Herbed chicken salad on warm corn cakes

2
Points®
Total Time
30 min
Prep
18 min
Cook
12 min
Serves
14
Difficulty
Moderate
The contrast between the creamy chilled chicken salad against the warm corn cakes that have a bit of a bite makes this dish both surprising and delightful. We use stone-ground cornmeal for these corn cakes because you get a slight crunch from the germ and hull, which also makes it more nutritious. You can also use blue cornmeal, made from blue corn, in this recipe for a presentation that’s a bit more unexpected. The corn cakes can be cooked 2 to 3 hours ahead, then warmed in a 200°F oven for about 10 minutes. For the best flavor, let the chicken salad stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving.

Ingredients

Cooked boneless skinless chicken breast

2 cup(s), chopped, chopped

Cilantro

¼ cup(s), fresh, chopped (plus extra leaves for garnish)

Fat free mayonnaise

3 Tbsp, or sour cream

Scallions

1 medium, finely chopped

Jalapeño pepper

1 medium, seeded and minced (wear gloves to prevent irritation)

Fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp

Table salt

½ Tbsp

Black pepper

tsp, freshly ground

All-purpose flour

½ cup(s)

Yellow cornmeal

½ cup(s), preferably stone-ground

Baking powder

1 tsp

Fat free skim milk

cup(s)

Egg whites

2 large

Canola oil

1 Tbsp

Instructions

  1. To make the chicken salad, combine the chicken, cilantro, mayonnaise, scallion, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, 1⁄4 teaspoon of the salt, and the ground pepper in a medium bowl until well mixed. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
  2. To make the corn cakes, combine the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Combine the milk, egg whites, and oil in a small bowl. Add milk mixture to flour mixture; stir just until blended.
  3. Spray a large nonstick skillet or griddle with nonstick spray and set over medium-high heat. Drop the cornmeal batter, by scant measuring tablespoons, into the skillet, about 2 inches apart. Cook just until bubbles begin to appear around the edges, about 1 1⁄2 minutes. Flip corn cakes and cook until golden on bottom, about 1 minute longer. Transfer to a shallow baking pan and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining batter, making a total of 28 corn cakes.
  4. To serve, spoon about 1 tablespoon of the chicken salad onto each warm cake, garnish each with a cilantro leaf, and arrange on a platter. Yields 2 cakes per serving.