Paula Deen's Lean: Hot Chicken Salad

I tend to think of chicken salad as being a warm-weather type of food. So, when I saw that Paula had a Hot Chicken Salad recipe, I had to take a closer look. First I thought, "Eeeww, a hot chicken salad? I'm not so sure about that." But, then I remembered who we were talkin' about here; Paula Deen. Does she really make anything desserving of an "eeewww"?..NEVER! So, with a couple small changes to this already super-simple recipe, I made a lean, hot chicken salad dish that the entire family loved. In fact, my husband Rudy wanted to make sure that ya'll knew this comes very highly recommended. So I guess we can say that dish gets the official "Rudy Rudolph Seal of Approval". In other words, it's a Must-Make Makeover!


HOT CHICKEN SALAD
Serves 10



INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup diced celery
2 cup cooked chicken breast meat, cubed
1 cup Hellman's Low-Fat mayonnaise dressing (1 g fat per serving!)
1 cup grated 2 % sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crushed Reduced-Fat Ritz Crackers


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13 by 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.


In a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, celery, salt, pepper, lemon juice, mayonnaise, and cheese. Place the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spread the crushed crackers on top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until bubbly.


THE RESULTS:

This dish turned out better than I had anticipated. I shared with you my hesitations about making a hot chicken salad, but sometimes we just need to step outside the box a bit. And I am sure glad I did! By switchin' from real mayo to low-fat mayonnaise dressing, I saved a ton of fat. Plus, by using reduced-fat crackers instead of chips, fat was literally cut right off the top.


It's simple, it's delicious and to top it all off...it is nutritious! For families with children, I would categorize this as a kid-friendly dish as well. My 18-month- old polished her plate off in no time at all.


So, give Paula Deen's Lean Hot Chicken Salad a try. I hope you ENJOY!!

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving): 117.6 calories;  4.8g fat;  6.6g carbohydrate;  13.2g protein;  .2g fiber