Paleo-Approved Classic Chicken Salad

We love chicken salad.  One of my primary reasons for figuring out how to make paleo mayo, was so I could enjoy chicken salad.  My recipe isn’t fancy, but it is delicious and taste just like what chicken salad is supposed to taste like (according to me, anyway).  Anywho, here’s my version.

Paleo-Approved Classic Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

• .5 whole cooked chicken (~2lbs)
• 1 cup grapes, halved
• ~.5 cup apple, peeled and chopped (optional)
• .5 cup onion, chopped (I like red, scallions are also good)
• 2-3 stalks celery, chopped (or .5 cup)
• .5 – .75 cup pecans, chopped (optional)
• .75 – 1 cup Paleo Mayo
• 1.5 – 2 tsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute
• .5 – 1 tsp sea salt
• .5 tsp Lemon Garlic pepper
• .5 – 1 Tbsp lemon juice or pinch ascorbic acid

Directions:

First cook up a whole chicken.  You can buy a rotisserie chicken, or do what I do, throw a chicken in the crockpot, sprinkle it with cumin, salt & pepper and let it cook for about 4-6 hours on low.   After the chicken is cooked and cooled, de-bone and shred the meat (white and dark) and put it in a large mixing bowl.  I usually use about half of my 3-4lb chicken.

Then do a bunch of chopping.  Slice up your grapes, peel your apple, then chop your apple, onions, celery, and pecans.

Combine all of these ingredients in the bowl with your chicken and then start adding the mayo.  You want enough to cover all the ingredients and make them moist, but not overly runny or dry.

Add the 21 Seasoning Salute, salt and pepper, and lemon juice (or a.a.).  Stir well to combine.

It tastes great served right away, but even better after it sits in the fridge for a day.

Notes:

I marked a couple of the ingredients as optional.  If you don’t have any apples or pecans on hand, you can still make a fine tasting chicken salad.  But if you do include all these ingredients, I think the chicken salad goes from “Good” to “WOWSA!”.  (I forgot to include the pecans when I made it this time, hence the lack of nuts in the photo).

Also note that many of the ingredient amounts are ballparks.  Feel free to add more or less as suits your palate or based on what you have on hand.  This is not a fussy recipe!

Tags: what's cookin