Chicken salad - do you
like it with shredded chicken or chunky?
Roy and I prefer chunky style; biting into a piece of chicken, knowing
how it tastes combined with all the added ingredients. The best way to prepare chicken for salad
making is either Rotisserie or Boiled; yes I said boiled. Boiling the chicken
does not diminish its flavor; it’s simply a quicker way of removing any excess
fat while ensuring the chicken is thoroughly cooked. You want to use either
boneless, skinless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins; nice and meaty! For
a serving of two, use four tenderloins or one large breast half (anatomy
lesson: chickens have two breasts, so you only need one); place in a small
saucepan and add enough water to cover the chicken. Using high heat, boil the
chicken until a thick layer of scum forms on the top; skim it off; then place
the chicken under running water to rinse off any residue still hanging on. Put
the chicken on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down in the
refrigerator; this will also help draw out any excess water the chicken may
have absorbed. Why get rid of the
water? To keep your mayonnaise from
getting runny; nothing is unappetizing as scooping up salad just to see watery
residue at the bottom of the bowl. Yuck!
When making the salad,
don't get over complicated with ingredients as you want to taste that chicken. I don’t add salt immediately, most mayonnaise
brands already have enough in them. After making your salad, taste it and then
decide if you'd like extra salt; remember, you can always add, but not take
away. Diced red onion is sweeter than the regular white onion, less harsh on
the taste buds. Diced celery will give you some color and added crunch, as will
the red onion; two tablespoons of each will be just right. Ground black pepper
is a flavor enhancer, but use it sparingly (a half teaspoon for two servings)
as it can make your salad on the "hot" side of spicy. When cutting
the chicken, first cut strips with the grain, then cut your chunks; otherwise
the chicken meat will shred apart, unless you want shredded chicken that
is. Place the chicken, onion, celery and
black pepper into a medium mixing bowl; add four tablespoons of mayonnaise and
gently fold together. This is when you can now decide if you would like more
mayonnaise or is it just right as it is. If you want more, only add one
tablespoon at a time; you want to coat and bind, not overwhelm.
When it comes to making a
sandwich with freshly made chicken salad, well that's really up to personal
preferences. Depending on mood, and what’s in stock, the bread could be a Kaiser
roll, sub roll, pita pocket, or two nice thick slices of bread. Fresh, crispy
lettuce is the bedding between the bottom piece of bread and the salad; thin
slice of cheese like Baby Swiss, Provolone, mild Cheddar or Colby Jack. Slice of tomato, maybe a pickle or two; if that
is what you'd like, but personally I don't add so many extras that I lose the
essence of the chicken salad itself.
Now here’s a bonus,
Rotisserie chicken salad, made straight from your own oven. We've seen the
oval shaped containers in the supermarkets, better yet, we've smelled the
contents and started to drool. Rotisserie chicken is placed on a spit and
rotated in a special oven, so the dripping fat can basically baste and
moisturize the chicken. Besides selling the chicken as whole or in pieces, many
places will shred the meat, mix it with mayonnaise and sell it as chicken salad
at a high price per pound. Is it worth it? Not always; there might not be
enough seasoning, or too much; same goes for the mayonnaise; and the extra
benefits of veggies is iffy, or not even added in.
Besides the local
supermarket, a rotisserie chicken can be done on the home barbeque. Just
purchase the rotating spit, set it up, plug in; yes you'll need an electrical
source, and start cooking. Not everyone wants to do this though, but there's
another alternative...your own oven. While
the recipe focuses on boneless, skinless chicken breasts, bone-in chicken
breasts can also be used, but you just have to up the cooking time to 55-60
minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165F. Coating the chicken
with mayonnaise and covering with foil ensures that the chicken will stay moist
inside as well as outside. For the
veggies, I use diced onion and celery, but a little shredded carrot or diced
bell peppers work too.
Rotisserie Chicken Salad
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves; trimmed of fat
3 Tbsp. mayonnaise
Seasoning Mix
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. onion powder1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. crushed dry thyme
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. fine sea salt
1 ½ Tbsp. brown sugar
pinch of ground cayenne pepper
Salad Mix
¼ cup diced red onion
¼ cup diced celery¼ cup mayonnaise
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400F; line a roasting pan with
aluminum foil and place rack on top of foil.
Mix together seasonings and spread out on
large plate. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat both sides of the chicken
breasts with the 3 tablespoons of mayonnaise; lightly press both sides of
chicken onto seasoning mix. Place chicken on rack; cover pan with aluminum
foil. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal
temperature of 165F.
Let chicken cool before cutting into one inch
pieces. Place in large bowl; add onion, celery and mayonnaise; mix completely.
Serve on rolls, breads, inside pita pockets, rolled in tortillas or as the
center piece of a green salad.
Makes 6 servings.
Need to bring a dish to
the next get-together? Wow them with
chicken salad; just don’t be surprised if it will be expected every time.
Mary Cokenour
