This chicken salad was an addition to our menu for our road trip back East for Thanksgiving. It was in one word “fantabulous.” It was so good, that this is basically what I ate every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner on our trip. It’s so easy. There is no cooking involved (except for the chicken – but who is counting that). It is meant to be cold, so if you are traveling in the Autumn or Winter, it will keep well in a cooler for a couple of days. This is a winner guys. If you love chicken salad, you’ll love this recipe.
[sc:adsense1]
I’m sure at some point in time you’ve had a chicken salad with nuts and grapes. Well personally, I love nuts. In chicken salad, that perfect combination of soft and crunch, is what makes it so tasty in my opinion. I just don’t love that celery crunch does the trick (even though there is a hefty amount of celery in this recipe). Anyway, without that special crunch, it just takes like mush. I don’t know many people who are in love with mush. I added the normal almonds you often find in many chicken salads, but took it a step further and added cashews as well. I would have taken another leap of faith and added something crazy like Macadamia nuts, but that took a little more bravery than I was willing to handle at the time. Maybe next time.
 |
Zach was in love with this recipe too. I may have mentioned before that he isn’t in love with lemon. There are a few squirts of lemon juice in this recipe. I made a separate batch for him, eliminating the lemon and the grapes. Grapes, oh grapes. This is my favorite part of this recipe. I really think a true chicken salad isn’t “true” if it doesn’t have that sweet factor. Zach doesn’t love grapes in his chicken salad either. I know, he’s weird. I suggest not eliminating them unless your significant other or child is deathly afraid of them or just weird, like Zach.
 |
We accompanied our salad with a ciabatta roll and topped with a slice of romaine and a slice of juicy tomato. Eliminate these ingredients if you wish and just eat it with a spoon. Either way, it’s hearty, healthy (less the 3/4 cup of mayo) and addresses many of the essential nutrients you need to get through the day. It’s also packed full of protein from the chicken and the nuts; great for a light lunch after your morning run. Oh, and make sure you use fresh boneless, skinless chicken breast! None of that canned stuff. Ugh, that’s a sin in this house. Enjoy!
|
[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:164]
3 Responses
Yum! Very similar to the recipe I have been using since childhood and I agree, you MUST have grapes. I add finely shredded carrots in mine. I will have to try the lemon!
Shredded carrots sounds like a fantastic idea . . . next time I will definitely try that! And, without grapes, it is not chicken salad in my book :-).