Chicken Salad Heaven Recipes

THE BEST CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, 1 tablespoon salt and pepper to taste in a small bowl.
• Toss together the chicken, celery, shallot, dill and parsley in a large bowl.
• Add the dressing to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight to meld flavors. Garnish with chives.
• Put the parsley, thyme, onion, carrot, celery and chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with the broth and bring just to a boil. Reduce the heat to very low and cover. Poach the chicken until firm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, uncover and cool the chicken in the liquid for 30 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and reserve the liquid. Bone and skin the chicken and roughly chop the meat into about 1/2-inch pieces. Discard the bones and skin.
• Strain the broth and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for later use. Remove any fat from the surface of the broth before using.

CLASSIC CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
• Season chicken evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and onion powder. Place in the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until juices run clear and chicken shreds easily, about 1 hour 20 minutes; don't overcook. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Remove from the oven, uncover, and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 15 minutes. Reserve any accumulated chicken broth.
• Prepare dressing while chicken cools. Combine 1 cup mayonnaise, sour cream, relish, green onions, parsley, Dijon, lemon juice, dill, and remaining salt and pepper in a large bowl; mix until well combined.
• Break chicken into large pieces and place in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 3 to 5 times to shred chicken to desired consistency.
• Transfer chicken to a bowl. Add celery and pour dressing over top; toss to coat. If more moisture is desired, add reserved broth or more mayonnaise.
• Cover and chill for at least 2 hours (or up to 2 days) before serving. Stir well before serving.

CHICKEN SALAD HEAVEN

Steps:

• Pound the chicken breasts so that they are of an even thickness (1/2 ") and then grill over a hot flame, marking well, but being careful not to overcook. Refrigerate to cool. When the chicken is cool, cut into 1/2" cubes.
• Combine chicken stock, olive oil, and vinegar. The amount of saffron that you will need will vary greatly with the purity and freshness. With this method, having too weak a mixture will be more of a problem than too strong a mixture. Chop the saffron threads very finely. Add the saffron to the stock mixture and simmer until reduced to about 1/4 cup in volume, and then cool. Mix this liquid into the mayonnaise. The color should be a fairly bright, but not a totally alarming yellow (more than a legal pad, but less than a taxi). If the color and flavor seem too strong, just add more mayonnaise.
• Gently mix the diced chicken, raisins, celery, onion, bell pepper, and thyme or mint in a large bowl.
• Fold the saffron mayonnaise into the salad, whatever amount looks good to you. Add salt and pepper to taste. It's best if you can let the flavors meld overnight The nuts are best added about 1 hours before serving so that they don't become too soggy.