Chicken Salad

Chicken salad sandwich

Leftover fried chicken using fresh herbs, veggies, fruit and pecans!

Chicken salad is an easy way revamp and utilize leftover chicken without a lot of ingredients to give a healthier fresher feel . This recipe gives new life to left overs using fruit, vegetables, herbs and nuts. 

 Leftover chicken that can be used in this recipe ranges from baked, rotisserie, fried and even cubed chicken tenders.  I will be completely honest and say this recipe has revamped many leftover pieces from a red and white bucket fried by a colonel in my house . My husband usually has a penchant for ordering more versus less and in trying to not waste along with trying to feel a little healthy means a lot of wraps and sandwiches have been recreated using twists on this recipe .

 In some ways this is my spin on a classic Waldorf chicken salad which is made with apple and grapes.

Feel free to be flexible and substitute my general formula is a combination of the following:

Fruit : apple, grapes, dried cranberries

Nuts: pecans, walnuts, sliced almonds

Herbs : parsley, cilantro, thyme , garlic, onions, green onions

Vegetables : bell pepper, celery, radishes

Seasonings : Salt, black pepper, mustard powder , mayonnaise, pepper jelly

Feel free to try your own combinations and let me know how it goes , I am always looking for ideas .

Ingredients :

• 1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken cubed or shredded

• 1/4 apple finely diced

• 1/4 cup celery finely diced

• 1/8 cup bell pepper finely cut

• 1/2 tbsp of parsley / cilantro

• 1/2 tbsp of thyme

• 1/2 tbsp of green onions

• 2 tbs of dried cranberries finely minced

• 2 tsp of chopped pecans

• 2 tbsp of mayonnaise

• 1 tsp mustard powder / mustard

• 1/4 tsp black pepper

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 4 slices of jalapeño pepper (OPTIONAL)

 Preparation:

1.  In a mixing bowl combine chicken, apple, celery, bell pepper.

2. Make mayonnaise mixture by combining mayonnaise, mustard, green onions, thyme, parsley/ cilantro and salt and black pepper (Hot pepper optional) . Mix well and taste mixture for salt and adjust according to your preference.

3. Combine chicken mixture and flavored mayonnaise  and ensure the chicken is properly coated in the mayonnaise mixture .

4. Incorporate the pecans, dried cranberries into chicken salad and serve.

Serving Suggestions:

• Serve on lightly toasted buttered bread or wrap with your favorite sandwich toppings lettuce, tomato, bacon.

• Serve with green salad for a light lunch or dinner.