Chicken Salad

Years ago, when my husband and I lived in the Pacific Northwest, I regularly went to a coffee house that served the best soups, salads and sandwiches I have ever tasted. One particular day, I decided to try their chicken salad. I was hooked from the first bite. Unfortunately, I never asked them for the recipe because I assumed they wouldn't give it to me.

For years, I simply tried chicken salad at different restaurants, and more often than not those restaurants never came close to what I had in that coffee house. I never bothered to try to re-create the recipe myself -- that is, until I saw an episode of The Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network. Her version, called Chicken Salad Veronique, triggered the memory of that chicken salad I ate in that coffee house more than a decade ago. I was finally inspired to try to re-create the salad.

I used Ina's basic recipe and added just a few twists. It's not exactly like that chicken salad from that coffee house, but it comes pretty darn close. If you want to know Ina's basic recipe, click here.

Chicken Salad

2 cups of cubed, roasted chicken (I used half of a grocery-store-bought roasted chicken. I use the other half in soups, like this chicken-corn chowder.)
1/4 C. to 1/2 C. mayonnaise
1 C. diced celery (diced small)
1/2 C. seedless green grapes (cut in half)
1/2 C. seedless red grapes (cut in half)
1/4 to 1/2 C. diced yellow onions
A dash of curry powder, to taste
salt and pepper to taste.

1) Remove the skin and cube the chicken. Add to a large bowl.

2) Add the rest of the ingredients. Toss well.

You can either eat it on a bed of lettuce, or sandwiched in your favorite bread. I used two slices of homemade whole wheat bread.

Another variation you could try include omitting the curry powder, and adding dried cranberries instead of the grapes. My son likes it without curry powder.