Chicken Salad Recipes

[JHolcomb]

OK, my sister's getting married next August, and I'm the matron of honor. I never thought I'd be the matron of anything, much less one of honor, but I digress. I'll be planning her bridal shower, and I am a control freak, so yes, I'm already planning things a year in advance. Hey, I'm out of work these days, so I have little else to do. Anyway, I want to serve some things that are cool and gourmet and light, but I also want to have a really good, full-on chicken salad handy. I mean, I'm dealing with hard core Old South ladies here, and they are going to expect a good chicken salad. And yes, I plan on making everything. I told you, I'm a control freak. Blame it on my dad, who made me recite two mantras growing up, one being "boys are bad" the other being "if you want something done right, do it yourself." Sigh. Take a breath. Get to the point. So, anyone got any really good chicken salad recipes, traditional ones, preferably? I did a search, but I came up with over a hundred matches, and I'm feeling too lazy to go through them all. Thanks a million, y'all.

Oh yeah. I mean the yicky mayo based ones, not like a salad salad.
Jen

[Chefzhat]

Here's one I posted a few weeks ago. I love this one but it may not be what you're looking for. All my friends ask for this. I also served this for a bridal shower (I made everything also, you and I should start a control freak support group!). I served it with specialty crackers and those teeny pieces of bread, (you can get them in your deli section), and mini croissants. I also served two kinds of Angel Food Cake, Chocolate and White, with fruit compote, celery sticks stuffed with cream cheese and pine nuts, tea and lemonade.

Debie's Famous Chicken Salad

Roasted chicken (whole), diced
Celery
Onion
Radishes
Toasted Almonds (chopped) or Pine nuts
salt and pepper
Fresh parsley - minced
1 cup Mayo
2 tbs. Ranch dressing
2 tbs. milk

Dice all veggies, add as much or as little to your taste (I like mine crunchy so I add a lot). Mix dressings and milk, pour over. Add seasonings. Toast nuts and sprinkle over top prior to serving.

I sometimes add red grapes to this salad for more color and festivity.

Debie

[lhall]

I don't have any recipes per se that I use, but I have made it chicken salad with pecans and apples, Finely chopped. And, use a little lemon juice or sprite to keep the apples from turning brown.

For a tip I learned when some friends and I did a bridal shower. If you do little sandwiches, lightly coat the inside (side touching the filling) of the bread with butter. Not much, but this will keep the bread from getting soggy.

I'm not sure about traditional southern chicken salad. I'm from the south, but my mother was NOT a southern cook. I think it comes from all the casseroles my grandmother made when my mother was growing up. 2-3 casseroles with each dinner all a different shade of brown!

Leigh

[suziking]

Jen - Oh - Good Luck. I just returned from my sister's wedding where I was the maitron of honor! Yikes! Got yelled at from my new sister in law who shot darts at me through the entire evening, my sister cried because not enough people were paying attention to her, and my husband spent the entire evening in a yukky hotel room with two screaming babies. He also got yelled at by our new sister in law. What a start. But now I digresss.....

Here is a chicken salad recipe that a deqar friend cooked for me at my bridal shower. It is not your traditional chicken salad - but if it can be a huge hit in our town where people bring the jello salads with marshmellows and carrots to pot lucks - maybe it will be a hit with your group too!

Jen - Good luck!

Suzi


---------- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06 by AccuChef (tm) www.AccuChef.com

Title: Thai Noodles
Categories: Chicken
Yield: 20 Servings

2 lb Linguine
¼ C Sesame Seed Oil
3 C Chicken Breast,Shredded
4 bn Green Onion
2 bn Cilantro
4 Jalapeno Seeded &,Chopped
1 ½ Lb Snow Peas,Cut-Lengthwise

Dressing
1 C Soy Sauce
½ C Creamy Peanut Butter
½ C Rice Vinegar
½ C Sesame Seed Oil
2 T Sugar

Cook linguine. Rinse with cold water and drain. In large bowl, toss
linguine with oil. Mix in chicken, onion, cilantro and chills. Steam
snow peas for two minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Mix into salad. Combine dressing in food processor. Pour over salad. Cover and refridge. Serves 20.

-----

[AmyMcP]

Here is my family recipe for chicken salad...

obviously chicken
celery
onion
green grapes
pecans
light mayo
curry powder (trust me)
s&p to taste

Mix together...I never measure anything w/ this recipe....
Serve over mixed salad greens w/ some fruit and iced tea...

did I mention that I used to live in Charleston, SC? Can't get much more southern than that!:p

[sneezles]

Jen,
This is a recipe that I have used for years. It is actually chicken salad served on a salad:

* Exported from MasterCook *

Chicken and Grape Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups cooked breast meat -- diced
4 celery stalks -- diced
1/2 cup slivered almonds -- toasted
1/4 cup each, red and green seedless grapes -- cut in half
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Mayonnaise
salt and pepper -- to taste
romaine lettuce leaves
1 bunch spinach leaves
2 carrots -- thinly sliced
1 cucumber -- using the tines of a fork, run it the length of the cucumber all around the peel. Slice thinly, crosswise
4 green onions -- diced
1/2 cup jicama -- sliced into thin sticks
4 jumbo pasta shells -- cooked
chilled cooked asparagus
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
Herb Dressing
1 1/3 cups oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or white balsamic
vinegar
2 tablespoons chives -- minced
2 tablespoons parsley -- minced
3 garlic cloves -- minced
1 teaspoon dried basil -- crumbled
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
dash cayenne pepper

Combine chicken, celery, almonds, grapes, jicama and lemon juice in small bowl. Add enough mayonnaise to moisten and mix well. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Combine all ingredients for Herb Dressing in jar with tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well before using.

Line individual plates with romaine and spinach leaves. Arrange carrot, cucumber, sprouts and green onions around edges.

Fill pasta shell with chicken mixture and place in middle of salad. Top with asparagus.

Serve dressing on the side.

[olive101]

Just checking in for the control freak club!!!:D

[tracey67]

If you're feeling energetic enough to make "finger" sandwiches, these are perfect for a shower:

CHICKEN SALAD TEA SANDWICHES WITH SMOKED ALMONDS
(from Gourmet May 1994)

3 cups chicken broth
2 whole boneless chicken breasts,
with skin (@ 1 1/2 lbs.), halved
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon
24 very thin bread slices
1/2 cup smoked almonds (2 oz)

In a food processor, finely chop almonds and set aside. In a deep skillet bring broth to a boil and add chicken breasts in one layer. Reduce heat and poach chicken at a bare simmer, turning once, 7 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and cool chicken in cooking liquid 20 minutes. Discard skin and shred chicken fine.

In a bowl stir together chicken, 1/2 C. of mayonnaise, shallot, tarragon, and salt and pepper to taste. Make 12 sandwiches with chicken salad and bread, pressing together gently. With a 2-inch round cutter cut 2 rounds from each sandwich.

Put almonds on a small plate and spread edges of rounds with remaining 1/2 C. mayonnaise to coat well. Roll edges in almonds. (Sandwiches may be made 2 hours ahead, wrapped in plastic wrap, and chilled).

tracey

[Pat]

In Lexington there is a restaurant called DeSha's that has a luncheon chicken salad that they serve with little sandwiches made from thin slices of date nut bread (you could use zucchinni bread in the summer) and cream cheese. I have served this for luncheons for "the ladies" and everyone seems to like it. It is a little different because of the pineapple. I like serving something a little different from everyone else.

* Exported from MasterCook *

DeSha's Chicken Salad

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Poultry Salads


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 pounds chicken -- cooked and diced
3 cups pineapple tidbits -- drained
3 green onions
1 1/2 cups pecans -- chopped
2 cups mayonnaise -- or to taste

Thoroughly drain pineapple. Combine chicken, pineapple tidbits, green onions and pecans. Add mayonnaise to taste. Mix thoroughly.

Store in refrigerator until ready to use.


* Exported from MasterCook *

DeSha's date-nut bread

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 12 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Bread

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
2 cups dates -- chopped
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups boiling water
6 tablespoons butter
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs
2 2/3 cups flour
1 cup pecans -- chopped

Heat oven to 325. Grease and flour a 5 by 9 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch loaf pan.

Place dates in a medium-size mixing bowl. Sprinkle baking soda over dates. Pour boiling water over all. Set aside.

Cream butter with sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Beat well. Add flour and mix well. Pour in date mixture and pecans. Mix.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean.


Serving Ideas : Serve in thin squares with cream cheese between slices with chicken salad

[Jasmine-Rose]

Hey Jen,

Did your dad know my dad? I got a double-whammy: "Anything worth doing is worth doing well" and "If you want it done right, do it yourself". All boils down to this: you have to do everything yourself!!! I wonder if he knew he was creating a control freak...

[JHolcomb]

You guys rule! All of these salads sound super yummy. Now I just have to decide which one. I think I'll serve the salad in little tart shells with a pecan half on top of each. I don't know if my dad knew he was creating a monster at the time that he was making say his little mantras, but it worked-both sis and I are total control freaks-the number one reason we hate commercial airline flights. Anyway, thanks-I'm gonna blow those snotty old ladies away!

[Jasmine-Rose]

both sis and I are total control freaks-the number one reason we hate commercial airline flights

Jen,

Are you a pilot? I am and I find that most pilots are. We control freaks must be particularly well suited to that pursuit!

[Leanne]

I can maybe give you mesurements if you're interested - but I really do it by habit/taste.

Cooked shredded chicken
light mayo
squeeze of mustard
toasted almonds
chopped celery
sugar
salt
pepper
lemon juice
optional:
celery seed
dry mustard
water, depending on how dry/thick you like it, or how finely you chop your chicken
green grapes cut in half

If you're interested, I can make some next week & get some measurements for you.

[JHolcomb]

Naah, I'm not a pilot, but after this discussion maybe I should consider it. I'm actually a housewife right now-we moved to Raleigh because DH got an awesome job here, but the job market for anthropologists isn't nearly as great as it is for software engineers. Anyway, this accounts for the extra time on my hands. If I don't find a job soon, I swear I'm going to end up writing a trashy mystery novel. Leanne, you don't have to give me measurements-I pretty much cook by taste myself and hardly ever follow a recipe anyway, so I'll just give it a go with the list of ingredients there/