Chicken Salad Pita Sandwich
by Lesley Daniels
Have you been searching for a new and different recipe for chicken salad? This Chicken Salad Pita Sandwich is super flavorful with the addition of raisins and sunflower seeds! This recipe is also different because it is not a mayo based chicken salad like most, this one has a balsamic dressing which keeps it on the lighter side. These pitas are easily packable for lunch for both the adults and kids in the house!
We love chicken salad in our house because it is so versatile and can quickly be added to many dishes for a protein boost. The kids have been wanting to participate more in more in cooking and packing their lunches this year and this recipe was a great one to have them help out with. Since there is no cutting or chopping, they were able to assemble the chicken salad all by themselves. Then they stuffed the pitas with the mixture and assembled their boxes, too! This Chicken Salad Pita Sandwich is made without mayo, but the balsamic dressing adds zest.
Want to get your kids in the kitchen, too? Check out our 5 Tips for Getting Kids Involved in the Kitchen
Key Ingredients for this Chicken Salad Pita Sandwich
Chicken– chicken recipes are great because chicken is loaded with protein, essential minerals and vitamins, and helps contribute to a healthy diet. You can cook it how you like it and shred it, use rotisserie chicken, or even canned in this recipe.
Sunflower Seeds– we like adding sunflower seeds in this recipe for some healthy fats, protein, carbs, and fiber.
Raisins– the little hint of sweetness from raisins are perfect in chicken salad. They are also high in dietary fiber, potassium, and are great to boost your immunity.
Spinach– I love adding spinach to our wraps and pitas for a little crunch and added nutrition. Spinach is a power food for a reason. Loaded with Vitamins, iron, and calcium.
Whole Wheat Pitas– we chose to go with whole wheat pitas in this recipe. This chicken salad would also be great wrapped up in a tortilla or spinach wrap, too.
How to make this Chicken Salad Pita Sandwich
First combine the cooked shredded chicken, the sunflower seeds, cheese, and raisins in a bowl. Then add in the balsamic dressing, salt, and pepper. Mix it all up until everything is well combined and tossed in the balsamic dressing.
Then lay out your whole wheat pitas on a clean surface and add the spinach and chicken salad.
Assemble the lunchboxes with the chicken salad pita and your sides of choice. We packed our lunchboxes with mini sweet peppers, guacamole, and a mandarin.
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Nutrition Tip: Chicken is a lean source of the protein kids need for growth and development right now. Each two-ounce portion of chicken packs 12 grams of protein and just one gram of fat.
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Chicken Salad Pita Sandwich
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cooked shredded chicken breast
- 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 2 ounces shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- 2 ounces raisins
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinaigrette
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups organic baby spinach
- 2 whole wheat pitas halved
- 2 mini sweet peppers sliced
- 1 mandarin per serving
Instructions
- Combine chicken, sunflower seeds, cheese, raisins, dressing, salt and pepper in medium bowl.
- Line pita halves with spinach and chicken salad. Place in lunchboxes.
- Serve with mini sweet peppers, guacamole and mandarin.
