There are so many ways to eat it, too. On a sandwich or over a salad are the ways I like it best, but why not spread it on crackers? Why not stuff some celery with it?
I have to say, also, that my favorite chicken salads include red grapes and pecans. I love the sweetness of the grapes and the crunch and the flavor of the pecans. And I also think of those two ingredients as very Texan additions to chicken salad.
So when I went to make some of my favorite summertime treat today, I was sure to include grapes and pecans. I also added just a bit of apple cider vinegar; I noticed that this was an ingredient in Trader Joe's chicken salad and really liked the way it added both a little tang and a little sweetness, so I added a bit to my recipe, and it came out well. I also prefer to use shallots rather than green or red onions because they're milder. I'm going to serve my chicken salad both with salad greens & poppyseed dressing and with some homemade bread so that my dinner guest tonight will have an option of how she'd like to eat it. And I think I'll also have some thinly sliced apples, which I think would go well in either a salad or a sandwich.
I thought I'd go ahead and post my recipe, but there are probably a myriad of variations. In fact, I'd consider my version a work in progress; I'm sure it could use some tweaking. If you are a chicken salad aficionado, what do you like in it? How would you do it differently? (I could go for a little more mayo, myself, if I weren't more waistline-conscious.) Anyway, enjoy!
-----
Chicken Salad with Grapes
2-1/2 lbs. white meat chicken, cooked and shredded
1-1/2 stalks celery, diced
2 cups red grapes, halved
3/4 cup pecan pieces, toasted
1-1/2 tablespoons shallot, minced
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, celery, grapes, and pecans. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the shallot, mayonnaise, vinegar, and salt. Pour the mayo mixture over the chicken mixture and stir to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Enjoy!
3 comments:
This is almost the exact recipe I use for chicken salad! The only difference is that I add poppy seeds and a little honey to the mayo mixture, per the Whole Foods recipe (which is where I first tried this):
http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/526
I rarely make chicken salad, because mayonnaise icks me out a little. But Mark likes it, and I like it if I don't have to watch it being made.
I considered poppy seeds, but not honey! Yum!
Ooooo, I am so saving this. I have been looking for a good chicken salad recipe and this sounds like the same way that I love it too! Thanks for sharing!
Post a Comment