Chicken salad

[MissAmy]

My favorite is one I learned to cook at a spa. I use roasted chicken breast, dried cherries, walnuts, finely minced shallot, minced fresh taragon, mayo, salt, and pepper. I love it.

[Mallet]

In mayo-dressed chicken salad, playing with the source of acidity is another source of endless variation. Balsamic, sherry, red/white wine, and apple cider vinegars all add their own character as well any citrus juice.

[mark918]

I make this Chicken Salad at least twice a month.

[kumquatmay]

my favorite chicken salad is fairly simple but tasty. Leftover roasted chicken breast (usually roasted with lemon and garlic), pulled instead of chopped, finely chopped onion, a lot of chopped celery and chopped and seeded cucumber, salt, pepper, celery seed. Dressed with homemade lemon mayo.

Best way to eat it is piled in the hollow of a really ripe avocado, with some sliced ripe tomato and wheat bread on the side.

[SMW]

Wolfgang Puck shares a recipe here:

Chicago Tribune story

I think the capers are a brilliant addition, I'm going to try them in my next chicken salad.

[purplewiz]

This thread is to blame for tonight's dinner ! It's a salad composed around the curried chicken salad that I mentioned upthread and have been craving ever since thinking about it!

Marcia.

[BigboyDan]

Cold cooked chicken diced; white onion, celery, both chopped small; hard boiled egg smashed, Hellman's mayo, and no other; splash of rice wine vinegar, S&P. Stir it up in a bowl, chill. Simple, supposed to be...

[daniellewiley]

my favorite chicken salad is fairly simple but tasty.  Leftover roasted chicken breast (usually roasted with lemon and garlic), pulled instead of chopped, finely chopped onion, a lot of chopped celery and chopped and seeded cucumber, salt, pepper, celery seed.  Dressed with homemade lemon mayo. 

Best way to eat it is piled in the hollow of a really ripe avocado, with some sliced ripe tomato and wheat bread on the side.

←

Yum, I love chicken salad in an avocado half (crab salad too, actually). I chop my chicken very fine and add mayo, salt, pepper and lots of celery seed.

[tino27]

For lack of a better name, I've called this my $12 Chicken Salad ... when my roommate had it for the first time, he exclaimed, "Holy Crap! I'd pay $12 for this sandwich at a restaurant."

For mine, I'll roast an entire chicken using a compound butter under the skin containing garlic, lemon, rosemary, and capers, all minced very well. After roasting and cooling the chicken, I'll discard the skin, but scrape all that delicious filling into a bowl. Then I pull or cube up both the white and dark meat into a bowl. To that I'll add very thinly sliced celery and a bruinoise of red bell pepper. I make my own mayo with egg yolks, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, a little salt and grapeseed oil. After the mayo comes together, I add in the filling from under the skin and fold into the chicken, celery and red pepper. Season for salt and refrigerate.

One thing I do notice is that if the chicken salad sits for a while, "wet" spots will start to appear. I believe it is simply the water being drawn out of the celery/bell pepper from the salt. I usually just give the container a good shake (with the lid on, obviously :grin:) and that takes care of it.

I'd say it lasts up to a week in the frig, but honestly, it's never been around long enough to spoil.

[Toliver]

After roasting and cooling the chicken, I'll discard the skin,....

←

Throw away the skin? You certainly know how to make a grown man cry.

[pam claughton]

I make it one of two ways, the minimalist version which is the way my neighbor used to make it. She'd bring a mountain of these sandwiches to our card parties, and they were the most popular thing there and we always had way too much food. The secret was using soft Arnold sesame seed sandwich buns that were lightly spread with mayonnaise, then topped with the salad, piled on a plate, wrapped in plastic and chilled for several hours before serving. The coating of mayo on both sides of the bread prevents sogginess and locks in the flavor.

Poach chicken breasts in chicken broth, let cool completely, then chop fine along with a bit of celery and mayo, salt and pepper. That's it.

My gourmet version is popular too, it's kind of tropical, an experiment that worked out well. I just mix equal amounts of mayo, honey, and dijon mustard, a tablespoon or so of lemon juice. I add chopped chicken, finely diced sweet orange or yellow bell pepper and mango, and slivered almonds. Then I butter the outside of bake and serve finger rolls, heat, fill with the salad, and serve.

Pam

Edited June 8, 2006 by pam claughton (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

These recipes are simply delightful and, with so many distinctive variations, my favorites will emerge over time .. but first I must try them all .. to that end, may I exhort you to please add them to our very own Recipe Gullet where they can be printed out neatly and prepared as you have stated? Please share with us all!

Many thanks from a chicken salad purist!

[Cadbury]

I make a warm chicken salad which is served as a light "ladies" lunch. I will add it to recipe gullet when I get a spare minute.

I first slice raw chicken breast into strips (I actually prefer thigh for this) and let it marinade for a while with whatever takes my fancy, usually a bit of garlic, ginger, perhap chilli and some mirin. I then drain any liquid and stir through corn flour (cornstarch?) to coat the pieces well. These are then pan fried just before serving. Initially they will stick together but they do separate and become crisp. The chicken is placed on top of the salad (or tossed through if you prefer) and then a dressing is poured on top. The current dressing is sour cream with dill stirred through and left overnight for the flavours to develop. Garlic stirred through instead of dill is also nice.

The salad itself is basically lettuce, cucumber, sliced spanish onion, semi dried tomatoes and small cubed of fetta cheese. I leave the fetta out if using dill dressing.

I might get around to making this in the next week or so and will take a photo if so.

Edited because I can't type.

Edited June 8, 2006 by Cadbury (log)

[tino27]

After roasting and cooling the chicken, I'll discard the skin,....

←

Throw away the skin? You certainly know how to make a grown man cry.

←

Well, by the time the chicken is cool enough to remove the stuffing and shred the meat, the skin is, shall we say, not so crisp anymore.

If I was making a roasted chicken to eat for dinner, you can be darn sure that the skin gets served with the meat carved from the carcass.

Speaking of which ... perhaps a quick stop at the market on the way home tonight for a roasting chicken. I'll let you know how the skin is tomorrow.

[Jaymes]

Here's a recipe I've served with great success for a light luncheon...

Chinese Chicken Salad

For the salad:

peanut oil

6 wonton wrappers

2 oz cellophane noodles

3 C cooked chicken, cut into large, bite-sized chunks

1 bunch green onions, cut into 1" pieces

1/4 C dry-roasted unsalted cashew nuts

1 C fresh coriander, minced

1 red bell pepper, julienned

1/2 head lettuce, shredded

For the dressing:

1/2 t dry mustard

1 T soy sauce

3 T vinegar

2 T hoisin sauce

1 t sugar

1 t ground allspice

2 T sesame oil

1/4 C corn oil

Cut the wontons into strips about 1/2" wide. Fry in peanut oil until golden brown and transfer to paper towels. Fry noodles in peanut oil, in two batches, turning once, for 5 seconds per batch. You have to work very quickly. Transfer to paper towels.

Arrange the lettuce on a large serving platter.

Crumble noodles. Combine wonton strips, half of the noodles, the chicken, onions, nuts, coriander & bell pepper in large bowl. Toss with the dressing. Turn out onto platter with lettuce. Garnish with remaining crumbled noodles.

[judiu]

After roasting and cooling the chicken, I'll discard the skin,....

←

Throw away the skin? You certainly know how to make a grown man cry.

←

Well, by the time the chicken is cool enough to remove the stuffing and shred the meat, the skin is, shall we say, not so crisp anymore.

If I was making a roasted chicken to eat for dinner, you can be darn sure that the skin gets served with the meat carved from the carcass.

Speaking of which ... perhaps a quick stop at the market on the way home tonight for a roasting chicken. I'll let you know how the skin is tomorrow.

←

No, no, no! First you skin the roasted bird, THEN you put it to cool (while you sneak yourself a chicken skin cook's treat!) So, what happens to the stuffing?

[tino27]

The stuffing goes into the homemade mayonnaise -- not a drop is wasted. I use a ton of garlic and capers, but they totally mellow while roasting in the oven.

[dawnie2u]

This is also good made with tuna.

Jalapeno Chicken Salad

1 cup good quality mayonnaise (Hellman's)

4 cups cooked cut-up chicken breast

1/4 cup celery -- chopped fine

1/4 cup red onion -- chopped finely

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves -- chopped

1/4 cup nacho sliced jalapenos, chopped -- or to taste

salt and black pepper -- to taste

In a medium mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together except the chicken. Gently fold the chicken into the mayonnaise mixture until well combined. Transfer to your serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, to allow flavors to meld.

[Soupcon]

My version of chicken salad :

1 whole chicken

chicken stock to cover

2-4 whole ripe mangoes

4 or more stalks celery, sliced in 1/4 in pieces or in small dice

2 to 4 or more to taste green onions, diced

seedless green or red grapes, washed and drained

toasted pecan nuts

Dressing:

good quality mayonnaiese (home made perhaps)

whole milk or plain yogurt

red or green curry paste

1 Poach whole chicken in chicken stock to cover. Let cool in liquid, drain thoroughtly, take meat off bones, discarding skin and bones. Tear meat into shreds or cube into bite sized pieces.

2 Peel and dice ripe mangoes and add to chicken meat. Add green diced onions, grapes, and toasted nuts to taste.

3 To make dressing: thin mayonnaise with yoghurt or whole milk to taste and season with curry paste to taste.

4 Combine dressing with salad ingredients, season to taste and serve.

[racheld]

I'm GLAAAAAAADDDD I've got some leftover in the fridge, and the other half of my lunch sandwich today---we ate at Cracker Barrel, where Chris enjoyed ham, bacon, eggs, grits and sorghum, and I had my usual: Chicken salad sandwich, grill the bread on both sides, please, and hold the lettuce. (They use those immense fans of soft lettuce, and there's enough residual wash-water in there to dampen a week's ironing).

Anyway, we did a photoshoot at a hotel last night; that was the best hotel food for a crowd I've seen in lo these many late nights---rosy baked ham slices in a silver dish, with a line of delicious red pepper/pineapple sauce atop, and some whole chicken breasts in a mornay with spinach and scallions---DELICIOUS!!

We got in late, after loading equipment and schlepping it home, and spied a bag of four of DD's excellent onion rolls on the counter, soft and fragrant. We both said, "I can't believe I'm HUNGRY!!" at the same time, so I opened a can of Swanson very-white-chunks, stirred in some thin-sliced celery, a bit of chopped sweet pickle, and a little mayo, along with the lone lunchbox-intended boiled egg from the fridge, and we had CS on onion rolls, with Decaf DC sparkled over ice, at midnight.

I also had edited some bookshelves this week, and found an old church cookbook, with a recipe from a neighbor scrawled on the flyleaf---it was a surprisingly good recipe, despite its redneck roots, and I was always surprised that a mushroom-soup-type recipe started with a bechamel. (Especially considering that said neighbor starred in her own "Worst Meal, etc....., featuring the infamous GrapeNuts Chicken).

MIZ SLIM'S HOT CHICKEN SALAD

Cook a chicken in salted water, cool and bone and chop. Saute some onion and thin celery in a little butter and pour into the bowl with the chicken.

Make a thick white sauce (2 to the cup*) and stir in some mayonnaise, celery seeds and a jar of pimiento, along with a drained can of sliced water chestnuts.

Mix all together and pour into a buttered casserole. Melt a stick of butter in a skillet; crush a sleeve of Ritz and brown gently. Remove from heat, toss in a little pack of sliced almonds, and spread on casserole. Heat at 350 til bubbly.

*2 Tbs. butter/flour to each cup of milk

If you serve this onto luncheon plates, you have to sidle a little round of spiced beet-red apple up next to it. It's the LAW.

edited for a capital letter

Edited June 11, 2006 by racheld (log)

[Holly Moore]

My favorite chicken salad comes from an Amsterdamn restaurant via Vincent and Mary Price's Cookbook, "A Treasury of Great Recipes." Along with cubed chicken breast, diced apples, minced onions, fresh dill and bound together by whipped unsweetened heavy cream.

[handmc]

cubed chicken

peeled grapes cut in half

chopped walnuts

Chopped frest tarragon chopped celery

Sherry Mayo with hvy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Served on a croissant (sp?) its late.

[Cadbury]

I make a warm chicken salad which is served as a light "ladies" lunch.  I will add it to recipe gullet when I get a spare minute.

I first slice raw chicken breast into strips (I actually prefer thigh for this) and let it marinade for a while with whatever takes my fancy, usually a bit of garlic, ginger, perhap chilli and some mirin.  I then drain any liquid and stir through corn flour (cornstarch?) to coat the pieces well.  These are then pan fried just before serving. Initially they will stick together but they do separate and become crisp.  The chicken is placed on top of the salad (or tossed through if you prefer) and then a dressing is poured on top.  The current dressing is sour cream with dill stirred through and left overnight for the flavours to develop.  Garlic stirred through instead of dill is also nice.

The salad itself is basically lettuce, cucumber, sliced spanish onion, semi dried tomatoes and small cubes of fetta cheese.  I leave the fetta out if using dill dressing. 

I might get around to making this in the next week or so and will take a photo if so.

Edited because I can't type.

←

I made this salad tonight. It was as tasty as ever. I forgot to mention that I add the juice of a lemon to the sour cream/dill dressing. Gives it a nice tang. I cheated tonight however, and used Paul Newman's Creamy Caesar Dressing.

[Megan Blocker]

I had a chicken salad sandwich today...poached a chicken breast (skinless, boneless) on some chicken stock and gave it a large, rough chop. Tossed it with some homemade mayo, chopped cucumber (seeds removed) and red onion, salt, pepper, and curry powder. Threw it on a couple of slices of delicious bread that I bought this morning at the new Real Food Market at Lafayette and Spring along with some crisp romaine and sliced plum tomatoes.

It was really good...I ate the leftover salad with a fork when I finished the sandwich, and it was a little salty, but with the bread, tomato and lettuce, it was perfect.

[tino27]

A chicken salad story

So this guy I had been dating for about two weeks decides to invite me over for dinner to make his mother's famous "chicken" dish for me. He won't tell me what it was, but insists that I must try it. Not knowing exactly what was in store, I decide to play it safe and bring a bottle of white wine and show up at 6:30 PM as instructed.

Early on in the process, he accidentally discovers that I can cook when he asks me if I wouldn't mind toasting the slivered almonds in a stick of butter. I insist that the almonds are already pretty high in fat and that you can adequately toast them without the extra stick of butter. I shoulda' just kept my mouth shut.

So while he proceeds to make his dining room presentable for dinner for two, I proceed to toast the almonds, slice the grapes in half, and even poach the chicken breasts until cooked. The whole time I have yet to put 2 and 2 together and realize that his mother's famous "chicken" dish was indeed chicken salad. It isn't until he comes back in the kitchen to "finish" the dish by pulling out a half-used jar of mayonnaise (that to be honest, had colors in it that one usually doesn't see in a mayonnaise ... blues, and greens, and yellows) that I finally put all of the pieces together.

Thinking I'd make a small personal joke and flirt a little bit, I admit that I always buy the smallest jar of mayonnaise and still end up having to throw it out because the expiration date comes before I can use it all. He looks at me with a quizzical look on his face and says, "I don't think this jar has an expiration date." Suddenly fearing for my health, I had to make the quick decision of whether a successful date was worth food poisoning. Yep, it was.

The highlight of the evening came after he took the first bite of the now composed chicken salad and says without missing a beat, "Wow, your nuts really taste great!" I searched his face in vain for any hint that he was joking around with me. He wasn't. After ten seconds, I had to bite my lip pretty hard just to stifle the laughter.

Needless to say, that relationship only lasted another couple of weeks.