Cindy's Chicken Salad

     I have been eating chicken salad for every "event" that my mom and aunts have hosted over some 50+ years.  I have also included it in many menus for many events I have hosted. Over the years I have tweaked it but it remains virtually the same. The beauty of this salad is it can be quadrupled or halved and it retains the same flavors. Also this is a salad that can be eaten on bread or on lettuce leaves. It can be a one dish meal or a nice side dish.  I often serve this salad with a fruit salad and a pasta salad. Or...in the fall and winter, some potato or pumpkin soup.  Just so you know, you can use the roast chickens that the stores sell now days. It makes it a FAST salad. But I learned something watching the Cooking channel and I now use this procedure almost exclusively the night before when I am going to poach the chicken myself.

This recipe makes enough for 10 servings with leftovers if you are lucky.  Much better the next day.  :)

Chicken Prep

The night before
1 whole raw chicken, rinsed and cleaned out, covered in water to which 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of salt have been diluted.

Chicken Poaching Water

1 whole chicken
3 bay leaves
4 smashed cloves of garlic
1 onion quartered
1 tsp salt
1 TBSP whole peppers
The night before


1. Drain the chicken.
2. Put the raw whole chicken in a pot of water to cover the chicken.
3. Put 3 bay leaves
4. 1 tsp whole pepper.
5. 1 TBSP salt
6. 4 garlic cloves, smashed.
7. 1 large onion cut in 1/4's
8.  Cook for about 1.5 hours in the following manner.  Bring water to a boil and then drop to a simmer.  Cover the pot. Check chicken.  Chicken is done if you can wiggle the leg and it comes away from the body. Cool the chicken.
Ingredients:
 Debone the chicken and cut into small chunks. (Pull the chicken away from the bones.  Remove the fat and skin.)
3 ribs of celery diced
1 cup of green grapes cut in half
1 cup red grapes cut in half
1/4 cup dried cranberries
3 green onions diced
1/2 cup cashews
1 small jar of marinated artichokes.
1/4 cup of chopped parsley
1 tsp fresh tarragon leaves chopped

Dressing
1/4 cup of fresh lime juice
1 cup of plain yogurt
1/2 cup light mayo (I like the mayo that has lime juice in it.)
1 large (heaping ) TBSP Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tsp. curry  powder
1 heaping TBSP of Agave syrup

1.  Combine all of the above and whisk.
2. Taste and adjust s/p.

Directions:
Pour dressing on the chicken and fruit and toss carefully.

It's Autumnal Weather Food

 

It's been a long time since I posted.  I have been traveling but I am still cooking and I have been eating many delicious foods. I hope to post more recipes soon.

So today it rained.  No news in that, you say.  Wrong. We've had spritzes but no real rain for a looooonnnnnggggg time. It got my fall weather juices flowing. So I made a stuffed pork tenderloin, minted peas, a  green salad with thin apple slices and  goat cheese and jalapeno cornbread.

 The Pork
2 lbs pork tenderloin sliced almost through fat side up ( a big momma!)
1/4 olive oil
3 heaping tabsp. grill seasoning (I love Kirkland's)
1 cup of apple cider vinegar and 1 TBSP sugar 1 tsp salt  mix to combine
1 green tart apple very thinly sliced
1 large onion thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
1. Slather the pork with olve oil and then take a palm full of grilled seasoning and cover the pork inside and out with the seasoning salt.
2. Marinate the apple and onion in the sugar, salt and vinegar for about 1 hour.
3. Drain and fill pork cavity.
4.Line a roasting pan with heavy duty foil.   Place pork slit side up in a roasting pan.
5. Bake at 500 for about 20 min..
6. Lower heat and cook for about 45min. top 1 hour at 350.
7.  Remove from heat and cover pork with the foil.

Jalepeno Corn Bread
Preheat oven to 350
1 pkg. Jiffy cornbread mix (Don't turn your nose up at this.  I've tried it many ways and this is still the best!!!)
1 egg beaten
1 can of creamed corn
1/2 cup shredded cheese ( I like the Mex. mix)
2 jalapenos peppers diced finely  (remove the seeds if too hot)

1. Combine all of the ingredients and fold carefully.
2. Spray muffin tins or small loaf pans with Pam.
3.  Follow cooking directions on Jiffy pkg.

Salad
1 large green apple sliced thinly
*I have sometimes used a purple onion too.  (1/2 of an onion sliced thinly.)
1 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup olive oil
2 big handfuls of salad greens
1/2 cup of goat cheese crumbled
pepper to taste

1. Marinate the apple in the vinegar, sugar and salt for about 30 min.
2.  Remove the apples add the oil and whisk the above dressing.
3. Put salad greens in a bowl and add apples and goat cheese. Toss dressing  to coat.
4. Add peeper and toss again.

Peas
1 pkg. frozen peas
1 box of sliced mushrooms
1/4 stick of butter
1 tsp. mint jelly
1 tsp. finely chopped mint

1. Follow frozen pea directions but add the mushrooms, butter and mint jelly.
2. Just before serving toss in the mint.

This meal served 4 generous dinner portions (second all around) with left overs which I will use for sandwiches tomorrow.