"Whenever I go into a restaurant, I order both a chicken and an egg to see which comes first"

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Recipes–Chesapeake Bay-Style Chicken Salad

There are hundreds of recipes for chicken salad, each one with its own combination of spices and ingredients.  What makes this recipe different is that is made from leftovers! This is important, because when you use pieces of roast chicken and/or grilled chicken thighs, the unique flavors of each comes out in the salad.

I stuff my roast chicken with a whole lemon and crushed garlic cloves, cover it with good French Dijon mustard, and sprinkle it liberally with dried rosemary.  The chicken when served has notes of all these additions.

Roast chicken

           www.divascancook.com

I marinate my chicken thighs (skin on) in soy sauce, Balsamic vinegar, sesame oil, honey, salt and pepper.  When grilled in the oven (or on the grill), the skin gets blackened, the fat is all rendered, and the long marinating time (8 hrs.) suffuses the meat with Asian spice tastes.

Image result for images grilled chicken thighs with skin

                  www.food-fire.com

The other night I had leftovers from both the roast and the grilled thighs; and I boned both and then added spices.  They key to this dish is Bay Spice to which I add Cajun spice and a small amount of chili powder.  The underlying taste is that of Southern cooking.

You may not have both kinds of chicken leftovers in the freezer; but either will do.  This recipe is for both.  If you can think ahead, make more chicken than you will eat, save and freeze what is left.

Chicken Salad Chesapeake Bay Style

* 1 lb. (approx.) boned, chicken (leftovers) cut into 2” pieces

* 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise (approx.)

* 2 Tbsp. sour cream or Greek whole milk yogurt

* 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

* 2 Tbsp. (approx.) Bay Spice

* 1 Tbsp. Cajun spice

* 2 tsp. chili powder

* 1 lg. onion, chopped

* 1 med. bunch parsley, chopped

* 1/2 red pepper, chopped

* 2 med. stalks celery, chopped

- Mix all the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well

- Adjust the ingredients – all can be added. The mixture should be very moist, not runny

- Finish with salt (if necessary) and ground pepper

- Let sit for a few hours

- Serve

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.