You know those perfectly cooked whole chickens hanging out under the heater of your neighborhood grocery store? This healthyish, easy recipe will give them renewed purpose. You can wrap this chicken salad in butter lettuce if you want a delicious snack or serve as the main event. Use the leftovers between two slices of your favorite bread as a chicken salad sandwich.
The Wilson’s are salad people. Actually one salad in particular is our thing… the Wilson Caesar Salad. that you can find here. BUT we have been know to venture from the norm and my mom recently veered into the elusive chicken salad realm.
An ENTIRE chicken is hidden under the celery, red pepper & pine nut frenzy that’s happening here.
Eat your proteins & like it too.
Chicken Salad
Skill Level: Basic | Prep Time: 12 minutes | Total Time: 12 minutes
Ingredients
1 whole cooked chicken
1 red pepper, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup pine nuts
5 scallions, greens & whites thinly sliced
1 lemon, juice and grated peel
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Dressing Ingredients
4 Tbsp. Mayo
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper to taste
Butter lettuce, if you wish to serve under the chicken salad
Turn the oven to 375ºF. Single layer the pine nuts on a baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Don’t let these babies burn as they are expensive and burnt pine nut doesn’t smell great.
Wash your hands (I mean you definitely need to do this before cooking anything in general, but here your hands will be in the thick of it – bringing new meaning to the term chicken fingers).
While your pine nuts are roasting, remove all the cooked chicken from the bone with your fingers. Chop it into 0.5 inch chunks.
Toss the chicken with the remaining main ingredients, including the roasted pine nuts.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients and stir into the chicken mixture.
Salt & pepper to taste. Serve over a piece of butter lettuce if desired.
The Playful Palate 