People around the world love chicken salad, and it’s easy to see why. Tasty but versatile, chicken salad can be adapted to any cuisine and goes well with many different ingredients. But is chicken salad healthy? Let’s find out.
Is Chicken Salad Healthy?
Most people think of chicken salad as a healthy dish.
In large part, this perception is accurate. After all, chicken is famously low in calories but high in proteins, a combination that tends to promote weight loss.
Additionally, chicken also packs a lot of nutrients. For example, 100 grams of braised chicken breast provides:
- 9.45 mg of niacin
- 0.921 mg of vitamin B-6
- 6 mg of calcium
- 32 mg of magnesium
- 343 mg of potassium
- 0.96 mg of zinc
- 241 mg of phosphorus
- Among others
With that being said, not all chicken salads are created equal. For example, some people love garden salad with chicken breast and just a drizzle of salad dressing. Other people prefer their chicken salad with dressings made with ingredients that are tasty but not always healthy when consumed in excess.
In short, the health factor of a salad will vary depending on the ingredients you use and the size of the portion. Here are some tips to make a healthy chicken salad:
- Keep in mind that using ingredients like mayonnaise increases the calorie content of your chicken salad.
- Conversely, some ingredients like herbs and nuts can raise the nutrient profile of your salad.
- If you love Mexican food (and we believe you do!), baked tortilla chips are a healthy and yummy topping for your chicken salad.
More Interesting Facts About Mexican Food
If you are hungry for more stories and facts about Mexican food, then check out these previous posts:
- 5 Utensils you need to make authentic Mexican food
- 5 Ideas for a Mexican-style Thanksgiving menu
- Dia de Muertos and food: some interesting facts
- Mexican food in space: 3 facts you probably didn’t know
Enjoy Delicious Chicken Salad at El Pollo Norteño!
Looking for scrumptious chicken salad in Anaheim, Santa Ana, or Garden Grove? Then El Pollo Norteño is the place to go.
Visit today any of our four locations, order online, get in touch through Facebook, or call 866-MI-POLLO to enjoy our authentic Mexican dishes: amazing chicken grilled to perfection over real Mesquite charcoal, caldo de pollo, flan, carnitas, carne asada, and more!