Chicken Salad

This salad is my go-to whenever I want a light but filling meal. Chicken isn’t a constant — sometimes I use leftover salmon, beef or lamb instead — but the proportions are just right for 2-3 people (you can double it of course).

If you’re fasting for Yom Kippur, this is the kind of dish that’s perfect for the occasion. Substantial but not heavy and not salty.

Chicken Salad

• 4-5 small waxy potatoes (such as Baby Yukon Gold or Red Bliss)

• 3-4 ounces fresh greens

• 2 stalks celery, chopped coarsely

• 1/2 avocado, cut into bite size pieces

• 10-12 cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half

• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken

• 3 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil

• 3 tablespoons wine vinegar

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, bting to a boil and cook for about 15 minutes or until the potatoes are tender. Let cool, peel and cut into bite size pieces. Place the greens in a salad bowl. Add the potatoes, celery, avocado, tomatoes, cucumber and chicken and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the olive oil and toss to coat the ingredients. Pour in the vinegar and toss. Sprinkle with pepper to taste. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 2-3 servings

Chicken: Soup to Salad

Every year before Passover I think about new ways to eat the chicken from the chicken soup that I cook for my Seder. I make the soup several days ahead, strain the liquid and freeze it. 

The cooked vegetables and boiled chicken do make a good, plain, old-fashioned meal for dinner, but we don't always want that. So, with the vegetables? Best bet has always been veggie burgers.

The chicken? Salad. Made all sorts of ways.

Here's one way. Fortunately ataulfo (honey/champagne) mangoes are in season and they are easy to peel and cut for salad; they’re also not stringy like some mango varieties. Bonus: I put aside some of the dill I use to season my chicken soup and it is a lovely seasoning for chicken and mangoes.

Chicken and Mango Salad with Dill

• 2-1/2 to 3 cups diced cooked chicken

• 1 small (I used ataulfo) ripe mango, peeled and diced

• 2-3 teaspoons chopped fresh dill

• 3-5 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the chicken and mango dice in a bowl. Sprinkle the dill on top. Mix 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar with 2 tablespoons olive oil and pour over the chicken and fruit. Toss. Season with salt and pepper. If you prefer a moister salad, add more olive oil and/or white wine vinegar to taste. Or fold in a bit of mayonnaise. Let rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Makes 2-4 servings

Chicken Salad with Apples and Almonds

Ed and I have been married long enough for us to have discussed a zillion topics from public school vs. private to what color to paint the living room to which is the best mouthwash.

We never run out of conversation. But I sure was surprised last week when we found ourselves talking about whether chicken salad tastes best when you make it with soup-cooked, poached chicken or leftover roasted/rotisserie chicken. 

How had we missed this important matter in all this time?

It seems as if he finally felt compelled to let me know that my way — like my mom’s, using the chicken from the pot of chicken soup I had cooked — was not as good as the way he remembered his mom’s way (made with leftover roasted/rotisserie chicken). He added that all these years he had been eating my softer, more tender chicken salad, and enjoying it, but missed that extra “chew” you get from the meat of a roasted bird.

What do you know about that?!

Well, in any event, we both remembered that despite the difference in the way the chicken was cooked, both mothers diced the meat, added some chopped celery, mixed it with mayo and called it a day. Whereas, I never make chicken salad that way and, in fact, rarely make it the same way twice.

So folks, whatever you prefer — poached or roasted, barbecued, rotisseried or whatever, the following salad makes for a tasty sandwich filler. Feel free to change the meat to turkey, the almonds to hazelnuts, the apple to pear, the dill to tarragon, if you get my drift ….

Chicken Salad with Apples and Almonds

• 2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup chopped roasted almonds
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
• 4-5 tablespoons mayonnaise
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the chicken, apple, almonds and dill in a bowl and toss to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the mayonnaise, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, mix.

Makes 2 servings

Chicken and Peach Salad

The last place I would expect to find a great-tasting peach would be a warehouse club like Costco. But there I was the other day to stock up on paper towels and detergent and as I drifted through the food aisles, lo and behold! I saw this box of huge, gorgeous-looking fresh peaches.

The fruit was photo-beautiful and the peaches had that “give” at the stem end to mark them ripe. They had a floral fragrance too, so I bought the 5-pound box (about $10).

I have no idea whether these were “local.” They were not organic.

But they were unbelievably tasty and juicy.

I am going back for another box.

These were definitely eating-out-of-hand fruit, not to be spoiled in a fussy recipe.

But I did have some leftover chicken, so I actually sacrificed half a peach to use in enough chicken salad for one person. A bit of scallion, fresh herbs, some olive oil and lime juice and lunch that day was divine.

Thanks Costco!

Chicken and Peach Salad

2 to 2-1/2 cups diced cooked chicken

3 scallions, chopped

1 large peach, skinned and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine the chicken, scallions, peach, mint and thyme in a bowl and toss the ingredients. In another bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice and white wine vinegar. Pour over the salad and toss to coat the ingredients with the dressing. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste. Let rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 2-4 servings

Chicken Freekeh Salad with Mango, Dates and Pistachios

I’ve always loved the Fancy Food Show, not just because the eating is swell, but because I enjoy seeing what’s current in the food world and what manufacturers have come up with in the last year.

Trying out something new is always an exciting prospect as far as I am concerned.

And yet, for me, two of the show favorites this year were old timers that have become staples of my kitchen: freekeh and dried dates.

While freekeh is familiar at our house, I do realize that it isn’t exactly as well-known as most other grains. If you haven’t heard of it or haven’t tried it, I heartily recommend it. Freekeh is a whole grain that fills in for well-known starches such as white rice, noodles and potatoes, but is much lower on the glycemic index than those ingredients. It also has lots of fiber and protein and is a good source of calcium and iron.

It’s a variety of wheat, so it is NOT gluten-free.

There are several brands available in supermarkets and online; I tried some from Freekehlicious, which sells both whole and cracked freekeh. They sent me home with a sample of their soon-to-come freekeh pasta. (Haven’t tried it yet.)

Freekeh is nutty and toasty tasting. I love it plain and hot with a squirt of olive oil, and also cool, for salad, like the chicken salad recipe below (that includes freekeh, mango, nuts and a citrusy vinaigrette).

Dried dates are like candy— sweet, chewy and indulgent. I frequently snack on them late in the afternoon though sometimes I cut them up into my breakfast yogurt.

I have always bought Medjool dates, but at the Fancy Food Show I tried several other varieties, including safawi, saggae and sukkary at the Sahara Date Company booth. I’m convinced. If I see these in my supermarket, I’m going to be a buyer.

Because dates are so naturally sweet, they’re a good fit with tangy, citrusy and acidic ingredients. So they work harmoniously in this chicken salad too.          

Chicken Freekeh Salad with Mango, Dates and Pistachios  

• 1 cup wholegrain freekeh (or use some other whole grain)

• 1-3/4 cups water

• 2 cups diced, cooked chicken

• 1 cup chopped dates

• 3/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts

• 1/2 cup golden raisins

• 1 ripe mango, peeled and diced

• 4 chopped scallions

• 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley, preferably flat leaf

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoon mango juice or orange juice   

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the freekeh and water in a saucepan over high heat. Bring the liquid to a boil, stir, cover the pan and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for about 30-35 minutes or until the grains are tender but still somewhat firm and all the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool. Place the cooked freekeh in a bowl. Add the chicken, dates, pistachio nuts, raisins, mango, scallions, parsley and mint. Toss ingredients gently to distribute them evenly. Combine the olive oil, white wine vinegar, mango/orange juice and lemon juice and whisk vigorously. Pour the dressing over the salad. Toss the salad and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let rest for about 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.