My goodness it’s a busy time of year. All four of us sisters have been lamenting about the vast amounts of things that need checked off our daily to-do lists. Kids’ baseball games and other activities to shuttle them to, meetings & special trainings and deadlines at work, and various other responsibilities have got us run ragged and longing for one of our girls’ weekends.
Busy times like this call for meal prep. If I can find time to prep a few things to keep on-hand, we usually avoid the fast food drive thru. Last weekend I took the time to boil some chicken to use in various dishes this week. Having cooked chicken in the fridge or freezer is a major time saver on busy weeks… same for bacon (and ground beef). I like to cook up several pounds of bacon, freeze it in a single layer on a cookie sheet (so it won’t stick together), then transfer it to a freezer baggie. A few seconds in the microwave thaws it right out. Bonus: pre-cooking your own bacon is much cheaper than buying the pre-cooked kind at the grocery store.
Since I (almost) always have boiled shredded chicken and cooked bacon in the fridge or freezer, it takes no time to throw this Jalapeno Popper Chicken Salad together for lunch or a quick, no-bake dinner. I serve it on a low carb wrap with some fresh baby spinach. Quick, easy, and so much better than a cold cut sandwich! ~Erin
Here’s the Reader’s Digest Version of how to make it:
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 12 ounces cooked & shredded)
- 2 fresh jalapenos
- ¼ c. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ¼ c. light mayonnaise
- 6 slices center cut bacon, cooked crisp & crumbled
- Juice of one lime
- 1 T. brine from a jar of pickled jalapenos, optional
- ½ cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Chop up 2 jalapenos. This is how I cut them. Cut out the ribs & veins if you don’t like the heat. Leave some of the ribs if you like a little spice!
Salt & pepper the shredded chicken a bit (you can add more later if needed).
Throw in some Greek yogurt, mayo, lime juice, and a little jarred jalapeno pickling brine if you’re so inclined. Stir it up! Then stir in the bacon and fresh jalapeno pieces.
Lastly, stir in the cheese. I do this last so I don’t totally obliterate the shreds but I don’t know if it really matters. It just makes me feel better to be gentle with the cheese. Ha!
Ready to serve! I like mine on a wrap with some baby spinach. It’s good on some toasted bread too or just served on a plate with some Ritz crackers. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- ~ 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 12 ounces cooked & shredded)
- ~ 2 fresh jalapenos
- ~ ¼ c. plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- ~ ¼ c. light mayonnaise
- ~ 6 slices center cut bacon, cooked crisp & crumbled
- ~ Juice of one lime
- ~ 1 T. brine from a jar of pickled jalapenos, optional
- ~ ½ cup fat free shredded cheddar cheese
- ~ Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil & shred the chicken; set aside.
- Cut the tops off the jalapenos, slice, remove seeds and ribs (That’s where the heat is…leave some of the ribs if you like spicy.) and finely dice.
- Mix chopped jalapenos, shredded chicken, yogurt, mayo, bacon pieces, lime juice, pickled jalapeno brine, and cheddar cheese in a medium bowl.
- Season to taste with salt & pepper.
- Serve on toast, in a wrap with fresh baby spinach, or with Ritz Crackers.
Notes
Weight Watchers Info: This makes 4 servings of ½ cup each. Each serving is 3 Freestyle SmartPoints.