Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Salad
It’s potluck time! Serve this Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Salad with your main dish and you’re good to go. Or just have it by itself, you have the greens and the protein – so it’s a complete meal. It’s also a great dish to bring to your friend’s party. So simple to make but full of big bold flavors.
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what you need to make it
I love making a salad without a fuss. Rotisserie chicken is a great addition to any salad or even a dish with some type of sauce. I decided to blanch my broccoli before adding them to the rest of the salad ingredients. Blanching removes some bitterness from the broccoli and it still holds the firm texture and a nice crunch.
Shredded rotisserie chicken – is a great addition to this salad. Nice and balanced with high protein.
Broccoli – adds a nice crunch and gives you lots of vitamins.
Red onion – has a nice mild flavor that compliments the creamy dressing.
Other veggies – are carrot and celery.
The spices are – garlic powder, sea salt, and dried dill.
For the creamy mayo salad dressing – I added mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, Sriracha, and a little bit of honey.
For added sweetness – I mixed in dried cranberries.
how to properly blanch your broccoli
There are many benefits of blanching vegetables. It helps slow the natural enzymes that can cause loss of flavor, color, and texture. Especially if you’re freezing vegetables, blanching helps retain the nutrients and their bright colors. It’s a lot appetizing to see bright green colors on a party tray, and they’re eaten quicker than raw.
- Wash, trim and cut the broccoli into florets. You can also buy a package of broccoli florets.
- Fill a medium pot with water, boil, then add the broccoli, and cook for 2-3 minutes or until they turn a bright green color.
- Fill a bowl with ice-cold water. After the broccoli is done cooking, immediately transfer them to the bowl with cold water.
- Remove the broccoli from the bowl. Use a strainer or colander to drain the excess liquid.
- Shake off the colander to ensure the broccoli is drained well. Let it sit for at least 5 minutes before adding them to your salad.
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recipe
Creamy Chicken and Broccoli Salad
Equipment
- Medium size stockpot
- Strainer or Colander
- Tongs
- knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups broccoli florets, blanched
- 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, diced
- 1 carrot, cut it into thin strips
- 1 1/2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon Sriracha
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
BLANCHING THE BROCCOLI
- In a bowl, add 4 cups of ice-cold water. Set it aside.
- Boil about 4 cups of water in a medium stockpot. Add the broccoli florets and cook for 3-5 minutes or until they turned bright green.
- Place the cooked broccoli in the ice-cold water, and wait for 2 minutes. This stops the cooking process and the broccoli stays bright green.
- Transfer the broccoli in a colander. Shake off the excess water, and make sure the broccoli is drained well.
SALAD
- In a large salad bowl, add the cooked broccoli, chicken, celery, onion, carrot, mayonnaise, honey, Dijon mustard, Sriracha, garlic powder, sea salt, dried dill, and dried cranberries.
- Toss to combine all ingredients. Serve as a side dish or a meal itself.
Notes
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Hi there! Nice to meet you. My name is Jen.
I’m a mom of 2 wonderful girls. I love to prepare and cook home-cooked meals. Cooking and planning your meals might sound like another chore added to your already long list of things to do. Believe me, I’ve been there. However, cooking more meals at home is worth all the effort. After years of cooking for my family and teaching culinary classes, I can honestly say that I have more control over the quality of the ingredients I use. That means I’m eating a lot better. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be boring and you don’t have to eat the same thing repeatedly. There are ways we can do and naturally enhance the flavor of our food and enjoy home-cooked meals.