When my son Christopher comes home to visit, he knows this chicken salad will be in the fridge waiting for him to devour with some watermelon cubes on the side...this is a given. I too am a big fan of chicken salad; I had been tweaking my recipe for years, until I came up with a perfect combination of roasted chicken breasts with sweet grapes, celery, toasted almonds, all blended with a creamy tangy dressing. Roasting the chicken, instead of poaching it, gives the chicken tenderness and flavor. Ina Garten inspired me to start roasting my chicken. A lot of the chicken flavor is lost in the broth when you boil it, when you bake it all the flavor remains in the chicken. My dressing was inspired from The Neiman Marcus Cookbook chicken salad recipe. Their dressing is a combo of mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and heavy cream. I added some dijon for some zip which results in a creamy, moist chicken salad. This chicken salad is timeless, it will never go out of style...its a classic!
You will need 4 split chicken breasts with skin and bone. I have just discovered mayonnaise made with avocado oil. Its tastes just like regular mayo, but it's better for you. The brand is Primal Kitchen and it is sugar free and they use cage free eggs (Paleo approved). You can use either green or red seedless grapes. I know the heavy cream sounds so decadent, but I promise it makes for a delicious and moist salad.
Preheat the oven to 350. Place chicken skin side up on the pan. Roast the chicken for 45 minutes.
While the chicken is baking, prep your other ingredients. Wash your celery, then cut off the ends. Then slice the celery as thin as possible. I like the crescent shape of thin celery, better than diced celery, because it is more in proportion in size to the chicken and grapes, and it adds an extra shape and texture to the salad.
Simply wash your grapes and slice them in half, set aside.
Heat a small saute pan on medium high heat, add your almonds and after about 5 minutes you will begin to smell the almonds, at this point begin to stir them until they get a little color on them. The whole process should take less than 10 minutes. Roasting the nuts gives them color and flavor. (You may want to store the remaining almonds in the freezer to keep them fresh)
Combine in a small bowl the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, heavy cream, dijon mustard, salt and a generous grinding of fresh black pepper. Whisk till smooth. Place in the fridge while your chicken is baking.
Now your prep work is complete.
When you remove the chicken from the oven, immediately flip the chicken over, skin side down. Swirl the chicken around in the pan juices. While the chicken is cooling it will stay moist and absorb some of the wonderful juice in the pan. Let cool for 15-20 minutes.
Bring your chicken to a cutting board. Remove the skin and bones. Tear into strips. Then dice the chicken with your knife into small bites.
Combine the chicken, the grapes, the celery, and the pecans into a large bowl. Add 3/4 of the mayo dressing mixture. You can always add more once you have mixed everything up. Chicken breasts can vary in size, so you may not need or want all the dressing. I do recommend that you use a little more dressing than you think you need since the chicken will absorb some of the dressing while cooling in the fridge. I used to save some of the dressing for the next day in case it was too dry, but now I know to add a little more than I think I need. Taste the salad to make sure it is salty enough for your taste.
I love chicken salad on lettuce with tomatoes and avocado on the side. But my favorite way is sandwiched between slices of multi grain bread with some spring mix lettuce.
CLASSIC CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE
Serves: 4 people
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
INGREDieNTS
- 4 chicken breast halves, with skin and bone
- 3/4 cup celery (2-3 stalks sliced thinly)
- 3/4 cup seedless grapes, sliced in half
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, lightly toasted
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken skin side up on oven proof pan or cookie sheet with sides. Bake for 45 minutes.
- Cut ends of celery, then thinly slice.
- Cut the grapes in half.
- Put a small pan on medium high heat. Add the almonds and toast till golden, about 5-10 minutes. Stir often.
- Combine mayo, apple cider vinegar, dijon, heavy cream, and salt. I also add a generous amount of freshly cracked pepper. Place in the fridge till the chicken is ready to chop.
- When you pull the chicken from the oven, flip the breasts over, skin side down so when the chicken is cooling it will absorb some of the yummy juice in the bottom of the pan. Let the chicken cool 15-20 minutes.
- Place the chicken on your cutting board, remove the skin and bones and tear into strips. Then cut the strips into small bites.
- Place the cut up chicken in a large bowl and then add your celery, grapes, and almonds. Add 3/4 of your mayo mixture. Chicken breasts come in all different sizes, so you may not need all the mayo mixture. Stir to combine and taste for salt, and if you need to add more mayo, do so now. I have found that the chicken absorbs some of the mayo mixture when it is cooling, so add a little more than you think you need, so it will not be dry later.
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container. It will be better once it is cold and the flavors have combined.