11/26 Chicken Salad Recipe
Chicken Salad is loaded with flavours if made with the right recipe. You can have chicken salad by itself or you can pair it with sides likes lettuce, avocado; it is ideal for sandwiches. In addition to chicken, chicken salad can be made with an assortment of other ingredients like bacon, sliced apples, nuts , chopped peaches, seedless grapes, fruits, raisins, pineapples, hard boiled eggs, cucumber, peppers, English Peas, olives and a whole lot more. The flavours can also be tweaked by using different spices like cumin and curry.
Ingredients
4 cups diced poached chicken
1 stalk celery, cut into ¼ inch dice
4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or ¼ cup sweet onion cut into ¼ inch dice
1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped parsley
1 cup prepared or homemade parsley
1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise
2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1.In a mixing bowl, toss together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.
2.In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix carefully until combined. Chill until time to serve.
3.Serve on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomatoes, in half an avocado or in a chicken club sandwich prepared with artisanal bread, crispy smoked bacon, vine-ripened tomatoes and lettuce.
Poached Chicken for Salad
10 sprigs parsley
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 small onion, halved
1 small carrot, halved
1 stalk celery, halved
3 pounds chicken breasts halves, on the bone and trimmed of fat
5 to 6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low sodium canned
Directions
1.Put parsley, thyme, onion, carrot, celery, and chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with the broth, and bring just to a boil. Lower the heat to very low and cover. Poach the chicken for 20 minutes or until firm to the touch remove the pan from the heat, uncover, cool the chicken in the liquid for 30 minutes .
2.Transfer the chicken to a chopping board and keep back the liquid. Bone and skin the chicken and slice the meat into 1 inch cubes. Discard the bones and skin.
3.Strain the broth and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days of freeze for later use. Remove any fat from the surface of the broth before using.
This recipe yields 4 cups cubed chicken or 4 to 6 servings.