Hummus Chicken Salad Bowl

It’s funny how things change over time. 

I used to despise sweet and savory mixed together. (Now if it’s food, chances are that I’ll eat it.)

I used to nap every day. (My eyes still get a little misty at the loss of this ritual.)

I used to hate mayo…

And then I got pregnant. All of a sudden, I was like “gimme that mayo and let me dip this burrito in it and maybe put some chocolate chips on top.” #pregnancystereotypes

Something that hasn’t changed: I LOVE a giant bottle of kombucha with lunch. 🙂

Hummus chicken salad 3

With the warmer weather, it’s been easier for me to enjoy large protein and produce-packed salads. Not only are they a satisfying mix of flavors and textures, but they’re a fun way to switch up the lunch rotation.

This particular recipe is for all the mayo-haters out there, or maybe mayo lovers like myself who just feel like walking on the chicken salad wild side.

I used hummus instead of mayo, and it was awesome. 

Homemade hummus

When I saw that Trader Joe’s has tahini now (!) I felt inspired to make some hummus. It used to be a staple, but had fallen off the radar. I’ve been doing this each week to serve with crudités in the afternoon, and it’s a snack that Liv loves.

My hummus recipe isn’t anything crazy. Simple, and delicious:

-A can of garbanzo beans, *almost* drained all the way (you want to use a little bit of the liquid from the can. It’s called aquafaba, and you can actually do some pretty cool things with it)

-The juice of half a lemon

-A good drizzle of olive oil

-A heaping tablespoon of tahini

-About 1/2 teaspoon cumin

-Salt, garlic powder, and pepper to taste

Tahini

(For dinner parties, leave some of the chickpeas whole and sprinkle on top. Drizzle with olive oil and add smoked paprika. It looks beautiful on a veggie tray!)

For the chicken salad, I combined one chopped chicken breast with about 1/2 cup of the homemade hummus. I seasoned it with a little oregano and added chopped cornichons, and 1/4 sweet onion. You could add anything you love! Chopped celery or olives would be good, too.

For lunches, I’ve been enjoying it with veggies, a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of paprika. 

Hummus chicken salad 2

Lunch is served, and hooray for leftovers for tomorrow.

What’d you have for lunch today? Mayo: yay or nay? Any good dip/hummus recipes??

xoxo

More delicious and healthy lunch ideas:

Power chicken grain bowl

Mediterranean chicken bake

Spicy chopped salad

3 different ways to kale salad

Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes

Greek chopped salad

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16 Comments

  1. Kailey on July 19, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    OMG hummus instead of mayo is genius! Can’t wait to try. Hummus, salads, and kombucha are staples over here!

  2. Bethany on July 19, 2016 at 4:09 pm

    Love this prep idea! I use fake mayo and only like a little bit on a sandwich.

  3. melodie on July 19, 2016 at 4:58 pm

    I looooooove this idea! I’ll be making it next week. Sounds delicious…and the photo looks equally delicious.

  4. Erin @ Her Heartland Soul on July 19, 2016 at 6:34 pm

    I love sweet and sour together! That bowl looks yummy!

  5. Nikki on July 19, 2016 at 8:18 pm

    I love this baked chicken hummus receipe my friend gave me. Chop squash and zucchini lay in a baking dish and drizzle with EVOO salt and pepper, then salt and pepper your chicken breasts lay on top of veggies in dish spread on the hummus over the chicken breasts, squeeze lemon juice and cut the lemons and lay over the entire baking dish, bake at 350 for approx 30 mins and amazing baked hummus chicken with veggies! One pan and so delicious!

  6. Amber @ Busy, Bold, Blessed on July 20, 2016 at 5:28 am

    I never really liked mayo until I made my own! And now I’m mildly obsessed with it.
    http://meljoulwan.com/2010/06/03/the-secret-to-homemade-mayo-patience/

    And from the same creator… this eggplant baba ghanoush is awesome!
    http://meljoulwan.com/2009/07/17/eat-your-vegetables-eggplant/

  7. Paula on July 20, 2016 at 6:53 am

    No hummus recipes (I’m lazy), BUT if you want to do something else interesting with that tahini, you can make pretty kick-ass gf and vegan cookies! I used this recipe, doubled the vanilla, and used brown sugar instead of coconut sugar bc I don’t really buy the whole coconut sugar thing: http://saltedplains.com/chocolate-tahini-cookies-gluten-free-vegan/. I fed them to people at my gym with rave reviews!

  8. Ashley @ A Lady Goes West on July 20, 2016 at 8:19 am

    I just sent this to my Mom hehehe. She would TOTALLY make this. 🙂

  9. Sarah @ The Blonde Giraffe on July 20, 2016 at 8:25 am

    Never thought of using hummus instead of mayo…can’t wait to try it out!!

  10. Amy on July 20, 2016 at 8:56 am

    Ha–I totally hear you on our tastes changing with age or circumstance. I used to never want food to overlap on a plate, i.e. Thanksgiving, now I’m cool with it mixing slightly, it’s tasty that way—weird kinda. I am a less is more when it comes to mayo—I prefer scant amounts of miracle whip on a BLT or in a cold pasta salad. It creeps me out to see a lot of that in food—bleh!
    I picked up some hummus yesterday and it was guac-hummus=Yum! It’s the Holy Land brand and I didn’t know it was a local company, being that I’m in MN along with said company:)

  11. april on July 20, 2016 at 9:40 am

    i love hummus! i’m planning on making an egg/spinach/hummus ezekiel wrap for lunch. i also love using red pepper hummus as salad dressing 🙂

  12. Tracy on July 20, 2016 at 11:02 am

    Mayo NAY!!! No mayo in our house…all 6 of us don’t care for it. My mom’s always like “where’s the mayo?” when she visits. Haha

    But hummus? I always ALWAYS have a tub of homemade in the fridge. My recipe is pretty similar to yours but I use 2x as much tahini (or PB or sunbutter if I’m out of tahini), no olive oil and I add back some of the can liquid to get the consistency I like. I definitely use hummus where most people use mayo! Great sub!

  13. Amy S on July 20, 2016 at 11:08 am

    AHH I’m so excited! I have never liked mayo, and thus, don’t really eat ANY chicken salad. But I love hummus, and this sounds like such a fun idea! I can’t wait to try it 😀

  14. Josie @ The Moore House on July 20, 2016 at 12:56 pm

    I love this idea! I’m not a mayo fan unless it’s a seasoned mayo or similar to an aioli. We love love love hummus in our house. I can’t wait to try it.

  15. Landie on July 21, 2016 at 5:12 am

    I’m SO trying this later today. It is BEYOND me why I never thought of using hummus instead of mayo for anything – its much, much cheaper than the other dairy-free versions of mayonnaise . .

  16. Dr. Becky on July 22, 2016 at 8:47 am

    I love anything with chickpeas, so I love this mayo substitute idea! And you’re right, the summer is a great time to enjoy salads with protein. I love finding a restaurant with a deck that serves a great salad.

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