Crunchy Middle Eastern Chicken Salad
A couple of culinary things are a given in my house. One is that, every two or three weeks, I will eat roasted chicken for dinner with good crusty bread and a green salad. The other is that I will turn the leftover chicken into chicken salad. Note that I didn't say I will roast a chicken every two or three weeks, just that I will eat one. Oh, I've roasted my share of chickens and still do on special occasions. But what I love about this particular dinner is that it's quick and easy and that means store bought rotisserie chicken. Those things are so good! I usually behave and pull off most of the skin to make it a pretty healthy meal. It's also a meal that must be eaten while being stared at intently by my dog but that's another story. Now, about the leftover chicken, because there certainly will be a fair amount of it. That is my built-in excuse to make chicken salad for lunch the next day, and quite possibly dinner as well. So before I put away the first night's chicken dinner, I disassemble it and stash it in an air tight container in the fridge. I prefer to shred the meat rather than cube it but that's a personal preference. A standard deli chicken salad has mayonnaise and celery but I see it as a blank canvas for lots of flavorings. Here I went Middle Eastern with tahini and za'atar. You can still add celery if you like but I got the crunch from carrots and almonds and it was so good!
Ingredients
- 1 whole roasted chicken (store bought is fine)
- 1 batch Greek yogurt tahini (recipe below)
- 2 carrots (peeled and julienned or shredded)
- 1/4 cup almonds (sliced)
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (chopped)
- 1/2 teaspoon za'atar seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- For the​ Greek Yogurt Tahini:
- 1 Clove garlic (peeled)
- 3 tablespoons sesame paste
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
- 3 - 4 tablespoons water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Make the tahini sauce by combining the garlic, sesame paste, lemon juice, Greek yogurt and water in the bowl of a small food processor. Puree until fully combined and season with salt and pepper.
- Remove the skin from the chicken and shred or dice the meat.
- Add the chicken to a large bowl along with the shredded carrots and toss with the tahini sauce.
- Stir in the sliced almonds, chopped cilantro and za'atar.
- Season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve on pita or naan bread with greens such as baby spinach.