Need lunch inspiration? This spring chicken salad will surely refresh you! I love having salads for lunch as it adds more variety to your daily diet. There are so many possibilities! Yet, I often hear that it’s difficult to get inspired. Sometimes you don’t have the right ingredients at home, it becomes too complicated, and we end up opting for a sandwich. At the bottom of this recipe, I’ll also give you some basic tips to always prepare yourself a delicious salad.
Ingredients
- smoked chicken
- 2 cups mixed lettuce and arugula
- half a mango
- half a cucumber
- 2 tomatoes and 1/2 cucumber
- 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds
- 2 tbsp low-fat quark
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: fresh herbs (such as chives)
Preparation method smoked chicken salad
- Prepare all ingredients for use and wash the vegetables and lettuce.
- Cut the smoked chicken into slices of half a centimeter.
- Peel the mango and cut it into small desired pieces.
- Cut the cucumber and tomatoes (possibly peel the cucumber and cut it into strips).
- Add the mixed lettuce to a bowl with the chicken and mango and mix this together with a little dressing, pepper, and a pinch of salt.
- Then add the chicken, mango, tomatoes, cucumber, and pumpkin seeds on top.
- Garnish the salad with a few teaspoons of low-fat quark for a fresh-creamy combination.
- Finish the salad with the fresh (chopped) herbs.
Basic tips. How to make a salad
- Make sure you always have mixed lettuce or bags of lettuce at home. I usually choose arugula, lamb’s lettuce, and mixed lettuce.
- Then choose a basic ingredient. If your base is good, your salad can’t go wrong.
- Examples of basic ingredients: chicken, turkey, salmon, tuna, beef, and eggs or cheese or cold cuts.
- To vary, you can choose to fry, cook, or opt for smoked products, for example.
- Combine this with a vegetable or fruit (e.g., asparagus, avocado, pineapple) and it’s also delicious to combine with pasta or noodles.
- Supplement with mixed lettuce, raw vegetables, cucumber, tomatoes, nuts, seeds, bean sprouts, etc. Also, try experimenting.
- Finish the salad with a (homemade) dressing. A little vinegar, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, pepper, and salt to taste give your salad a fresh taste.
- Finally, you can also add fresh herbs to your salad such as basil, chives, and coriander. These can make your salads a little extra special.
Tip! Don’t use too much dressing. Your salad will lose its natural flavor, become limp, and many dressings are full of calories. Make one yourself with just a few ingredients!
