Sherry's Chicken Salad

This is a recipe I got from a friend and then tweaked it my way. We have taken this yummy sandwich filling to the lake countless times, to the dunes, made it for wedding showers, wedding receptions, baby showers, and many and varied luncheons. It is a crowd pleaser and we have enjoyed it well.

Quantities are just guidelines as we all have our personal tastes. I will try to estimate, but just make it to your taste.

• 10 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

In a large pot, put about a quart of water. Rinse the chicken off and put into pot. Bring to a boil and reduce heat a little. Let it simmer on a low boil for about an hour so you know the inside gets done. Remove from heat. Take the chicken out and put in a colander to drain. (This way you can save your chicken stock if you need some) If you have a Bosch, put on the wire whips and put one chicken breast in the bowl. Hit the moment speed a few times. Add a couple more breasts and repeat. You can do about 5 breasts before you have to empty the bowl. (I put the chicken in ziplocks to cool). Try not to get it too fine, chunkier is better. Repeat until all the breasts are shredded. This only works if the chicken is hot. Once it cools it is too dense and will damage your wire whips and your Bosch. Pretty amazing though - I love doing this.

After chicken has cooled put it in a large bowl. Add in:

• 4 C. shredded Cheese (I use longhorn or Colby) I like the fine grate, but regular works well too.
• 2 Bunches chopped Green Onions (just the green part)
• 1 C. diced Celery (this is optional as some my family hates celery)
• 1 Can (around 14 ozs) Dole Pineapple tidbits or crushed pineapple (drained) Do not use fresh pineapple. Found out the hard way the acids react to the chicken badly. Very badly.
• 1 large Bunch Red Seedless Grapes (cut in half lengthwise). We like a lot of grapes, so this is definitely personal preference on quantity.

Mix well.
In a medium mixing bowl combine:

• 4 C. Mayonaise
• 1 T. Salt
• 1 t. Granulated Garlic
• 1 1/2 t. Curry Powder
• Pepper if you like it, but not much

Pour over chicken mixture. Work into mixture thoroughly. Consistency should be loose with enough mayo, not compacted. You may need to add more mayo to get the right consistency. Refrigerate overnight and let the flavors combine. When you get it out to use it, you may have to loosen it up. A little more mayo maybe thinned with a bit of milk or cream works well.

Serve in croissants, on your favorite bread, or just in a bowl on a bed of lettuce.

The quantity above will serve a family, plus. When I do this recipe for the smaller cocktail size croissants, I plan a regular size ice cream scoop for a serving size. You can get about 50 servings from this quantity.