Tuna salad and chicken salad -- they're two of my favorites. Tuna I have on-hand in my pantry all the time, chicken breast I have leftover on a regular basis. Tuna or chicken salad is nothing fancy -- and it's ertainly not gourmet. Just a quick and easy-to-make lunch made from ingredients you most-likely have on hand in your pantry -- and it'll keep you smiling all afternoon too. Why? Because besides being loaded with fat-free protein (from tuna packed in water or the meat from leftover chicken breasts, plus hard-cooked eggs), it's filling and packed-full of flavor (from all the wonderful spices in your favorite "lite" Italian dressing). There's more. It's light -- a refreshing break from calorie-packed carbohydrates. It's never to early to "think Spring".
Filling, packed-full of flavor & texture -- & light on calories too:
1 12-ounce can packed-in-water Starkist albacore tuna, well-drained and chunked, or, 12-ounces meat from leftover poached or roasted chicken breast, pulled into bite-sized pieces
3 ounces diced celery (about 1/2 cup)
2 ounces diced yellow or sweet onion (about 1/3 cup)
1/2 teaspoon coarse-grind black pepper
2 extra-large eggs, hard-cooked, peeled and chopped
6-8 tablespoons Wishbone light Italian salad dressing
~Step 1. To make the tuna salad, open and place the tuna on a paper-towel-lined plate, long enough to drain all excess liquid, 3-4 minutes. Using your fingertips, pull the tuna into bite-size pieces, transferring them to a medium bowl as you work. If making chicken salad, use your fingers to pull the breast meat into bite-sized pieces. Dice the celery and onion, adding them to the bowl with the tuna. Add the black pepper and six tablespoons of the light-Italian dressing. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold the mixture together, to thoroughly combine. Add the chopped hard-cooked eggs. Using the same spatula, gently fold the eggs into the mixture. Refrigerate tuna salad until well-chilled, 2-4-6 hours or overnight. Once chilled, give it a taste and add additional Italian dressing if desired.
Try it in my Super-Easy Skinny Tuna Salad Pita Sandwiches:
Super-Easy Light & Skinny Tuna or Chicken Salad: Recipe yields 4 cups tuna or chicken salad.
Special Equipment List: paper towelsls; cutting board; chef's knife; large rubber spatula
Cook's Note: Occasionally my dad would fix his version of tuna salad. On a large platter, he'd make a bed of soft lettuce leaves, then add a layer of tomato slices followed by a sliced cucumber. He'd scatter a lightly-drained can of chilled tuna-packed-in-oil over the veggies, followed by a few dollops of cottage cheese. His creation ended with a sprinkling of salt and black pepper. Mom would make some rye toast, put a pitcher of iced tea on the table and lunch was served. It wasn't fancy, but our family of four loved it. Try my twist and mixed-up version of Dad's deconstructed tuna salad: ~ Lighten Up w/a Refreshing Tuna-Mac Garden Salad ~. It goes without saying, this recipe can be made substituting chicken breast for tuna too!
"We are all in this food world together." ~ Melanie Preschutti
(Recipe, Commentary and Photos courtesy of Melanie's Kitchen/2022)
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