I’ve always wanted to be one of those ladies who lunch. I’m pretty sure that there are only two requirements to join the club: be a lady and have time for lunch. I think my eyebrows are too big to be considered ‘ladylike’, but with a great hat or side-swept hairdo, I might eke by. I just wish I had time for lunch. I usually eat lunch standing up in the kitchen. Sometimes it’s my kitchen, sometimes it’s not. Sometimes the lunch is a sad rice cake topped with peanut butter or a handful of dried figs plus a few almonds. Not so ladylike.
A lady’s lunch is balanced, pretty, and always has a touch of sweet–just like this:
I spied this chicken salad flavor combo at my Whole Foods. I really wanted to stand in line and wait for a scoop or twelve, but the line was too long. So, I grabbed a pack of figs and almonds and called it lunch. But I just couldn’t shake the flavor combo of lemons, pistachios, and creamy chicken. I whipped up my own version, and stirred in Medjool dates and crisp radishes because, well, because I like them. You too?
If eating raw eggs makes you squeamish, you can easily substitute 1/4 cup of store-bought mayo and stir in the zest of half of a lemon. In this recipe, we’re cutting the mayo with Greek yogurt (because I can’t remember the last time I didn’t stir Greek yogurt into a recipe). Seriously, nothing is safe from my Greek yogurt obsession. I’ve made truffles, a quick pasta dinner, and even breakfast popsicleswith it. Oh, and pie (of course). I buy the 4 pound tub o’ Greek yogurt at Costco, and tuck into it like it’s The Hunger Games up in this place.
This is my second recipe creation supported by the American Dairy Assocation. If they keep asking, I’ll keep shoveling Greek yogurt into all of my recipes. I hope you don’t mind.
- 2 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 small lemon, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup high-quality olive oil
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons shelled pistachios
- ¼ cup pitted Medjool dates, sliced
- 2 radishes, sliced
- 2-4 slices of toast, for serving
- Place the chicken breasts in a medium skillet and cover them with water. Sprinkle salt and pepper into the water. Turn the heat to medium, and bring the water to a bubble. As soon as it starts to simmer, turn off the heat, cover, and let poach for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water (test it for an internal temperature of 165-degrees), and let it cool.
- Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, add the egg yolk. Sprinkle in the lemon zest and juice on top, and turn on the blender. While the blender or processor is running, VERY slowly stream in the olive oil. Once all the olive oil is in the blender, continue to let the blender run until the mixture becomes creamy, about 2-5 minutes. Add the Greek yogurt, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper and blend.
- Shred (or dice) the chicken into bite-size pieces. Add it to a bowl with the pistachios, dates, and radishes. Stir in the lemon aioli. Serve on toast or in a sandwich.
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