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My mom and I teamed up in the kitchen again and decided to make the best of the extra chicken from our 4th of July Bar-b-que and made a chicken salad to end ALL chicken salads. No, for real…lol. Ideally, this chicken would’ve been grilled but we had waaaay too much meat and waaay too small of a grill for these breasts to make the cut. (We literally had to make 5 rounds of food to accomodate the 4 meats, corn and mushrooms)

  • 4 chicken breasts, 3/4 inch diced (Bone-in and with skin is the flavor preference but I had boneless skinless and they were great!)
  • 1 1/2 to 2 c. celery, diced
  • 1 c. cranberries
  • 1 1/2 Fiji apples, diced
  • 1 c. walnuts, chopped
  • 3 tbsp. tarragon, chopped
  • 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 c. mayo
  • salt
  • pepper

 Season breasts with salt and pepper and drizzle a little extra-virgin olive oil on each piece. Roast in a preheated 350 degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool and cut into preferred bite sizes. I diced but you can shred if you like. Here is where YOUR tastes come into play. We like a lot of sweetness coupled with a little tartness. We like crunchiness coupled with a little softness. We don’t like our salads too wet but what’s the point of you have to put mayo on the sandwich bread? I said all that to say that you’re going to have to become a bit of a scientist for a moment. So with “mise en place” (or everything in place) start with adding the chicken to the bowl. Add half of the dry measurements listed above to the chicken. Follow with a 1/2 c. of mayo. Taste. Add as you wish or what you wish. The end result should be to your specifications because if you came to my table….it would be to mine. lol.

To serve: I used to slices of fresh Italian bread with Muenster cheese from the deli. ENJOY!

 Variations: canned chicken breasts, red onions, eggs, grapes, pecans, crackers, toast points, pita pockets, etc.

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