mayo then yeah...it's a lot of fat...seems pretty obvious to me.
I've never thought of chicken salad as a "health food"...but at the same time, when you're talking about nutrition, you can't do so in a vacuum...you have to look at things within the context of the diet as a whole.2 -
I love Chicken Salad! If you can handle it, try slimming it down with Greek Yogurt instead of Mayo (some people hate doing this). I always make mine with fat free Greek Yogurt, Mustard, Grilled Chicken, Red Onions, Celery, Red Grapes and lots of dill!0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »
Are you in the UK?
Yes I am from UK. Realise what was meant now, different use of language. Have heard of (& eaten) egg version & tuna version. Where I'm from this tends to be known as "egg mayo" or in this case, it would be called "chicken mayo". Rather than chicken salad, ie chicken served with salad. Didn't mean to confuse thread, sorry.
Referring back to OP, making it from scratch at home, as suggested, will put you more in control of ingredients and therefore nutrition/calories.1 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Wendyanneroberts wrote: »Sorry, my misunderstanding. Confusion because I didn't realise the difference in meaning; didn't know that there is a "store bought spreadable type."
Are you in the UK?
In the US salad with chicken on it is called, well, salad with chicken.
Chicken salad in the US is a dish where the chicken is mixed with fat (usually mayo) plus some other additions (often grapes and slivered nuts and celery, but there are many different kinds). It can be made into a sandwich (I think a similar thing is called chicken mayo in the UK) or eaten on its own as a cold dish with other sides.
Similar things are: egg salad (chopped up eggs with mayo/mustard and seasonings) and tuna salad (canned tuna, mayo, seasonings). All generally put between two slices of bread.
......And one of the greatest food inventions known to man. Coronation chicken.2 -
I put mustard in mine instead of gobs of mayo. Much better. Plus it spruces up the taste.
Also, I put mustard in tuna salad instead of mayo.
As was mentioned above, lose the bread or tortilla or whatever you're using, and make a wrap with a lettuce leaf. I prefer iceberg lettuce.0 -
A store bought version will use more mayo and less chicken hence why the protein count is lower than expected.
Either make it yourself and control the ratio of mayo to chicken. Or, bulk up a store bought version with extra chicken or other veggies. I like to mix in celery, carrot and onion.1 -
1. I'm always experimenting with chicken salad variations. Besides the already-mentioned yogurt/greek yogurt and mustard-based types, I've done a "lite summer" vinaigrette-oil-herb (can go to picnics and not put all at risk for GI distress), minced BBQ sauce-covered breasts with the food processor - plus more BBQ sauce and odds/ends (result is somewhat like a pulled chicken), spicy in various ways, asian/mexican/pacific in various ways, and extended veggie contents. You are the master of your chicken salad this way.
2. a couple of posts mentioned grapes. that's a new one for me. doesn't their moisture do odd things to the salad? Or, I suspect, they go in whole as a last item?
"Healthy" is a relative term depending on your goals and macros and such, once you've resolved any of your potential concerns over processed components. Mayo itself isn't bad, I/we prefer to keep it at a minimum in our diet. Chicken salads are a great, economical way to use leftover chicken (and, of course, turkey for turkey salad).0 -
There are a couple of things that stand out to me here. 1/2 Cup is a serving with 3.5 servings per container. That's roughly a 12 oz size container, which isn't that tiny. Not that that is a bad thing. It sounds like you got 3 servings out of it which is probably what most of us would get. Now, here's the thing with chicken salad. If it's pre-made, it's going to be processed which means you have no control of the other things put into it, such as mayo. As a general rule, it's not terrible. I make chicken salad all the time but use little mayo and I load it up with diced celery, fresh parsley, a little bit of onion. I then eat it on either celery sticks or with cucumber slices. As for the protein content, it is what it is. It's going to have whatever protein chicken has. Though I will say if it is pre-made it may have less chicken and more fillers. But if you make it yourself you can be sure it's exactly what you want. I will use canned chicken even (if I don't have time to cook) and then add at least as much chopped celery, some chopped onion, pepper, just enough mayo to coat it and sometimes some random herbs in my cabinet. And it tastes 100% better than the pre-made kind. If I'm in the mood I'll shred up some carrot. This is also good in lettuce cups.0
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Since when is chicken salad called healthy? It's just food. It has mayonnaise in it. Mayo has fat. Fat has 9 calories per gram, making it the most calorie dense macro. Therefore, chicken salad is high in calories. It not unhealthy or healthy, you probably just can't eat 4 servings of it in a sitting and stay in a deficit easily.2
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lemurcat12 wrote: »Wendyanneroberts wrote: »Sorry, my misunderstanding. Confusion because I didn't realise the difference in meaning; didn't know that there is a "store bought spreadable type."
Are you in the UK?
In the US salad with chicken on it is called, well, salad with chicken.
Chicken salad in the US is a dish where the chicken is mixed with fat (usually mayo) plus some other additions (often grapes and slivered nuts and celery, but there are many different kinds). It can be made into a sandwich (I think a similar thing is called chicken mayo in the UK) or eaten on its own as a cold dish with other sides.
Similar things are: egg salad (chopped up eggs with mayo/mustard and seasonings) and tuna salad (canned tuna, mayo, seasonings). All generally put between two slices of bread.
......And one of the greatest food inventions known to man. Coronation chicken.
This entire thread all I've been thinking about is how good Coronation chicken is.0 -
Chicken salad is a very broad term. It literally could have anything in it as long as there is also chicken. How could you possibly determine if "chicken salad" is either healthy or unhealthy without any further information?2
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1. I'm always experimenting with chicken salad variations. Besides the already-mentioned yogurt/greek yogurt and mustard-based types, I've done a "lite summer" vinaigrette-oil-herb (can go to picnics and not put all at risk for GI distress), minced BBQ sauce-covered breasts with the food processor - plus more BBQ sauce and odds/ends (result is somewhat like a pulled chicken), spicy in various ways, asian/mexican/pacific in various ways, and extended veggie contents. You are the master of your chicken salad this way.
2. a couple of posts mentioned grapes. that's a new one for me. doesn't their moisture do odd things to the salad? Or, I suspect, they go in whole as a last item?
"Healthy" is a relative term depending on your goals and macros and such, once you've resolved any of your potential concerns over processed components. Mayo itself isn't bad, I/we prefer to keep it at a minimum in our diet. Chicken salads are a great, economical way to use leftover chicken (and, of course, turkey for turkey salad).
@mjbnj0001, regarding grapes: The Mrs slices them in half and mixes them in gently. She uses fresh grapes that are fairly firm. As far as I've seen the moisture content doesn't seem to be affected, but I've never done a controlled study! They add a nice texture and a fresh sweetness.0 -
Healthy is a pretty broad term. If you just mean specifically "low calorie" you can make it yourself and make it lighter. You can use less mayo and/or light mayo.1
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1. I'm always experimenting with chicken salad variations. Besides the already-mentioned yogurt/greek yogurt and mustard-based types, I've done a "lite summer" vinaigrette-oil-herb (can go to picnics and not put all at risk for GI distress), minced BBQ sauce-covered breasts with the food processor - plus more BBQ sauce and odds/ends (result is somewhat like a pulled chicken), spicy in various ways, asian/mexican/pacific in various ways, and extended veggie contents. You are the master of your chicken salad this way.
2. a couple of posts mentioned grapes. that's a new one for me. doesn't their moisture do odd things to the salad? Or, I suspect, they go in whole as a last item?
"Healthy" is a relative term depending on your goals and macros and such, once you've resolved any of your potential concerns over processed components. Mayo itself isn't bad, I/we prefer to keep it at a minimum in our diet. Chicken salads are a great, economical way to use leftover chicken (and, of course, turkey for turkey salad).
@mjbnj0001, regarding grapes: The Mrs slices them in half and mixes them in gently. She uses fresh grapes that are fairly firm. As far as I've seen the moisture content doesn't seem to be affected, but I've never done a controlled study! They add a nice texture and a fresh sweetness.
something to try. i've done other "harder" fruits, such as apples, pineapples, etc., even mandarin oranges. always glad to expand my horizons. thanks.1 -
I make chicken salad by highly seasoning chicken before cooking... paprika, sea salt, black pepper, onion & garlic powder... then frying in cast iron pan w/very little oil 'til crunchy. The pan gives a bit of iron to the diet, as well. In fact, I add handsful of spices or herbs to a bowl or bag to shake meats in it, to fully coat for high flavor. Highly seasoned (& I don't mean table salt) = not bored with diet.
When done, I mix it with roughly chopped celery. You can add chopped onion, too, but raw onion gives me a headache.
The dressing is 1/2-tsp of mayo, but mostly a good organic brand of creamy, plain yogurt, also highly seasoned w/a handful of oregano, basil, thyme, marjoram, scant sea salt, black pepper. Sometimes, I'll add 1/4-tsp of a nice mustard. If left chunky, it's more chewy & feels more satisfying to me, rather than mixed to a fine spread.
I'm in weight loss mode, so have cut out bread at the moment, so I eat it w/a side of chopped veggies (lettuce, tomato, cucumber, yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower & the like... I mix up the veggies each time for a change... sometimes it's just 1) & homemade salad dressing is lemon juice, scant sea salt, a splash of Balsamic & if feeling frisky, a fine drizzle of olive oil. If I want a bit of oomph, I may toss in a few olives, a slice of pickled beet or 1/2-sliced pickle or leave it as a side.
I know others add fruits & nuts to chicken salad, but I don't fare well on mixing fruits w/other foods & am allergic to nuts. I only eat fruit alone & if I want mixed fruit, group them into like items so I don't feel nauseous... like melons can be mixed together, or citrus, or nectarines w/peaches... but, not all jumbled together so that it's overwhelming w/10 varying kinds of fruits.
Since we eat with our eyes as much as our growling stomachs, I always take the time to display food nicely on a plate, which feels more satiating... like chicken salad in the middle, surrounded by veggie salad. Also, if the above is too bland, add a sprinkle of cayenne or paprika on top. It looks more colorful. I like eating pretty foods.
Sit, slow down, take the time to chew & enjoy. And, although I'm not religious & at the risk of sounding woo woo, I do anything that makes me feel better about meals, so thanking your food for providing nourishment before eating helps to enjoy each bite more.
Good luck!0
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