Chicken Salad

You're drooling, aren't you? Chicken salad has that affect on me, too! HA!

I LOVE chicken salad and am pretty picky about it. I like it a little sweet, but not too sweet. I like the chicken to be nicely shredded...not in big chunks, and I like some crunch in it...with celery and pecans typically. I'm one of those people who loves grapes in my chicken salad. I'll eat it without them, but to me it's just SO much better with them!! I've tried a few different chicken salad recipes and they just never did it for me. So I basically used a few ideas from various recipes and made my own. Most recipes have the same base for the dressing....mayo & sour cream. Some use plain yogurt, which I may experiment with next time. I am very pleased with the way this one turned out. Honestly, it tastes like something you'd pay for at a restaurant. (not trying to toot my own horn!)

I didn't use an actual recipe, and I didn't measure the ingredients. I like seeing pictures of recipes and I like to talk about the steps so we'll do it this way.......

The first thing you need to do is boil your chicken. This takes about 30 minutes, depending on how thick they are. I used 3 average-sized, boneless, skinless chicken breasts. (The water hadn't started boiling at this point)

While the chicken is boiling, get to chopping all of the "accessories"....celery, pecans, and grapes. I use red grapes, because they're always sweet...with the green ones, ya never know! I diced my celery up pretty small, Joseph likes just a little celery so I used a couple of stalks. I bought a bag of pre-chopped pecans, but chopped some of them up a little finer, then added some more at the end too. You can just get a bag of whole pecans and whack 'em with a big spoon or something if you want. That is kinda fun, especially if it's been one of "those" days. ;-)


Put all the "accessories" in a bowl and mix them up. Yes, we like a LOT of grapes!! I don't measure grapes, I just add as much as we like. You can omit them totally if you don't like them in your chicken salad. Apples and dried cranberries are common accessories also, if you like those.

Next, make the dressing. I started with about 1/2 cup mayo and 1/2 cup sour cream. (I don't really measure anything!) I used "light" versions of each and it stills tastes great. After mixing them, I found the mayo to be too overwhelming, so I added another small spoonful or two of the sour cream.

I didn't get a picture of the sugar, but I added (once again, didn't measure) appr. 1/4 cup of sugar. I just used my (clean) hand to grab a little and dump it in. You can start out with a little, and add more if it needs it. You can always add more, but you can't take any out! Best advice ever when cooking anything! I added a bit of S&P (salt & pepper), mixed it all up and tasted to make sure it was right.

Add the dressing to the grape mixture and mix very well. Yes, there is a TON of dressing in comparison to the grape mixture....this will change once you add the chicken! :-) Taste the mixture to once again check the flavor. So important to taste as you go. (Yes, that's a pink spoon...I discovered a pack of them in my pantry when I was cleaning it out this weekend! HA!)

Once the chicken is cooked and has cooled on a cutting board for a few minutes, begin shredding. Once again, no picture, sorry. I used 2 forks to pull apart and shred the chicken. It worked well, but it takes several minutes...especially if you use a lot of chicken. I recruited my husband to help and it took a lot less time. :) Mix the chicken in with the grape/dressing mixture very well. Adjust the seasonings to your taste. If it needs more s&p, sour cream, sugar, etc, add it.

Voila! Now, it is pretty good right away, but (if you can hold back for a few hours) it is SO much better if you let it sit in the fridge for a while...preferably overnight! I tried a bite this morning and it was awesome! I debated on whether or not to bring it to work today....I'm kinda regretting not doing so! HA!! It will just be that much better when I get home this evening. YUM!

I hope you try this recipe and like it as much as we do. It's super easy, uses ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen, and takes really no time at all. (aside from the boiling and shredding of the chicken)

Can't wait to have a chicken salad sandwich later! ;-)