Your New Favorite Chicken Salad

There are about 1.8 million chicken salad recipes out there.  Yes, I checked my facts.  If there are so many, then why do we not crave chicken salad?!  I will admit that normally when I see chicken salad in a restaurant or a grocery store, my mind goes straight to:  dried out pieces of chicken (or worse, canned!) mayo and celery.    Am I right?  Not the best image in our minds or taste in our mouths.  Let's change that.  Try my chicken salad and you'll never go back to that wretched original served kitty corner to tomato aspic.  My chicken salad is packed with fresh, bright flavor and accented with almonds and grapes.  

Chicken Salad

4-6 chicken boobs

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

½ C. Mayonnaise

The juice of 1 lemon

1 C. grapes, halved

½ C. almonds, chopped

Prepare your chicken boobs by seasoning them with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  Allow them to marinate for about 20 minutes. 

In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  When it’s quite hot, add several of the chicken boobs.  Let them cook for a good 4-6 minutes without moving them.  You want them to get a good golden brown crust.  After they have browned, flip and cook for another 4 minutes on the other side.

When the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the pan and let sit.  Do not cut into them right away or they will dry out.  Repeat with the rest of the chicken.  When the chicken has rested for at least 5 minutes, cut into bite-sized pieces. 

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt & pepper.  Wisk until the sauce is smooth.  Add the grapes, almonds and chicken and toss to coat them evenly.  

Chill in the fridge for at least an hour so the flavors can marry.  Serve on toasted croissants.

*TIP:  Many chicken salad recipes call for boiled chicken or canned chicken.  Go a step further and pan-fry it.  The color you get on the chicken adds another layer of flavor that sets this recipe apart.  Rotisserie Chicken would work really well too.

**TIP:  Grapes add a fresh sweetness to this combination.  Experiment with other fruit such as dried apricots or raisins for more sweet texture.  

Savory Nuts

The next time you’re feeling peckish, give these savory nuts a crack.  This recipe takes a plain, ordinary handful of nuts to a trendy new level.  Light, flavorful and healthy, they are a flawless snack any time of the day.  For a more complete nosh, pair them with dried fruit, cheese and a sparkling aperitif for an impressive, delicious course.  

Savory Nuts

1 egg white

1 t. Smoked paprika

1/8 t. Cayenne Pepper

1/4 t. onion powder

¼ t. chili powder

½ t. garlic

Salt

Dash of Pepper

2-3 C. Mixed Nuts

Preheat oven to 350. 

In a medium bowl, beat the egg white until stiff peaks form.  Gently fold in the spices and combine well.  Fold in the nuts and make sure they are evenly coated.  Spread the nuts onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, or until the coating has hardened and browned lightly.   

*TIP:  This method of using an egg white is also how you would make the cinnamon-sugar pecans you find around the holidays.  Experiment with your own special blend of spices to make it personal.

Finnish Pulla Bread (Nisva)

Break some bread with Natural Sugar!  Bake some bread, that is.  Now don’t be afraid – if I can make bread from scratch, so can you.  It has scared me for a long time, but I was craving some home baked bread, so I garnered my courage, dug out my dear friend Kelly’s recipe and instructions and just did it.  Kelly is a great teacher, so if you follow her directions, you’re bound to come up with something delicious! 

I met Kelly in Flagstaff, Arizona, when I tutored her daughter in French.  After our lessons concluded, we became good friends and I was sort of adopted into their family.  Kelly and I would cook and bake together and when her daughter would join us, we would all practice French.  They are some of the best memories I have and I’m incredibly lucky to have learned my baking techniques from such an inspirational woman. 

This is one of Kelly's recipes from her time in Finland.  This warm, comforting bread reminds me of a cold afternoon in Helsinki or Jyväskylä.  It goes perfectly with coffee or even chili, if you can believe it! 

2 ¼ t. yeast (+ ½ t. sugar, depending on the yeast you use)

1 Stick of butter

¾ C. milk

2 Eggs

4-6 C. All purpose flour

½ C. Sugar

½ t. Salt

1 Scant T. Cardamom

Sugar & Slivered almonds for the top

Melt the butter and allow to cool.  Mix the yeast with 4 T. hot water (temperature around 115).  Set aside to “proof.”  It will puff up and be foamy.  (This will take 5-10 minutes).  Mix 2 cups of the flour with the sugar, salt and cardamom.  Scald the milk and after it has cooled slightly, add it to the flour mixture.  Mix well, using a stand or hand mixer.  Add the eggs and beat well.  Add the yeast and combine until incorporated.  Add the butter and mix well. 

Slowly add the additional 2-2 ½ C. of flour, beating until the dough starts to pull away from the edge of the bowl and isn’t sticky.  Scrape the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5-10 minutes, adding a bit of flour if the dough is too sticky.  When the dough “talks back to you,” put it in a warm place to rise.  A good place is your oven with the oven light on. 

After approximately 2 hours, when the dough has risen, punch it down.  Divide the dough in half.  Form each half into a loaf as follows:

§ Divide into 3 pieces

§ Form each piece into a snake

§ Squeeze the tops of the 3 snakes together

§ Braid the snakes and pinch the bottom together

Put the loaves on parchment paper-lined baking sheets and allow to rise again for 30 minutes. 

Heat the oven to 325.  Brush the loaves with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar and slivered almonds.  Bake for 20-25 minutes turning half way through until they are ever so lightly browned on top.