Results for ‘Chicken Salad’

We like to party

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

I like to channel Ina Garten (or should we just call her the Barefoot Contessa?) whenever I can. Let me tell you about a night long ago when I tried. And to put it lightly, I failed–miserably.

My roommate, Emily, and I decided to have a “real” party when we moved into our first apartment after college. We bought a case of Trader Joe’s wine, lots of beer, and a ham. We invited new co-workers, my parents, and bunch of our friends. Let’s be honest, this was a glorified college party. We may have had fancy clothes on, but that was about it. At least we had the ham. That ham was our saving grace. The ham made it okay that there were real adults there. That ham made us feel like Ina (we even bought whole cloves for the occasion).

My parents exited that party as they saw me–their daughter–taking a peppermint patty shot. Classy.

So this post is actually not about ham, nor is it about me failing to meet Barefoot standards, it’s about chicken salad. Ina always uses mayo & sour cream. I agree with Ina; it brings out the best flavor. I’m pretty sure Ina was born in black pants and a chambray shirt (collar popped), but I’m going to tell myself that she once had an unsophisticated day, relied on a ham, and we have that in common. That and chicken salad recipes.

Chicken salad

Inspired by Cafe Patachou in Indianapolis

4 split chicken breasts

olive oil

s and p

2-3 slices of applewood smoked bacon

1/2 cup good mayo

1/8 cup sour cream

2 celery stalks – medium dice

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the chicken breasts on a cookie sheet with a lip. Season w/ olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Place in oven and cook for 30-40 minutes or until cooked and tender. Let cool slightly.

Meanwhile, prepare the bacon in a large heavy bottomed skillet. Cook so that it is somewhat crumbly but not burnt. Set on a paper towel to cool. Reserve bacon fat.

Remove the chicken skin; pull the chicken from the bone and chop into a medium – small dice. Roughly chop the bacon. In a large bowl, mix the mayo and sour cream. Then add the chicken, bacon, and celery. Season w/ salt, pepper, and drizzle in ~a tsp of the bacon fat (!!). Chill and serve the following day.

Posted in Chicken Salad, Uncategorized | 5 Comments »

I’m not who you think I am

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

We used to have a rhubarb plant in our backyard. The plant actually grew out of an old tree stump in the back corner of the yard. I always thought it was a weed. But one night my mom made a strawberry rhubarb pie and that was no weed my friends. I was shocked that all of that deliciousness came from the “weed-plant.”

For some reason the stump was removed from our backyard and with it went the rhubarb plant. Bummer.

I made some rhubarb preserves last year and made some more a couple of weeks ago to have with our Mother’s Day waffles. But I needed to find some new uses for the ‘weed-plant.’ I decided, why not take the strawberry/rhubarb combo to the savory side?

I love any type of chicken salad–the basic stuff with mayo and celery, but I also love just adding whatever I have in the refrigerator. So the other day, it was strawberries, rhubarb, fennel, and basil. The ‘weed-plant’ did not disappoint. I think the logical next step is to pick out a plot of soil in our condo’s back courtyard and plant some rhubarb of my own. Now the only challenge will be making sure our maintenance crew knows to leave it alone.

Strawberry Rhubarb Chicken Salad
Serves 2

2 bone-in chicken breasts
olive oil
s and p
2 rhubarb stalks – medium dice
1 (small) shallot – medium dice
sugar
10 strawberries – rough chop
1 fennel bulb – small dice
basil – small dice

Dressing

1 part red wine vinegar
2 parts olive oil
agave syrup to taste
s and p

Preheat oven to 425 F. Rinse and dry chicken. Season the chicken with olive oil, generous salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes or until the juices run clear. Let sit until cool. While roasting prepare the other ingredients. Place the rhubarb and shallot on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar; roast for 10 minutes or until tender. Let cool. Remove chicken skin and breast from bone. Roughly chop chicken.

To make the dressing combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk together or place in a tupperware container and shake until emulsified.

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add desired amount of dressing. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve over greens or on crusty bakery bread.

**If making in advance, do not add strawberries until just before serving.

Posted in Chicken Salad, Rhubarb, Strawberry | 1 Comment »