Peanut butter gets a pretty bad rap most of the time. Yes, it has a high fat content, but honestly it’s not any worse than mayonnaise (and actually, based on serving sizes it’s better than mayo). Since peanut butter has a strong flavor, you don’t need a lot in a recipe like this to get the flavor to come through. Because of this, I knew it had to be possible to make a peanut chicken salad that would work for IBS and GERD. It worked and the results were just as delicious as I had hoped they would be!
Using the vanilla yogurt adds a touch of sweetness, the soy sauce adds a bit of saltiness, and the chives give a bit of an onion flavor without actually using the problematic ingredient. The sauce is smooth and creamy and the pea pods and carrots are crunchy, giving a perfect combination of textures in every bite. Chives can be problematic for GERD/Reflux if too much is used, so be careful in garnishing if you have either of those conditions.
The pea pod filling process is a bit tedious (at least in order to have them play nicely for a photo or serving to a crowd), so I’m not sure I would ever want to make these in mass quantity for a party or anything. For myself, though, I didn’t care if they were a bit messy and if you don’t either, then the process really isn’t too bad.
These are a great after workout snack or afternoon at work snack, to give you an energy boost and keep you going the rest of the day.
Peanut Chicken Salad Pea Pod Boats
Ingredients
- 68 g snow peas (should be ~12-16 large pods)
- 6 oz cooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts (finely chopped) - I bake my chicken breasts in a glass dish at 375 degrees F with just a touch of salt (takes ~25-28 minutes), or you could use breast meat from a rotisserie chicken (with skin removed)
- 1 Tbsp. peanut butter (use the creamy kind)
- 4 oz non-dairy vanilla flavored yogurt (I use Almond Dream brand, which only has 3g of fat per 6oz serving and no saturated fat. For IBS and GERD, whatever brand you use, watch the fat content and try to find one very close in fat content to the Almond Dream brand) *Note: If you're not lactose intolerant, don't have IBS or GERD, feel free to use whatever brand/fat content vanilla yogurt you want)
- 3/4 tsp. soy sauce (this helps with color and adds salt to the mix)
- 1 medium-sized carrot (50g total, finely chopped)
- 1/4 tsp. chives (finely chopped) - plus more for garnish, if desired (see notes section below for GERD/Reflux sufferers)
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the pea pods. Rinse them and cut off any rough ends if necessary.
- Lay the pods down on their side one at a time and using a sharp paring knife, gently cut along the top seam of the pea pod (so if they're on their side, this seam will either be on the left or right, depending on how you have them laid down. See the photo above to gauge where the seam was).
- Remove any peas that are in the pods, then set the prepared pea pods aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, yogurt and soy sauce until peanut butter is completely mixed in.
- Add in the chopped chicken, carrots, snow peas and 1/2 tsp. chives and mix together until thoroughly combined.
- Fill the pea pods with the chicken salad. (see notes section below for IBS/GERD portion sizes) *Note: Not gonna lie, this is kind of a messy task. I tried numerous utensils and found the best was my skinniest silicone spatula (This is the one I have). Still, it's a bit messy, particularly if trying to arrange them on a plate. If it's just for you to eat for a snack though, who cares if they look fancy schmancy, right? Just shove the chicken salad in there and call it a day!
Notes
- The maximum weight of your serving of pea pods need to be 17g and the chicken salad serving should weigh ~78g.
- Peanut butter can be problematic for GERD/Reflux if overused (due to the fat content), but with the quantity in this recipe (and the amount actually consumed in a serving), it should be just fine for most (hopefully all) heartburn, acid reflux and/or GERD sufferers. With that said, be careful to watch the fat content in your other foods on days you eat these, since the yogurt has fat too. Try to avoid oils and fats if possible in your other meals on day(s) you eat these. Also, you could use reduced fat peanut butter if you have a more severe reaction to the fat levels in peanut butter.
- For some, raw veggies (or at least too many of them) cause symptoms. If you fall into this category, steam the carrots before chopping and using in the chicken mixture. You'll still get great flavor (in fact, you might even get better flavor from the cooked veggies) and there will be plenty of crunch from the pea pods, so you won't be missing out on anything!
- For some with GERD/Reflux, chives can be problematic. Just be careful with how many you use. If you know chives aggravate your symptoms, maybe leave them out of the salad and just use a few small pieces on each pod for garnish.
*The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.*
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