Plan for Progress  

Chicken Salad is bursting with flavours if made with the right recipe. You can eat chicken salad alone or you can pair it with sides likes lettuce, avocado; it is ideal for sandwiches. In addition to chicken, chicken salad can be made with a variety of other ingredients like bacon, sliced apples, peanuts, chopped peaches, seedless grapes, fruits, raisins, pineapples, hard boiled eggs, cucumber, peppers, English Peas, olives and a whole lot more. The flavours can also be adjusted by using different spices like cumin and curry.

Ingredients

4 cups diced poached chicken

1 stalk celery, cut into ¼ inch dice

4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced or ¼ cup sweet onion cut into ¼ inch dice

1 ½ teaspoons finely chopped parsley

1 cup prepared or homemade parsley

1 cup prepared or homemade mayonnaise

2 teaspoons strained freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1.In a mixing bowl, mix together the chicken, celery, scallions and herbs. Set aside.

2.In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt and pepper to taste. Add to the chicken and mix gently until combined. Chill until time to serve.

3.Serve on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomatoes, in half an avocado or in a chicken club sandwich made with artisanal bread, crunchy smoked bacon, vine-ripened tomatoes and lettuce.

Poached Chicken for Salad

10 sprigs parsley

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 small onion, cut into two halves

1 small carrot, halved

1 stalk celery, cut into halves

3 pounds chicken breasts halves, on the bone and fat trimmed

5 to 6 cups chicken broth, homemade or low sodium canned

Directions

1.Place parsley, thyme, onion, carrot, celery, and chicken breasts in a medium saucepan. Cover with the broth, and bring just to a boil. turn down the heat to very low and cover. Poach the chicken for 20 minutes or until firm when touched remove the pan from the heat, uncover, cool the chicken in the liquid for 30 minutes.

2.Transfer the chicken to a chopping board and keep back the liquid. Bone and skin the chicken and cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. Throw away the bones and skin.

3.Strain the broth and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days of freeze until later use. Skim off any fat from the surface of the broth before using.

This recipe makes 4 cups cubed chicken or 4 to 6 servings.