Today’s recipe is one of those pulled from our family archives, an almost long-forgotten favorite that tumbled to the bottom of the proverbial stack years ago.
I first posted this recipe on our fly fishing blog ChiWulff years back in 2012, with the following introduction back then (the reference to my orthopedist and pending surgery was about a tibial plateau fracture I suffered on a trip to Montana…) –
The risk of opening with a trite platitude duly noted – life has it’s ups and downs.
One doesn’t have to look very for examples this week.
It’s still hotter than hell’s kitchen in much of the country, it’s already mid-August and not nearly enough fishing has been done, the domestic and world equity markets have been whipsawing up and down like a cheap roller-coaster and more than one pundit has proclaimed it’s the end of the economic world as we know it.
The proverbial shit has hit the fan a bit closer to home this week too, though we’ll leave our whining at that for now.
What’s a fly fishing foodie to do when the times get tough?
Easy – go fish and reach for some comfort food. As my ill-humored orthopedist has condemned me to crutches prior to surgery, rendering wading nigh impossible, reaching for comfort food has taken on new importance.
She Who Must Be Obeyed has returned home after a 10 day business excursion and graciously consented to make dinner last night – serving a camp Chi Wulff fave and powerful comfort food -The Best Damn Chicken Salad on the Planet.
Life looks a little better this morning. I don’t know how something so simple can look so good, but this one just works magic. Simple and direct with ingredients to cover all the essential elements of gustatory sensation – this is a great one.
Three points to note if you please; one – use any sort of cooked chicken you like in this creation, though our favorite of late is a smoke/grilled bird done on a pellet grill. You can use any rub or slather you like on your own smoke/grilled bird, oven roast your chicken, or even pick up a rotisserie bird from your favorite grocer.
Two, this, like most chicken salad recipes begs to be adjusted to using what’s on hand – though I’d challenge you to try it once as written – it really is damn good.
And three, we first stumbled across this recipe back in a pre-keto / pre-low carb days, and used to eat this one on the river (or hiking trail, or drive) on kaiser rolls with a hefty sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles thrown in, along with several generous shakes of Cholula. I have no idea what the hell makes that combination work so well, but it just does. Though we’re no longer in the sandwich camp, a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles on this chicken salad sends it over the top. The inclusion of a few grapes might be seen by some as being too carb-friendly, though we make this one on our carb refeed day and call it good.
Just try it.
4 cups grilled /roasted chicken, chopped
1 generous cup celery, chopped small
1/2 cup sliced green onions, white and green
1/2 cup toasted pecans, rough chopped
1/2 cup grapes, halved
1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced small
1/2 cup yellow bell pepper, diced small
1/2 apple, grated (firm fleshed, tart – we like Granny Smiths or Pink Ladies)
1/2 cup avocado or olive oil mayo
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste
Crumbled blue cheese at service (optional)
This one couldn’t be easier to put together.
Prep, roast, cool, bone, and cut up your chicken, then combine with remainder of the ingredients and mix well.
Adjust the amount of mayo, salt, and pepper to suit; add the blue cheese crumbles at service.
Enjoy.
