Hummus Chicken Salad

Prepare yourself: this one will be on repeat.

Like hummus? Then you are going to love this recipe. Say goodbye to mayo with this crunchy, creamy, and bright-flavored hummus chicken salad. This unbelievably easy recipe is perfect for lunch or a light dinner and is healthy enough to be on repeat all week.

WHY YOU NEED TO TRY THIS RECIPE

So this is where I ramble on about all the great things about this recipe and why you NEED to try it. Sure, I can go on and on about how easy this recipe is, how it is a fantastic lunch or light dinner idea, or that it doesn’t require much skill at all to make, but those are obvious.

What I really want to drive home is that this recipe is a great one to make if you are looking for healthier meal ideas that won’t weigh you down. If you are reading this when it is being published (hello summer), then this is a great recipe to whip out multiple times a week when looking for a lighter meal. Make it for lunch or a light dinner; this hummus chicken salad is one to bookmark. Not to mention, it can be customized based on your preference. While it is always recommended to follow the recipe, feel free to swap out, add, or remove an ingredient here or there… just leave the hummus.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR HUMMUS CHICKEN SALAD

• Hummus – The most important ingredient of this dish, which can make or break the entire recipe, is the hummus. It is completely up to you which hummus you use for this chicken salad, but if I can offer some advice, choose a simple and clean hummus. Many mainstream, popular hummus brands have a lot of fillers and preservatives, not to mention being weighed down with oils. Hummus should be simple: chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, and garlic. These types of hummus are typically lighter, have no off taste, and won’t make you feel yucky if you eat a lot of it.
  
  If you want to take this one step further, make it from scratch. My Creamy Hummus is bright in flavor and light in texture. It only requires a handful of ingredients and complements this hummus chicken salad perfectly.
• Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken thighs are preferred in this salad; however, there is so much at play here that chicken breast (1, vs 2 thighs) works just as well. Leftover chicken can also be subbed in.
• Cucumber – Persian cucumbers or even Kirby cucumbers.
• Tomato – Any tomatoes work for this. I like to use vine tomatoes, but cut-up grape tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, or plum tomatoes can be substituted.
• Red Onion
• Jalapeño -If you want this salad to have a kick of heat, look for a jalapeño with lines. If you aren’t aware, or maybe haven’t been on any of my other recipe pages that call for jalapeños, the lines on the vegetable mean that the jalapeño has been maturing longer and thus is spicier. Likewise, if you only want the flavor but none of the heat, your best bet is to look for one without any lines.
• Cilantro
• Feta Cheese
• Lettuce – Romaine.
• Lemon Juice– Fresh only.
• Olive Oil

TOOLS NEEDED

• Grill – The recipe calls for grilling the chicken if possible for the best results. If you don’t have a grill, no worries—it can also be roasted.

HOW TO MAKE HUMMUS CHICKEN SALAD

Cook the Chicken – If you are using leftover chicken, skip this step. If opting to grill the chicken, preheat the grill to between 450°F and 500°F. Season with olive oil and a generous amount of salt. Grill for 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on the size, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F.

Skipping thighs? The single breast needs to be butterflied in half before seasoning and grilling.

Seasoning Hack: The seasoning for the chicken is kept simple since there are a lot of flavors at play here, in addition to the prep work for all the other ingredients. With this said, when I am looking for neutral but super flavorful chicken, I marinate it in Italian dressing. That’s right—place the chicken in a bag or Tupperware and pour in a good amount of Italian dressing. My favorite and go-to dressing is Olive Garden’s salad dressing. Just try it, trust me.

This method only works if you marinate the chicken for a few hours, so if you remember to do it early in the day, then great! If not, salt and olive oil it is!

Prep the other Ingredients – Chop the remaining ingredients: dice the cucumber, tomato, and lettuce, and mince the jalapeño, cilantro, and red onion.

Combine + Serve – Combine the chopped cooked chicken, cucumber, tomato, lettuce, jalapeños, red onion, cilantro, and crumbled feta in a bowl. Add the hummus, starting with 3/4 cup, a drizzle of olive oil, lemon juice, and a generous pinch of salt. Mix thoroughly. Add more hummus if desired.

HOW TO SERVE HUMMUS CHICKEN SALAD

This is one of those chicken salads I am perfectly content to dig into with a spoon, but it also tastes fantastic as a sandwich or on toast. Below are a few ideas that would pair nicely with this recipe.

• Pita Bread – While store-bought works perfectly fine for this, have you ever made your own pita bread from scratch? It’s a game-changer. I’ll just leave my recipe for soft and chewy Pita Bread right here.
• Toast – Crispy sourdough anyone?
• Lettuce Wraps –If you are being carb-conscious, this hummus salad can be put into lettuce cups. Bib lettuce, also known as Boston or butter lettuce, is great for this.

STORING/REHEATING

Because of some of the ingredients (lettuce and cucumbers), this hummus chicken salad is best served right away and doesn’t do well if stored for an extended period of time. Keep in mind that the longer it sits, the less crunchy those crunchy elements become. If you do have leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for a day.