Curry Chicken Salad with Watercress

I have been traveling quite a bit these past months. I spend my days working for a wellness company for older adults and I get the opportunity to travel the nation visiting our partners.

In doing so, I also have many food-related experiences. Some healthy and some not so much. My travel eats inspire ideas about how to make dishes healthier.

This dish was inspired by a trip in which I enjoyed lunch with the team at a senior living community. The menu was much like a restaurant menu and offered several common lunch-time fares, such as tuna and chicken salad.

I'm not typically a fan of these salads due to the mayo content. In restaurants, this type of salad is often heavily covered with mayo! Not exactly a light lunch, right?

I decided to lighten-up up chicken salad by making it sans mayo. This lighter version won’t induce the need for a post lunch nap. It makes for a good lunch to pack and take to the office. Or even better – on a picnic!

Curry Chicken Salad with Watercress
Ingredients: *Serves 4
1 lb. chicken breasts
2 tsp olive oil
6 oz. non-fat plain Greek yogurt
3 tbs. non-fat sour cream
1 tbs. curry powder
S&P to taste
1/3 c. roasted cashews
1/3 c. dried cherries
1 bunch watercress

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare jelly-roll pan with cooking spray. Place chicken breasts on pan and drizzle with oil. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
2. Meanwhile, prepare salad dressing in a medium bowl. Combine yogurt, sour cream and curry powder. S&P to taste.
3. Rough chop cooked chicken and add to bowl. Add cherries and cashews. Mix until well combined. Transfer bowl to fridge to cool for 1 hour.
4. Serve curry chicken salad on bed of watercress. Enjoy!