Delicious Chicken Salad

Some days you jump out of bed in the morning and just seem to go from task to task…until you finally sit down at 9pm and say, “where did the day go?” Well, today was one of those days. Aside from having a sick dog the last few days and worrying about making her something that she will eat, today was gardening day along with a major dose of laundry! On days like this, I worry about breaking down and running out to buy fast food. I was hell bent on making sure that didn’t happen, so, since Maggie was sick, I had taken some chicken out of the fridge to cook for her along with some boiled veggies (per her Vet)…Hmmm, I was eyeing that chicken as I took it out of the freezer and thought, ‘how about my delicious chicken salad for the humans in the family?’…I hadn’t made it in a long time, and it is always a winner with that moist, gently poached chicken and crunchy and juicy texture from the other ingredients. No sooner did I get the pot set up for Maggie’s meal, I set up some poaching liquid to heat up for our chicken too…I threw in a load of laundry, and came back to throw in the chicken…and Voila! dinner was pretty much done…After my gardening stint, which took up most of the late morning and early afternoon, I came back in and threw it all together. We had it with a salad and some lovely crunchy bread I bought from Victoria’s Fancy Foods, in Severna Park, and it was a perfect ending to a long and tiring day.  The weather has really cooled off this weekend, so I am going to make a quick chicken soup tomorrow with the poaching liquid because it is so delicious…2 meals in one! I love when that happens…

Poaching liquid for chicken

***An original recipe from www.goodfoodgourmet.com    

4 cups filtered water

2 large leaves from leeks, or half a small onion (I keep the rinsed leaves in the freezer instead of throwing them away) 

1 large carrot, cleaned & chopped

2 large pieces of celery, cleaned & chopped

2 dry bay leaves

3 black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon salt  

8 pieces bonless, skinless thigh meat or breast meat (thawed & rinsed well)

Put all of the above ingredients, except the chicken, together in a small stock pot and cook until it reaches a boil. When it has reached a boil, add in the chicken pieces and wait until it comes to a boil again. At this point, reduce this to a simmer and cook the chicken gently for about 15 minutes, then put a lid on the pot and shut off the heat. Leave the chicken in the liquid until it cools. When cooled, cut 4 pieces of chicken in small cubes or shred with your fingers. Then add…

3-4 Tablespoons mayo, just enough to coat everything well

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

1/4 vidalia onion, finely diced (optional)

2 tender celery ribs, finely diced 

1/4 cup dark raisins ** you can also use dried cherries, cranberries or fresh sweet grapes cut in half

1/4 cup roasted pecans **chop with a knife not in food processor

Toasted crusty bread

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl then add the chicken. I don’t like too much mayo, so if you feel you need to add more, go ahead…Serve it with some delicious bread and enjoy! This is actually even better the next day, so make it ahead of time for any occasion…