Chicken Salad

This recipe by Elise Bauer for chicken salad came from Simply Recipes. I’ve made some minor changes. I’ve modified the recipe to suit my mom’s dietary requirements and preferences.

The aspect of this recipe that makes a huge difference is poaching the chicken. I used to roast my chicken for chicken salad, or pick the meat off a roasted chicken. Poaching makes the chicken really tender and moist.

And save the poaching liquid; it makes a great base for broth/stock, or it’s lovely for cooking rice.

Ingredients:

For the salad:
1 pound boneless, skinless (raw) chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut into chunks
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion or “sweet onion” chopped red onion
1 whole apple, cored and chopped (Think Granny Smith or Pippin)
Chopped walnuts (1/3 to 1/2 cup, depending on your preferences)

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for 4 to 6 green olives, pitted and minced; I leave the olives out because my mom is not a fan. She is a fan of nuts, so I added walnuts. 
• The original recipe calls for adding shredded lettuce to the salad; lettuce is not something mom can have much of, so I leave it out.

For the dressing:

5 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Lemon curd
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Notes:

• The original recipe calls for plum preserves, or any sweet berry preserve or a lesser amount of honey. I don't have any; I do have some intensely lemony lemon curd, that was not as sweet as most. 

Process:

1. Poach the chicken: Put 2 quarts of salted water in a pot, and bring it to a boil. 
2. Add the cut chicken breast to the water, and return the water to a simmer. 
3. Cover the pot and turn off the heat
4. Let the chicken sit for 15 minutes at least while you prepare everything else. This is important. Salmonella is a bad thing.
5. While you wait for the chicken to finish cooking, mix the mayonnaise, lemon curd, and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Check the flavor; add salt and pepper, and additional lemon curd and/or lemon juice to taste. 
6. In a large bowl, mix the chopped celery, bell pepper, olives, red onion, and apple.
7. Add the dressing to the chopped vegetables. 
8. After at least 15 minutes, remove the chicken from the poaching water and dice it into smaller pieces as needed. 
9. Add the chicken to the dressing and vegetables, and mix, coating everything evenly. 
10. Refrigerate until ready to serve.