Is there anything more gustatorily satisfying than biting into something delicious that you’ve been craving and thinking about for weeks?
I’ll just go ahead and answer that question for you: No. No there is not.
Thus was the case with this chicken salad sandwich. I don’t know what exactly set it off, but a desire for chicken salad settled into my brain a little while ago and refused to budge until I had a homemade version sitting in front of me.
I’m not totally adverse to restaurant- or deli-made chicken salad, but they’re typically heavily laden with mayo, (which may or may not have been prepared with raw egg yolks), and then left to sit out for who-knows-how-long. Plus, traditional chicken salad includes celery, which I absolutely have an aversion to. Can’t stand it.
As with all homemade foods, you can control what does and does not go into your chicken salad. Think of this basic recipe as a foundation onto which you can build whatever kind of chicken salad you fancy. Toss in some grapes, chopped apple, fresh herbs, toasted pecans, curry powder, or – ugh – even celery if that’s your thing ;).
Served with a Kosher dill pickle spear and a handful of reduced fat Kettle Chips (ingredients: potatoes, safflower and/or sunflower oil, sea salt), this chicken salad sandwich hit the spot.
I ate it after the clean-up crew ripped up the tile floor in the powder room & the carpet in the basement from the pipe leak and before the washer and dryer were delivered & installed.
It was 20 minutes of bliss during a hectic day, and I’m already looking forward to the leftovers!
Basic Chicken Salad
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: poach sandwich main chicken
Ingredients (2-4 servings)
- 2 large chicken breasts, preferably organic
- 1 carrot, cut in half
- 1/2 onion, peeled and cut in half again
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- scant 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- scant 1/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp country Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Place chicken breasts, carrot, and onion in a medium saucepan; cover with broth. Bring liquid just to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Poach for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken is firm to the touch. Drain chicken, let cool, and shred using two forks or your fingers.
Meanwhile, whisk together the mayo, yogurt, mustard, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Fold the shredded chicken into the mayo/yogurt mixture and chill until cold.
