Cold Spaghetti Squash Salad with Chicken, Basil, and Lemon
Roasted spaghetti squash raked into strands and chilled, then tossed with sliced roasted chicken thighs, crisp celery, torn basil, and a sharp lemon and shallot dressing.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
When the week ahead has no time in it, this gets made on Sunday. Everything happens in one oven, the squash and the chicken side by side, and what comes out is a cold bowl you can carry to a desk and eat with a fork without heating anything. I started making it in August, when basil is cheap and nobody in my house wants a hot lunch, and it has stayed in the rotation since. It is also the version I hand to people who miss a cold pasta salad at a summer picnic, because the strands behave the same way and take a lemon dressing just as well.
The step people get wrong is the water. Spaghetti squash holds a startling amount of it, and if you rake the strands straight into a bowl and dress them, you open the container on Tuesday to find a puddle at the bottom and a flat, watery salad. So the squash comes out of the oven, gets raked onto a rimmed sheet pan, and sits there for twenty minutes to steam off and cool. The chicken is thighs rather than breast, because thigh meat stays juicy after it is chilled and sliced, and it roasts at the same temperature on the same rack.
The dressing is lemon juice, minced shallot, garlic, and olive oil, and the shallot sits in the acid for ten minutes first so its edge softens into something sweeter. Basil goes in torn rather than chopped, at the very last minute, since a knife bruises it and heat turns it black. What you end up with is a cold bowl with real chew to it, protein enough to hold an afternoon, and a lemon note that is still bright three days later. Add the basil fresh to each portion as you pack it and the last day tastes like the first.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 medium spaghetti squash (about 2 1/2 lb), halved lengthwise and seeded
- 3 celery ribs, sliced thin on an angle
- 1 large shallot, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus the zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup lightly packed fresh basil leaves, torn
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, divided
Instructions
- Roast the squash: Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Halve the spaghetti squash lengthwise, scrape out the seeds and strings, and rub the cut faces with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and a quarter teaspoon of the salt. Set both halves cut side down on a sheet pan and roast for 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife pushes through the skin with no resistance.
- Roast the chicken alongside: Toss the chicken thighs with 1 tablespoon of the oil and a half teaspoon of the salt, spread them on a second sheet pan, and roast on the rack below the squash for 22 to 25 minutes, until the thickest part reads 175°F (80°C) and the edges have browned. Rest them on a board for 10 minutes.
- Rake and dry the strands: Turn the squash halves over and let them cool for 10 minutes. Drag a fork around the inside wall, following the direction of the strands rather than scraping across them, and spread the strands out on a rimmed sheet pan. Leave them there for 20 minutes so the steam escapes, then blot the pan with a paper towel.
- Make the dressing: Stir the minced shallot into the lemon juice with the remaining quarter teaspoon of salt and leave it for 10 minutes to soften. Whisk in the garlic, the lemon zest, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil until it thickens slightly.
- Combine and chill: Slice the chicken across the grain into half-inch strips. Put the cooled strands in a large bowl with the celery and the parsley, pour the dressing over, and toss with your hands so every strand is coated. Fold the chicken through and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Finish with basil: Tear the basil leaves over the bowl just before serving and toss once. Taste for salt and lemon, since cold food needs more of both than warm food does.
Variations
- Mint and lemon: Swap half the basil for torn mint when you want the bowl to taste greener and cooler.
- Olives and oregano: Add a handful of halved kalamata olives and a teaspoon of dried oregano for a saltier, more savory bowl.
- Shrimp version: Fold cooked shrimp through in place of the chicken for a lunch that comes together in the time the squash takes to roast.
- More crunch: Add sliced radish or matchsticks of kohlrabi with the celery for another cold, snapping texture.
- Warm bowl: Skip the chilling and toss the hot strands with the dressing and chicken for a warm lunch, then eat it that day.
Storage & Leftovers
Dressed and covered, this keeps in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and is genuinely better on day two, once the lemon and shallot have worked their way into the squash. Pack it in individual containers the same day you make it so you are not tossing the whole bowl again each morning.
Hold the basil back if you are making it for the week. Torn leaves darken within a day in an acidic dressing, and a small bag of whole leaves kept separately means you can add them fresh to each portion. The parsley is sturdier and can go in from the start.
This is meant to be eaten cold, so there is no reheating step to get wrong. If you would rather have it warm, tip a portion into a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes and stop there, because the strands go limp and start releasing water past that point. It does not freeze.
Notes & Tips
- Cut the squash safely: A whole squash rolls under the knife. Slice a thin piece off one long side first so it sits flat, then halve it from stem to tail.
- Roast it cut side down: The trapped steam cooks the flesh evenly and the cut face browns a little against the pan, which is worth more flavor than roasting it open.
- Let the shallot sit in the lemon: Ten minutes in acid takes the raw bite off minced shallot and leaves it sweet. It is the difference between a dressing and a sharp mouthful.
- Toss with your hands: Tongs break the strands and pile them up. Hands separate them and tell you when everything is actually coated.
- Tear the basil, do not chop it: A knife bruises the leaves and turns the cut edges black within an hour. Torn leaves stay green and taste stronger.
- Season it cold: Taste after chilling, not before. Cold dulls both salt and acid, so a bowl that tasted right warm will need another squeeze of lemon.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- Chicken thighs, spaghetti squash, and a lemon dressing carry each other here. The meat gives the bowl its substance, the strands give it bulk and chew, and the acid and olive oil pull the two together so a cold lunch still tastes like a cooked meal.
- Chicken thigh is the juicier part of the bird and it stays that way after chilling, which is why it is worth roasting rather than poaching for a cold bowl. It brings the protein this lunch is built on, along with zinc and B vitamins.
- Spaghetti squash comes apart into strands with real chew rather than collapsing into puree, and it brings fiber and a little vitamin C along with the bulk. It is what makes a bowl this size feel like a full plate.
- Olive oil is doing more than dressing the strands. It carries the garlic and lemon through every forkful, and the monounsaturated fat in it is part of why this holds you as long as it does.
- Basil torn in at the last minute, lemon zest, and celery sliced thin are what make a cold bowl taste alive. The zest holds the oils that carry most of the lemon smell, and it is why the bowl smells like lemon before you taste any.
- As you eat, pay attention to the pull of the strands against the fork and the way the basil smell arrives before the flavor does, and let a lunch you carried with you be a real stop in the day rather than something you finish while typing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breast, or leftover roast chicken?
Yes to both. Breast is drier once chilled, so slice it thicker and add an extra tablespoon of olive oil to the dressing. Leftover roast or rotisserie chicken pulled into pieces works well too, and it takes the cooking time down to nothing but the squash.
My salad went watery in the container. What went wrong?
The strands were still hot and steaming when they were dressed. Spreading them on a sheet pan for 20 minutes lets that water leave before the oil and lemon go on. Salting the squash heavily at the strand stage also pulls water out, so keep the salt in the dressing where you can taste it.
How do I get long strands rather than mush?
Roast the squash cut side down and pull it at the point where a knife just slides through, since ten extra minutes turns the strands to threads. Then rake with the fork around the shell in the same direction the fibers run, not across them.
Does this fit an AIP elimination phase?
It does. There are no grains, legumes, dairy, eggs, nuts, seeds, or nightshades in it, and the flavor comes from lemon, garlic, shallot, basil, and parsley rather than a spice blend. If you use store-bought roast chicken, read the label, since most birds are seasoned with pepper and paprika.