Road trips, weekend trips, vacations – all of these are fun, and things I look forward to. The downside? Eating on the road, unfortunately, leaves few options for good, quality food. That’s why I started making my own food and bringing more healthful snacks. This curried chicken salad is a delicious and healthy on-the-go dinner for a drive out of town. Now I can skip the burgers and chicken nuggets AND get to my destination faster.
In an effort to fully avoid eating at fast-food or casual dining restaurants, I plan ahead when traveling so I can pack my own foods and snacks. For road trips and weekend getaways, I’ll usually pack an organic peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner, with snacks like dried fruits, raw veggies, nuts and fresh fruits. This saves me money (I just bring whatever I have in the house) and time (no need to stop and eat).
With the BF, things get a bit more complicated, as I know I need to have something with a bit more sustenance than PB&J. I found this recipe for Curry Chicken Salad over at 100 Days of Real Food and knew I’d found a winner of a dinner for our trip last weekend to Charlotte, NC. I varied the recipe due to different ingredients that I had on-hand that I knew would be good in this dish. I also had to cook and shred the chicken – yes, this takes more time but I made it up the night before and I feel the extra effort is worth it.
To make it easier to eat in the car, I bought some fresh bakery bread for sandwiches. It turned out so well – I will DEFINITELY make this again and see it becoming a staple in my house.
- 1 pound of chicken, cooked and shredded (I used organic chicken thighs)
- 2/3 cup plain yogurt (regular, not Greek)
- 2-3 teaspoons of yellow curry powder
- 1-2 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup of dried currants (or raisins, golden raisins, etc.)
- Dash of cayenne (optional)
- Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Mix yogurt and shredded chicken in a mixing bowl
- Mix in curry powder
- Add green onions, currants, cayenne, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper and mix together well
- Serve on crackers, over lettuce, or as a sandwich.