Remember Chicken Salad?
A recipe for the PERFECT classic Chicken Salad
I grew up in Bergen County NJ and I’m very partial to a few things that I think this state does better than any other (this might incite some of you): Bagels, Pizza & Delis. Obviously NY state comes very very close on those. I’ve had bagels all over NYC at all the “best” places and I don’t think they compare to the bagels of my childhood. Same goes for delis. There is something about the structure and the sandwiches at some New Jersey delis that is so comforting to me. I was mind blown when I first asked my husband, “What was your deli order as a kid?” and his response was “We don’t have delis in Minnesota.” So many questions. So, what did you eat for lunch? Who made the sandwiches? Where did you go for a bite after school???? So, no giant M&M cookies or brownies wrapped in Saran wrap for you?! Poor guy.
The PERFECT Chicken Salad
Chicken salad (and many other mayo based salads) are a key fixture in deli culture. Chicken salad sandwich, a pint of chicken salad, chicken salad wrap… I love it right out of the pint container with crackers or pita chips. Nowadays I’m a little more particular about the ingredients in my food - as we all know because I’m so annoyingly soap boxey about it :) My recipe for chicken salad is super classic and doesn't skimp on tasty ingredients like Hellman’s Mayo, but it’s better because you can control the quality of the other elements. It’s a great counterpart to making chicken stock or chicken soup from a whole chicken, because you get your poached chicken breast for the salad and then put the rest back in the pot to continue cooking. I’m going to try out a new feature from Substack today. Instead of my usual second email with the recipe that goes to paid subscribers only, you can scroll down to the bottom of this newsletter for the recipe. If you’re already a subscriber it should show up and if you’re not a subscriber, you’ll have the option to sign up right there for instant access. Let's see how it goes (message me if you have issues)… But regardless, you and whoever you live with will not be upset about a container of this chicken salad hanging out in your refrigerator for a day or two. If it lasts that long.
Other Salad Inspiration
For me to eat and enjoy and even say, “crave” a green salad it’s got to be really good. And what “really good” means to me here is a big variety of textures and tastes. I bet most of you agree with me that it’s easy to get in a rut with your salad making and just some new inspiration for mix-ins is very welcome. My base is 99% of the time olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper in the bottom of the bowl. Greens are baby spinach and maybe arugula mixed together. But here’s some things that are going into my salads these days:
Roasted Beets marinated in oil & vinegar : I make a batch of these every week to not only put in salads but to feed to my beet obsessed toddler.
Raw thinly sliced cauliflower
Roasted Broccoli
Dill and or Basil
Chopped Pistachios
Chopped Cashews
Fried shallots : sold in a big tub at the Asian supermarket
Blue cheese or Goat Cheese
Anything from the Olive Bar at the supermarket chopped up: olives, marinated mushrooms, marinated beans, pickled peppers
Thinly sliced apples
…. and of course a scoop of chicken salad
What I’m Loving This Week:
The Searcher by Tana French: Another well written mystery novel, my favorite. I think most of her novels are set in Ireland. This is about a retired Chicago PD cop who moves to a remote farming town in Ireland and stumbles on a mystery. I’m 75 pages in and into it.
Trader Joe’s Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups: They are exactly what they sound like, and they are delightful and not too sweet. I’ve found with experimentation that 1 of them after dinner does not spike my blood sugar numbers. Maybe it’s the fat in the almond butter? But it’s making me very very happy.
Shower Steamer Set from Ardent Goods: My husband bought me these as a stocking stuffer, not even knowing that we were going to get Covid (which they were great for) but just knowing that I love a good spa experience anywhere I can get it. The packaging on these is very “me” and each little salt cake is filled with essential oils - no artificial perfumes. He got me the Eucalyptus & Mint. It creates a really pleasant shower experience. I just close my eyes so I don’t see the neon colored foam letters and plastic toys everywhere.
