I know I promised this recipe yesterday, but Wednesday kind of kicked me in the rump. Work was insane, I didn’t get much of a lunch break, I had to pick up E from dance for Josh, missed Bible Study and never sat down until I fell into bed at 10 o’clock last night. I had planned to be so productive yesterday, but everything I touched turned to mush.
If you’ll remember, last week Josh said I made the best chicken “known to man”. It’s an adaptation of a recipe given to me by a friend, but we’ve been tweaking it for some time and finally have a go-to formula. I think I even blogged about it in the past, but it wasn’t as good them as it is now.
First up, dry ingredients. I cook four large boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crockpot overnight or while I’m at work. They will be tender and should fall apart when you take them out. You can shred them if you like, but my family likes everything diced finely, so I run all of these ingredients through my mini food processor. To the chicken we add and entire package of celery hearts, washed and chopped, 1/3 of a red onion (because we put onions in everything) and whatever nuts I have on hand. This wasn’t really enough, but it’ll do. I think these were pecans, but they were in the nut mill in our fridge, so who really knows what they are. Could have been walnuts… Throw all of that in a big bowl and mix thoroughly before making the dressing.
In a mixing bowl, put 1/8 cup lemon juice (or more if you aren’t afraid of citrus), half a package of dried ranch dressing and 1 cup of mayo. I use olive-oil mayo, but you could use fat free or full fat if that floats your boat. The lemon juice makes all the difference in the world, taste wise, but also keeps you from using too much mayo. It really stretches the recipe. At this point, I add salt and pepper and one of two ingredients. If we’re in the mood for spicy chicken salad, I add a good dose of cayenne pepper and for a fresher tasting salad I add a ton of dill. We were out of dill this week, so spicy it is! Whisk all of this together and then add to your dry ingredients. I didn’t have to add any additional mayo, but if it isn’t “wet” enough for you, you can always add mayo until you reach the desired consistency.
The only downside to this entire process is the mess it leaves behind. You can see how tiny my food processor is in the bottom of the photo below. How it has survived 11 years of chicken salad, I’ll never know. The nut mill on the right is how I chop my pecans/walnuts. It’s cheaper to buy them in bulk and chop them yourself. You put them in the white part, turn a handle on the side and watch the bottom fill up with perfectly chopped nuts!
When all is said and done, you’ll have yummy chicken salad for lunch or dinner. I think it’s better after being in the fridge overnight, but I can never resist eating it immediately. Add your favorite crackers or eat it on celery stalks (that’s what I packed for lunch today) and enjoy!
