I probably should have said this sooner, but my ultimate chefly inspiration is my mom. I know that sounds kind of canned, but if you know her (or had the pleasure of eating her crown roast, lobster-stuffed beef tenderloin, or chocolate chip cookies) you know what I mean. For years she had a catering business, and while her smoked meats were off the hook, her cakes were the big hit. She made the cakes for my wedding. My groom’s cake was her most amazing chocolate cake, with about 862 pounds of shave fine chocolate on the top. Oh my….
But over Christmas she introduced us to a new favorite, and something much healthier. She calls it Heart Healthy Chicken Salad. Abbey calls it cat food. We all call it awesome. It’s a fairly popular and simple recipe. The nice thing about it is that you can take the basics – chicken, light mayo, salt and pepper - and then add your preference for crunchy – celery and almonds are below. You can easily substitute apple, peanuts, slaw mix, cashews, and to add a little sweetness, throw in some dried cranberries. The secret is the chicken. The canned chicken chunk breast sold at Sam’s is what my mom uses. I tried the canned chicken breast from the grocery. From now on I’m grilling and dicing it from scratch. Enough rambling, here it is….
Crunchy Chunky Chicken Salad
· 3 ½ cups finely chopped grilled chicken breast
· 1 cup finely chopped celery
· 1/3 cup slivered almonds
· 1/3 cup light mayo
· Salt and pepper to taste
· 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
Combine mayo, salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if desired. Stir in chicken, celery, and almonds.
It’s that simple. Serve on bread, rolls, or roll it up in lettuce.
Healthy eating!
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