BBQ Chicken Salad and Other No-Cook Dinners

I’m going back to Real Milwaukee this week to talk about all things no-cook. I mean, it’s hot y’all. I know there is only like one hot week a year in Wisconsin, but for that week no one wants to turn on the oven.

So step one – don’t think so hard. I come from the school of thought that dinner = (hot) meat, starch, and vegetable. Guess what, you really don’t need all of those things! I mean, my favorite option from what I brought to Fox 6 is the deli platter dinner. Simply place a couple cheeses, a few different kinds of deli meat or sausage, crackers, and grapes on a large platter and let the whole family pick their favorite combinations. I did this with the girls last week and it turned into a really fun experiment session where we got to see how different combinations changed the taste of the cheese. You could go to Larry’s Market and make it really fancy, or just clean out your cheese drawer in the fridge.

Speaking of kitchen cleanout, this BBQ Chicken Salad is perfect for that! The recipe itself uses up leftover chicken, that last bit of BBQ sauce, just a handful of craisins, etc. Also, you can totally vary it up when you put it on the plate. Extra salad? Make lettuce wraps. A couple hamburger buns? Serve this open-faced. A few pieces of regular bread? Toast ’em up (okay, so that’s heating the kitchen a smidge) and lunch is all set! Bonus – we use healthy Greek yogurt instead of mayo, so you can save your calories for the good chips.

Try this out and let me know – what’s your favorite meal to make without using any kitchen appliances?

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