This is “Jenn’s Chicken Salad”, because it’s not at all what I would normally put in chicken salad if I were making it for myself. But I wasn’t, this was for Mother’s Day, so it had what my wife wanted. And you know what? It’s pretty doggone good. And I’m not just saying that because she’s going to read this. (Hi honey!)
Ingredients
2 boneless chicken breasts
4 boneless chicken thighs
2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 cup toasted pecans
2 tablespoons minced fresh chives
2-3 teaspoons dried dill
1 dozen red grapes
Directions
Some chicken salad recipes call for boiling the chicken so that it’s thoroughly cooked without drying out. I happen to believe you can dry food out even cooking it completely submerged in water. (Please don’t make me look up links to prove it, just trust me on this one, okay?) So I dice and grill it.
It works best to do it in that order. If you cook it first, while it’s still in big, irregular hunks, you’ll dry out the edges before the center is done. Maybe that’s why people went to boiling. If you dice it first into uniform, bite-sized pieces, it’s much easier to control. Salt generously after cutting.
You can see in that last picture that I did the thighs last. Dark meat needs a little more cooking time, so you want them in the pan first. Also, this batch had more fat on the thighs than on the breasts, though this can change depending on how it’s butchered. I could put the thighs in a dry pan and the fat on them was plenty to keep the lean meat from sticking.
Salt again once it’s in the pan, so you get what was on the bottom while it was on the cutting board.
Fry over medium heat until the fat starts to render out and the meat starts to brown on the edges, then add the breast meat.
Cook until the breast meat is completely white, and the thigh meat is a darker brown. Cut some of the larger pieces with the spoon or spatula you’re using. When it’s completely cooked, the chicken will be easy to cut even without a knife.
If you have a lot of liquid in the bottom of the pan, pour it off and give it to the dog. He’ll love you forever.
Transfer the chicken to a large bowl to cool. If you use a metal bowl instead of stoneware, the metal will draw the heat of the of the meat, cooling it down much faster. Spread the chicken around so it’s in a single layer, with as much of it touching the metal bowl as possible.
While the meat is cooling, mince the chives.
Umm, by the way, you did thoroughly scrub the knife and cutting board you used for the raw chicken before reusing them, right? Most people don’t like their chicken with a side of salmonella.
Cut the grapes into quarters.
Add the mayo. (I won’t insist on making your own mayonnaise from scratch, but it is better. And better for you. Okay, enough preaching.) How much to use is very much up to personal preference. Some people like it very dry, some like it almost soupy. Fortunately my wife and I both like it with the chicken just barely coated.
Add the chives, grapes and nuts and stir.
Oops, forgot to add the dill. This should have gone in back with the mayo before the first mix to give it more time to rehydrate.
Let the finished salad rest for a few minutes in the fridge both to cool down and to give the flavors time to mingle. For a simple serving suggestion, if you don’t want to do the typical croissant sandwich, cut the bottom off a head of romaine lettuce.
Arrange a couple of leaves one inside the other, and put a scoop of chicken salad down the center.
And that’s it.
What did you have for mother’s day?
16 Comments
I made pot roast and carrots with mashed potatoes and a salad from the garden for my MiL and her mother.
I only made the pot roast because I had taken the beef out on Friday and then never cooked it, for various reasons, and so needed to use it. I don’t think pot roast is a very traditional Mother’s Day meal. It was really good, though.
Drew, I have overcooked chicken breasts by boiling them; I think I will try your method next time. Duh, never thought of it before!
As for food, we had Chinese for mother’s day. It wasn’t what my grandmother would have had, but it’s what my future kids’ grandmother would eat.
I love chicken salads…my hubby doesn’t like mayo or miracle whip though. Do you suggest any alternatives or do you have another good recipe for a chicken salad without mayo? Thanks! : )
Heh, not what I would put in a chicken salad either, unless I was making it special for my girlfriend. What is it about ladies and fruit in chicken salad? It does look tasty though, I would certainly eat it.
Kristin, pot roast sounds like a good Father’s Day meal though. I think I’m put in a request.
Melissa, who made the Chinese?
Laura, no mayo? Hmm, I’ll have to look into that. Before you give up on him though, have you ever made mayo from scratch? It’s worth a try.
Bob, I’ve seen raisins in tuna salad before. Weird.
Drew, I just came across this site today, and although it’s 6 months late, thought I’d tell you the version I make.
I love Waldorf Salad and do a version I call Chicken Waldorf Salad. Along with the chicken I use apples (usually Fuji) in place of the grapes and then add celery, walnuts, and raisins. I do the mayo dressing, and it really is great if I do say so myself.
Funny you should mention that. My wife and I were just discussing doing a Waldorf salad for the blog. Stay tuned …
Laura, you might also want to try mustard – I use that instead of mayo when I make deviled ham sandwiches, and it’s really good (plus low in calories). There’s a Dijonaise spread you can buy from Helman’s (I think), and it’s a mix of mayo and dijon – very good, creamy, but the predominant taste is mustard.
Drew, International House made the Chinese, although I have made a bastardized version of Chinese food before.
In years gone by, we used to have lobster every mother’s day, as that was normally when the season opened, but lately the ice is thinner and the season opens on time on May 1st. So we decided on Chinese this year.
Melissa, I had hoped that’s what you meant about the Chinese.
“Boil” is the wrong word in cooking chicken… “Simmer” is the correct way to go. Also, that salty water bath (brining) for a couple of hours really makes a world of difference in the tenderness of chicken breasts! But back to the “boil.” Just as soon as the water starts getting the tiny bubbles around the edge, cut that heat back immediately! Any big bubbles (boil) and “you’re cooked”! Tough chicken guaranteed!
But, I must say I like your method, Drew. I would guess that your chicken cooked in the skillet was far more flavorful then “boiled” chicken.
I hadn’t thought about brining, that could really help. But you’re right, this added a ton of flavor.
Came back to tell you I tried this and it was great. I added yogurt instead of adding more mayo and plopped it on green salad. Great.
Trisha, I'm going to have some yogurt recipes coming up. Just about any recipe with cream, sour cream, or yogurt you can substitute any one for another. The taste will change, but it should still work. And may and yogurt are good substitutions in cold dishes.
i made this last night for my husband and 2 year old, my husband suggested that i make it regularly so there was always some of it in the fridge! The 2 year old gobbled it up! i substituted a grocery store rotisserie chicken becuase i had one, but will try it your way next time. i am in love with your blog!!!
Gina, my wife and I believe in making what we like and offering it to the kids. Why should we just assume they're not going to like it?
Someone asked us once how we got the kids to eat pepper steak and fried rice from the Mongolian grill. "Uhh … the same way a billion Chinese people get their kids to eat it. We gave it to them."
Kids don't know they're not "expected" to like something unless we tell them so.
People are always amazed what my 2 year old eats, he will knock you over for some edamame! i have always fed him whatever we eat – and he's always eaten it.