Recipes: Chicken Salads

One of my all time favorite foods is a good chicken salad whether encased between two pieces of good egg bread as a sandwich or dressed up for a more festive occasion. It is an ultimate comfort food, an ideal component for family picnics or reunions, church socials, covered dish suppers, bridge luncheons or a savory filling for tidbits to be served at a cocktail party. Variations range from simple combinations to those that contain ingredients like fruits, nuts, cooked vegetables, chilies, chutney or curry powder.

The endearing form of chicken salad of which I speak consists of stewed chicken meat combined with a creamy dressing such as mayonnaise, boiled dressing or sour cream. The origins are obscure but history notes that in 1589 meat was being served in France with a cold sauce. The history of mayonnaise, also somewhat obscure, is a topic of debate with several theories.
How this style of chicken salad came to America is just as obscure. I would speculate that it did not come as a singular introduction but variations were introduced by various groups of emigrants from western and central Europe particularly French, English, German, Polish or Russian. In her “Boston Cooking School Cook Book” (Little, Brown and Co., 1896), Fannie M. Farmer gives two separate recipes for Chicken Salad.

Outside the realm of chicken bound with a creamy dressing other variations abound, combining cooked chicken meat with salad greens or raw vegetables or noodles and a light dressing such as vinaigrette. Mary Randolph in “The Virginia House Wife”, 1824 presents a recipe for Salmagundi (an ancestor of the Chef Salad). The Cobb salad invented in 1937 by Bob Cobb, manager of the famous Brown Derby Restaurant in Los Angeles, has become an American classic. And there are others: Asian inspired, Chicken Caesar, Buffalo Chicken Salad, Fried Chicken Salad, Chicken Pasta Salad and so on. These types of chicken salads, albeit good when prepared well, fall into a different category. The simple combination of stewed chicken meat, celery, sweet relish, and hard boiled egg bound with a creamy dressing surpasses all other types - an ultimate comfort food.

Chicken Salad Southern Belle

This chicken salad can be dressed up to take to town and has been popular luncheon item at many places that I have worked, including the Greenbrier Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. It is good on its own but very elegant when served on a combination plate with Deviled Eggs, Date Nut Bread and Cream Cheese Sandwiches, Marinated Asparagus and Fresh Tomato Slices.

Yield: 8 servings

2 lb cooked chicken meat, medium dice (about 4 cups, the meat from one 4 lb stewed chicken)
1/2 cup celery, small dice
2 tablespoons onion, minced, optional
2 hard cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup sweet pickle relish or more if you like
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup seedless white grapes cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup to 1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup to 1 cup boiled dressing

Place all of the ingredients except the mayonnaise and boiled dressing in a bowl.
Add enough of the boiled dressing and mayonnaise in equal amounts to moisten the salad to your liking.
Gently mix together.
Chill for several hours before serving.

Note: substitute diced apple for the white grapes

Cantonese Chicken Salad

This salad makes for an easy and delicious dinner. It came from Mrs. Jane Wong Lewis, my Cantonese cooking instructor at the House of Rice Cooking School in Seattle, Washington. The school no longer exists but this recipe has been an all time favorite. For a variation use whatever vegetables you like, cauliflower, tomato, bell pepper, etc.

Yield: 6 servings

Dressing
6 tablespoon sugar
7 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon five spice powder
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Place all of the ingredients in a jar. Seal the jar and shake vigorously. Set aside.

Salad
1/3 of a 1 lb package of py mei fun (rice vermicelli noodles)
Vegetable oil for deep frying
2 whole chicken breasts
1 head lettuce (your choice), shredded into _ inch slices
1 cup celery, thinly sliced on the bias
1 small cucumber, cut in half and thinly sliced on the bias
3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons toasted almonds

Break apart the rice noodles.In a heavy pot add enough oil to measure a good three inches. You can use an electric deep fryer, following the manufactures directions.
Heat the oil to 360° F.
Fry the noodles in two or three batches. The noodles will puff up quickly and fry within seconds. They will be white and crisp when done.
Place noodles on a tray lined with paper towels and set aside.
Steam the chicken breast for 20 minutes or until done. Cool, remove the meat from the bone and shred the chicken breast. Toss the chicken meat with 2 tablespoons of the dressing and set aside.
Just before serving, lightly mix the fried rice noodles, vegetables, chicken, toasted sesame seeds and toasted almonds. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss lightly.

Thai Chicken Noodle Salad

This salad is best assembled at the last minute and served at room temperature. The components can be assembled ahead of time and combined at the last minute.

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine the chicken breasts with the Hoisin sauce, lime juice and black pepper.
Refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

12 oz rice vermicelli noodles or rice stick noodles

Cover the noodles with hot water and soak for 20 minute. Place noodles in a pot of boiling water. They only take a few second to get tender. Drain immediately. Rinse with cold water.

6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Heat the oil in a skillet over moderate heat.
Add the garlic and cook until tender but not brown.
Pour over the noodles and toss gently.

1 English cucumber cut in half lengthwise and slice very thin
6 green onions including green tops, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin julienne strips
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, chopped

Dressing
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot red chili flakes
2 tablespoons sugar

Whisk all of the dressing ingredients together and set aside.

Heat a grill until very hot.
Grill the chicken breast until done.
Slice the chicken across the grain into thin strips.Toss noodles, chicken, cucumber, green onion, red bell pepper, cilantro, mint, and basil with the noodles.
Pour the dressing over the noodles and toss lightly.

1 small head lettuce (your choice), shredded
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

Serve the noodles on a bed of shredded lettuce and sprinkle with chopped peanuts.

Hot Chicken Salad

A very popular dish in the southern United States, it is often debated as to whether this is in fact a salad or actually a casserole. There are many different recipes for this dish and all that I have tried are equally as good. It is a good way to use up the end of a bag potato or corn chips. This may be assembled ahead of time, stored in the refrigerator and popped in the oven for a quick and delicious supper.

Yield: 8 servings

3 cups cooked chicken meat, medium dice
1 cup celery, small dice
1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 green onions including green tops, minced
1 4 oz jar diced pimento
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste

1 cup crushed potato chips, corn chips, Ritz Crackers or canned fried onions
Lightly grease or spray with pan spray a 9 inch by 13 inch casserole dish and set aside.
Combine all of the ingredients except the chips, crackers or fried onions.
Pour into the casserole dish.
Sprinkle the top with the chips, crackers or fried onions.
Place in a preheated 350° F oven.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until bubbly.

Boiled Dressing

A boiled dressing is an old fashioned dressing with Pennsylvania Dutch/ German roots.
This dressing may be used on its own or combined with mayonnaise or sour cream. It is works well as a dressing for Chicken Salad, Cole Slaw, Fruit Salad or Potato Salad.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups

1 cup heavy cream, half and half or water (I like cream the best)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 eggs

Place the cream, half and half or water in a sauce pan.
Heat just until it begins to steam.
In a bowl combine the sugar, cornstarch, dry mustard, salt and white pepper.
Whisk in the apple cider vinegar.
Whisk in the eggs.
Slowly whisk some of the hot liquid into the mixture in the bowl.
Add the contents of the bowl back into the saucepan whisking constantly.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens.
Remove from the heat and transfer the dressing to another container.
Cool and refrigerate completely before using.