Nothing fancy, this time – the weather allowed for The Bat to pop a chicken in the oven, so we threw together a variation on the usual chicken salad, tonight. Instead of the basic chicken/mayonnaise/celery/grape (which I seriously can't eat), we tried this on for size. The bird she bought was probably about half again the size of a standard rotisserie chicken, so if you're thinking about that shortcut, keep your scale in mind, and adjust the apples, onions, etc., downward a tad. Also, check to see that you get a largely-unseasoned bird, or you'll need to amend the dressing to work around the added flavor.
(I still have to take antihistamine in order to not get migraines after eating this, with its mayonnaise base, so I may need to give it a try using a sour cream or Greek yogurt dressing. Or, make my own mayo. So far, though, the Duke's makes the dill and apple actually work together, so I'm in no hurry to change it, just yet.)
Also, if you like a little more color in your presentation, you may wish to use a redder apple – I had a bag of Granny Smiths on hand, so that was what went into this. Jonathan, Macintosh, even Honeycrisp will work nicely in this, but (as with store-cooked chicken) you may want to adjust the dressing to work around your variations.
Apple Chicken Salad (with Dill)
Ingredients:
the meat from 1 medium roasted chicken, cooled, removed from bones and cut into bite-sized cubes (chunks will be fine)
1 large or 1 1/2 medium sweet/tart apples, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (or a reasonable facsimile thereof)
1/2 small/medium red onion, sliced very thinly
3 ribs celery, sliced thinly
1/2 cup unsalted cashews (optional)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional)
mixed greens
Dressing:
1 cup good mayonnaise (our family uses Duke's)
the juice of 1 large lemon (about 3 Tablespoons)
2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon dill weed (more or less, to your own liking)
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, honey, and dill.
In a large bowl, combine the chicken, apple, onion, and celery.
Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture, and stir until it completely covers all.
Cover dish, place in refrigerator for at least an hour before serving, to let the flavors meld.
If you are adding the cashews and/or dried cranberries, wait until just before serving before you add them to the salad, or offer them in separate dishes, as optional topping.
Serve on a bed of mixed greens.
Serves 8-10.
