Thai Curry Chicken Salad

DEWDS. I think I’m gettin’ chunky. Well, fine, I know I’ve gained some weight in the last two years. Whether that newly minted weight qualifies me as “chunky” or not, I do know for a fact that some of my dang old summer shorts don’t fit no more!

And, Hell! That ain’t right!

Sewww, that means more vegetables and lean protein for me. And less bread and sugar. And less alcohol. Mostly the alcohol. Oh the price we pay for beauty.

Camera 1

Anyway, for lunch the other day I pulled together this Thai red curry chicken salad with a buncha crisp vegetables, some coconut milk (I used full fat, because let’s be real…) and a spoonful of a homemade Thai red curry paste made by my brother and sister-in-law. I wrapped a few scoops of the chicken salad into fat Napa cabbage leaves and went to town. Meaning, I ate it at my desk while editing on the compooter with Mr. Banjo hounding me for a bite the entire time. A side of spicy kimchi and I was quite satisfied.

I tell ya, I’m hating myself for not including some roasted peanuts in this melange.

Fortunately for me, I had a jerk-marinated chicken breast, leg, and thigh leftover from a spatchcock chicken I’d made a couple nights previous. Once shredded, it yielded me about 2 cups of chicken which is the perfect amount to start with for a curry chicken salad that you can have for lunch a couple of days in the week. I added a boiled egg, just because I had it really. I usually shy away from combining chicken protein with egg protein. There is something about it that sets me uneasy; similar I imagine to the Kosher practice of not combining beef with dairy. But I also love the texture of boiled egg whites, especially in creamy salads. Does that make me crazy and weird? I’m not such a fan of boiled egg yolks and in this case, half the yolk went to Mr. Banjo, who ate it with relish, if not grace.

Camera 2 (Anyone else get the reference?)