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.

Walnut Chicken Salad

Another of Nana's sandwich spreads from her wedding catering days. People loved her little sandwiches because the fillings were so yummy. 

1 Whole Chicken (cooked and diced)
or 5 large boneless skinless chicken breasts

cooked and diced

1 C. Celery (chopped)

1 C. Walnuts (chopped)

2 T. Diced Pimentos

1/4 C. Dill Pickle Relish

Salt & Pepper

1 C. Mayonaise (approximate measure)

Sour Cream (optional)

If you love cheese you can always add grated cheese to this recipe. 

She never made it with cheese as it just made it more expensive to make. 

In a mixing bowl combine chicken, celery, nuts, and pimento. Toss until well blended.

In a smaller bowl combine mayo, pickle relish, salt & pepper maybe a little sour cream and a sprinkle of pickle juice. Stir with a wire whip until blended. Pour over chicken and mix well. Adjust mayo and ingredients to taste. Good to make ahead as flavors will marry well. If spread needs to be loosened up, use more mayo or sour cream until the consistency is good. 

Great on different breads, Nana would use pullman loaves sliced lengthwise instead of the normal crosswise slices to make her wedding sandwiches. She would put a long wheat slice down, put on the spread and top it with a long white slice. Then the crusts were cut off all four sides. Then she would cut it in half lengthwise and pull the left half up slightly taller than the right. Now she would take the electric knife and cut diagonally across both sides making the sandwiches have diamond shapes. I remember cutting so many sandwiches once I lost feeling in my thumb and index finger for a few days. I can't even imagine trying to do it without an electric knife. 

Green Chile Cheese Pimento

Nana's cheese filling for the "little sandwiches" at wedding receptions and luncheons. It is addicting and certain people have been known to just eat it with a spoon. Here it is from her files…

2 lbs. cheese (long horn, cheddar, nothing too sharp)
1/2 small jar diced pimentos
1 small can diced green chiles
1/2 t. tobasco or other hot sauce
1/4 t. garlic powder (optional)
mayonaise
pickle juice
salt and pepper to taste (optional)

Shred cheese with a regular size grate. The fine shred is too fine. In a large bowl toss cheese, pimentos and diced green chiles. In a small bowl mix about 1 1/2 C. mayonaise with the hot sauce and if you wish the garlic powder. Add about 1/4 C. dill pickle juice and blend well. Pour over cheese mixture and mix well. The mayo and pickle juice measurements are pure speculation. I just put in what I think, taste it and decide if it needs more of anything. Salt and pepper to taste. I don't add any pepper and rarely add any salt. Best if made the day before your planned use so flavors can blend well. Often the cheese will sort of "soak up" some of the moisture. To loosen up the mixture to spread on sandwiches, or to use as a dip for crackers just add some pickle juice, or maybe some cream or half & half. Even a little more mayo will sometimes do the trick. Up to you.

Avocados - Green is Good!

Nana always said that Avocados were one of the few foods that is high in Vitamin B. They are also high in fiber.

I can still remember Gramma Kanaga walking Tracy and me to the old Wingfoot Market in Chandler to buy us an avocado. She would slice it up, salt and pepper the slices and we would eat them like it was candy. Nana made avocado sandwiches for us whenever she found good avocados at the markets. She would often toast the bread for Papa as he liked his sandwiches toasty. When I was about nine years old our family went to Germany to live. Papa was called up in what was termed “the Berlin Crisis”. He flew the Berlin corridor to protect aircraft going to and from “free” Berlin. While we were there, Nana would buy the most amazing avocados at the commissary. Once, when traveling in Italy she and papa found huge avocados. They couldn’t believe how big they were. They bought a few to try thinking they would be pithy, but they were wonderful. The love of Avocados has stayed with us through the years. Not that we need a recipe to make these sandwiches, but there are a variety of things we have learned to love on them.

The Basic Avocado Sandwich, Nana Style…
Wheat Bread spread with a little mayonaise. Fresh slices of avocado placed on the mayo and salt and peppered. As mentioned above, toasting the bread is good, or not as you wish. Mostly served on a paper towel with the option to eat the rest of the avocado slices depending on how many sandwiches had to be made. Lots of happy moments enjoying this simple sandwich.

Here are some of the things we have tried…
Croissants, Sourdough orWhole Wheat bread spread with a little mayo. Layer cheese of your choice, some we like are provolone, swiss or monterey jack. Layer sliced avocado. Add a few tomato slices and maybe some alfalfa sprouts. Obviously there are meat choices that are good such as turkey, chicken or even bacon or thin sliced ham. I like them meatless, but they are great on a club sandwich too.

Now the Mexican version - Avocado Torta. Mexican Bollios or Telera Rolls are awesome with avocados. Slice in half lengthwise, butter and turn onto a griddle to lightly toast. Spread with a little mayo and just a touch of mustard. (Yes, mustard, but not too much.) If you can find some Queso Fresco (a variety of Mexican cheese), slice it on the thick side and place on toasted roll. If you like just a little heat, put a few jalpeno slices on and layer some thick sliced avocado. Now some tomato slices and close it up. Sooooo gooood! Got this from the restaurant in downtown Mesa named “Mangos”. Love their food.

Avocado Spreads…
Basically: 1 California Avocado, seeded and peeled, 2 tsp lemon (or lime) juice
In a medium bowl, with a fork mash avocado with lemon juice.

For fun add your choice of the following:

• 1 Green onion, finely chopped 
  
• 1/2 Clove minced garlic 
  
• 1 T. Chopped Cilantro
  
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill 
  
• 2 T. Honey Mustard 
  
• Dash of Cayenne Pepper
• 1 - 2 T. Mayonaise
• 1 oz. Cream Cheese
• 1-2 T. Jalapeno Relish 
  

There are many flavor variations; substitute other fresh herbs, and seasonings that you like.
Use in place of, or in addition to mayo on many sandwiches.