Chicken and Green Bean Salad

I’m a sucker for creamy, rich, mayonaisse-laden chicken salad. I love my own homemade chicken salad the best (which I will share with you one day) but I’ve been known to order fattening chicken salad in a restaurant from time to time. No matter how much I might want to eat it, I really try to watch my mayonaisse intake. Having grown up in Central Illinois where everything is made with mayonaisse, this used to be more of a task than it is now. (My dad used to make his own salad dressing with mayonaisse and sugar – ugh!).

After falling in love with and devouring Cooking Light‘s Avocado Chicken Salad, I couldn’t resist trying the mayo-free Chicken and Green Bean Salad. Steamed green beans are mixed with chicken and grape tomatoes and then tossed in a light mixture of olive oil, lemon juice, whole-grain Dijon mustard, and fresh thyme. If you don’t have whole-grain Dijon, regular Dijon will work (it just won’t look as pretty). The recipe calls for cherry tomatoes but I used grape tomatoes (they are smaller and fit onto the baguette slices better). I also quickly grilled up chicken tenders which I shredded with a fork but using rotisserie or precooked chicken will speed up the preparation. Seasoned with salt and pepper, this chicken salad is a great option to take to a picnic or outdoor event. Serve with toasted baguette slices, whole-grain crackers or over a bed of baby spinach and you’ve got yourself a dish good enough for lunch, dinner or as an easy appetizer. And I bet you won’t even miss the mayonaisse!