Sriracha Cranberry Chicken Salad

A few weeks ago I received an email from a representative of Ocean Spray to see if I was interested in receiving a Craisin vs. raisin taste testing kit. Always a fan of taste tests, I said yes, and shortly after I received a box pitting classic raisins against our tart, Massachusetts native, the Craisin.

After doing the taste test, I decided that while I like both, Craisins are more versatile to me. Raisins belong strictly in oatmeal or a cookie made of the breakfast treat while Craisins are great in cookies but also fare well in salads and savory dishes.

The kit came with some recipes, and after finding one for chicken salad, I decided to put my own spicy twist on it.

First I marinated a few chicken breasts in sriracha and grilled them on the indoor grill pan. It was kind of like how I imagine being pepper sprayed might feel. Holy spicy smoke! Once that died down, however, I had chicken with nice grill marks and a sriracha crust.

While the chicken was cooling, I chopped a bunch of celery and a white onion.

I combined those with a little over a cup of craising.

And then added the chicken chunks. To finish the dish, I mixed in 1/2 cup of Fage Greek yogurt (0%).

This simple summer salad really offered an array of flavors and textures, from the tart and sweet Craisins to the spicy chicken and crunchy cool celery. We made wraps with it using my new favorite whole wheat tortillas from Target. It’s definitely going to be a summer staple as it’s easy to transport. The yogurt can also be mixed in at the last minute or brought along separately for a picnic.

Thanks to the people at Craisins for including me in the taste test.

Happy Friday, everyone! This weekend we have the Blessing of the Fleet, and I desperately need to catch up on cleaning and laundry after being away last weekend. I may also try to kick off my NYC Marathon training. Eek!

What are you up to?