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.  

Mom's Meatloaf

I think every man has at least one dish that his mom makes that he can’t live without.  This one’s mine.  This was my favorite Sunday meal growing up.  I remember being a child, walking inside from a day of winter sledding, peeling off my layers of snow clothes, cheeks all rosy, and sitting down to a meal of my mom’s meatloaf and potatoes.  I don’t think there’s much left in this world as real, unpretentious and wonderfully abiding. 

It’s light and dense at the same time, filled with concentrated tomato and smothered in caramel ketchup, bacon and bruléed onions.  Serve this on a cold day with roasted vegetables and horseradish potatoes for some hands-down, hug me hard, wrapped in a blanket, delicious comfort food.

Mom's Meatloaf

2 lbs lean ground beef

¾ Onion, finely diced

¼ Onion, in rings

1 Egg

½ C. bread crumbs

2 Cloves of garlic, minced

1 Can tomato soup

¼ C. Ketchup

2 T. Brown sugar

Bacon

Preheat the oven to 350.  Combine the beef, diced onions, egg, bread crumbs, garlic and tomato soup in a large bowl, mixing with your hands until it is thoroughly combined.   Form the mixture into a large loaf and place in a large baking dish. 

In a small bowl, stir together the ketchup and the brown sugar.  Smear this sauce on top of the meatloaf.  Add the onion rings and top with a single layer of uncooked bacon.  Bake until the meatloaf is cooked through, about 1 hour.  Serve with roasted veggies, your favorite potatoes and extra ketchup. 

*Thank you to Morgan Webb who suggested meatloaf sandwiches.  Each time I make mom’s meatloaf, I’m sure to reserve a few slices for the next day.  Come back to Natural Sugar tomorrow for a killer meatloaf sandwich.  

BONUS Recipe:  Oven Roasted Veggies

You can't go wrong with this side dish.  It's classic, rustic and it seriously couldn't be easier!  Use your favorite veggies or whatever you have in the fridge.

Your favorite veggies, roughly chopped (I use potatoes, onion, carrots & something green)

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Your favorite dried herbs (I like thyme or herbs de provence)

Preheat the oven to 375.  

Add all of the chopped veggies to a big bowl.  Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs.  Toss them so they are all evenly covered in flavor.  Dump them onto a baking sheet and spread them into an even layer.  Bake for 30-45 minutes, turning once or twice, until they are beautifully roasted.  

BBQ Raspberry Chicken Sandwich

This is what I like to call the Perfect Brunch Sandwich.  Sometimes for Sunday Brunch, I’m just not in the mood for breakfast.  And sometimes a heavy lunch causes too much lethargy even for a lazy day.  So, this sandwich fits splendidly in between.  I like to serve it small, because the ingredients are rich and sinful.  The combination of flavors in this sandwich marries beautifully.  It is smoky and sweet, with just the right amount of crunch. 

1 Grilled chicken breast, thinly sliced

4 Ham slices

3-4 T. Soft goat cheese

2 T. Raspberry preserves

3 T. BBQ sauce

¼ Red onion, thinly sliced

Cilantro, roughly chopped

Small loaf of French bread

In a small bowl, mix the raspberry preserves and BBQ sauce until combined. 

Slice the bread laterally.  Spoon a thin layer of sauce onto each slice of bread.  On the top slice, spread the goat cheese.  Set this slice aside.  On the bottom slice of bread, place the ham, chicken, onion and cilantro.  Carefully place the top and bottom layers together.  Slice the sandwich in half and share it with your best brunch pal.  Serve with a light salad on the side.