Loaded Chicken or Tuna Salad with Greek Yogurt Garlic Ranch Mayo

This sandwich, which is at Parsley, Sage and Sweet is truly loaded with veggies and good taste. I used rotisserie chicken to make it quicker to make. I don't know how much of the special mayo I added into the salad, but I don't like mine very wet, so it wasn't a whole lot. When making the mayo, I didn't use any buttermilk. And I added chia seeds. Have you tried them? This was my first time and I just learned a little about them.

Apparently chia seeds were an important part of Aztec and Mayan diets and besides providing fiber, has protein, calcium, manganese, magnesium, phosphorus and other vitamins and minerals and provides antioxidants. They can be used as is (no soaking or cooking) so you can just sprinkle them on your food before eating or baking. And they don't really have a flavor so you don't have to worry about them changing the flavor of your food. I added a heaping tablespoon full into the salad and my daughter didn't even notice the seeds.

These were a huge hit here and are on my list to make again.

Loaded Chicken or Tuna Salad with Greek Yogurt Garlic Ranch Mayo

2 to 3 c. shredded chicken or 4 cans of white albacore tuna, drained

2 green onions, both the light and dark green parts, sliced

1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced

1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and diced

1 small carrot peeled and grated or shredded

2 large stalks of celery, finely diced

1 very small red onion or one-quarter of a large red onion, diced

1 to 3 avocados, depending on taste, each half slightly mashed

Garlic Greek Yogurt Ranch Mayo (recipe follows)

Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Greek Yogurt Garlic Ranch Mayo:

⅔ c. Greek Yogurt (Use all mayonnaise instead of yogurt, if desired)

2 to 3 T. mayonnaise

¼ c. chopped, fresh parsley

2 T. chopped, fresh chives

1 T. chopped, fresh dill weed

1 garlic clove, chopped

¼ t. garlic powder

½ t. onion powder

¼ c. buttermilk

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Mix in as much of the Greek Yogurt ranch mayo to the salad ingredients as you desire.

 

The secret  is to cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving to allow the flavors of the chicken salad and yogurt ranch to really meld.

 

Serve as sandwiches, slightly mashing an avocado on top or spreading the avocado on one or both slices of bread then layering lettuce and tomato, if desired, or roll into whole wheat flour tortilla wraps or flatbread.