Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad

Posted on Aug 11, 2009 by PeggyPrint Recipe Only | Email Recipe | Leave a Comment
Filed under: All Recipes, Chicken salads, Feed Your Children, Feed Your Soul, Gluten Free, Poultry, Summer Pin It
Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad

I’m a huge proponent of using what you have on hand, so the flavor of my poached chicken always varies slightly. What follows is a skeletal recipe for tonight’s poached chicken, but add or subtract seasonings and perishables that need to be utilized in your frige and pantry.

I’m also including a recipe for chicken salad which is basically how my mom made it. It’s perfect served in scooped-out tomato shells, lettuce cups, with crackers or in a chicken salad sandwich. Boneless, skinless breasts are often on sale.

This week Meijer has bone-in breasts for 99 cents a pound. Though removing the bone requires an extra step, the bones make for a more flavorful poaching liquid. Kroger has boneless chicken breasts at $1.89 per pound with card.

The mayonnaise brand used for chicken, tuna and egg salad is hotly debated in certain circles in town. Of course homemade mayo would be the ultimate, if you’ve the time. I’ve found many locals prefer Miracle Whip to Hellman’s – that’s the flavor they grew up with. If your parents made chicken salad with Miracle Whip, I defer to them. Always.

Recipe: Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad

Ingredients

  • 3-4 chilled poached chicken breast halves, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup Hellman’s mayonnaise (Miracle Whip may be substituted)
  • 2 teaspoons Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper, any color
  • 2 scallions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1/2 cup nuts, such as blanched almonds or toasted walnuts or pecans (optional)

Instructions

  1. Whisk together mayonnaise, mustard and Worcestershire sauce.
  2. Combine with diced chicken, celery, bell pepper, scallions and parsley. Garnish with nuts, if desired

Time: 15 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 4-6

Copyright © Peggy Lampman’s dinnerFeed.

Recipe: Poached Chicken

Ingredients

  • 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, or bone-in chicken breasts
  • 18 cups chicken stock, or water
  • 1-2 tablespoons dried mixed herbs, including dried peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Fresh available vegetable scraps(I used onion skins, carrots tops and parsley stems)

Instructions

  1. Place chicken stock or water, dried herbs, bay leaf and vegetable scraps in a heavy-bottomed pot. Season with kosher salt if you are using water or unsalted stock. Bring to a boil and reduce liquid 20-30 minutes.
  2. Place chicken breasts in seasoned, boiling liquid. When water returns to a boil,stir breasts around then turn off heat. Cover tightly and let sit in poaching liquid until just cooked through, about 30 minutes.
  3. Remove breasts from pan and chill. Poaching liquid can be strained, frozen and reused as stock for another recipe.

Active Time: 5 minutes

Poach Time: 30 minutes

Number of servings (yield): 6 poached chicken breasts & stock for freezing

Copyright © Peggy Lampman’s dinnerFeed.

Print Recipe Only
Filed under: All Recipes, Chicken salads, Feed Your Children, Feed Your Soul, Gluten Free, Poultry, Summer
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