Something Old: Magic Chicken Salad

Somehow, it's Monday again. Or rather, it's Sunday night but it will be Monday when this is posted. The weekend never is long enough.

Tonight, Chase and I are cooking meatloaf, a recipe I'll share on Thursday. For today, though, make yourself a great batch of chicken salad for lunches this week. Or for many other things. Chicken salad makes for great sandwiches, but it's also wonderful on top of green salads, or as an appetizer on crackers. Probably more things, but I'm partial to lists of three.

Happy cooking!

ps- I'm so happy the weather is finally cooling. Fall/Winter recipes are my favorite!

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Sarah's Magic Chicken Salad January 5, 2010

This morning, Bobbi asked me if I have a recipe for chicken salad tucked in my arsenal. Scandalously, I did not. So after work tonight, I committed myself to a little experiementation to make my own chicken salad recipe.

Because this is neither “cooking” nor “baking,” but what I can only call “making,” there is plenty of room for your own experimentation with measurements. Like pepper? Add an extra dash. Mayo fan? Use a little more. You get the point. “Making” means the recipe tells you which flavors to add for a great dish, but the amount of these flavors can vary based on your tastes.

Now as I sit here typing to you, I am enjoying the most delicious chicken salad I have ever eaten.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups cooked chicken, cubed

½ - ¾ cup Miracle Whip (light)

1 Tbsp minced onion

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup chopped celery

½ cup dried cranberries

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

¼ tsp paprika

½ tsp pepper

¼ tsp salt

Directions

1. In a medium mixing bowl, combine Miracle Whip, paprika, pepper and salt.

2. Add onion, celery, pecans and cranberries into miracle mayo. Mix well.

3. Add chicken and stir gently until all ingredients are well coated.

4. Finally, add fresh lemon juice and give the chicken salad a final stir.

5. Serve on bread or roll with dark salad greens, on a green salad, on crackers, on a boat, with a goat. (sorry)

PS for Bobbi- If you like grapes in your chicken salad, add those instead of (or in addition to!) the cranberries. Just make sure to cut grapes into pieces about the same size as your celery pieces.

The ingredients. The magic is in the lemon!

Leftover grilled chicken works great, presuming it's minimally seasoned. Fried chicken

works as well, as long as you take the skin off.

But the EASIEST way to acquire chicken is to buy frozen, fully cooked chicken. Thaw

according to microwave directions and let cool before adding to your mix.

Three chopped quarter cups.

All together, ready for eating.

Happy cooking!