Chicken salad is a simple meal for the beach, a picnic or even for dinner. You can make it with leftover chicken or with canned chicken sitting in the cupboard. While it is simple and delicious, chicken salad might be worse for your health than you think. It seems like a healthy meal, but it contains a high amount of calories and fat. Make it at home and consider the preparation method for a healthier version.
Ingredients
Chicken salad is generally made with shredded chicken and mayonnaise. It is seasoned with a variety of spices that typically include salt, pepper and chives. Some people add celery for a crunchy texture. For additional health benefits, chicken salad sometimes includes fruit such as chopped apples and dried cranberries.
Calories
There are a surprising amount of calories in chicken salad, with a 1 1/2-cup serving delivering 615. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration considers 400 or more calories in a serving as a high amount.
Chicken salad contains carbohydrates, fat and proteins. Because these provide energy, they are called macronutrients. One serving of chicken salad contains 76 percent of the daily value for fat, 40 percent for saturated fat and 42 percent for cholesterol. It also adds 17 percent daily value of sodium, with 400 mg. Chicken salad also provides 1 percent of the daily value for carbs, 2 percent for fiber and 77 percent for protein.
Micronutrients
Micronutrients are nutrients your body also needs but in lesser quantities, such as vitamins and minerals. Chicken salad contains a number of micronutrients. The 1 1/2-cup serving size contains almost a whole day's worth of vitamin B-6, meeting 68 percent of the daily value. It has 18 percent DV iron, 13 percent of magnesium and 10 percent of thiamin with small amounts of a number of additional nutrients.
Preparation
You generally will not eat chicken salad on its own; you probably like it made into a sandwich with potato chips on the side. If this is your choice, use whole grain bread instead of white and add lettuce and tomato to the sandwich. Otherwise, consider plating it on a bed of lettuce to reduce the number of calories in the whole meal. Serve the chicken salad with some carrot sticks instead of potato chips. To make the chicken salad, use a light mayonnaise instead of the full-fat variety.
Member Comments