Nonni's Chicken Salad
It's true - there's nothing exceptional about chicken salad...other than, in this case, the memory it brings back for me! My great-grandmother's house in Fort Lee NJ, as a kid, playing on the knee wall in the back of her house, waiting for her and my mother to tell us lunch was ready! And later, after she passed, my mother realizing yet another of her culinary secrets! We could never figure out how she got her chicken salad to have such a great texture...until Mom discovered the meat grinder in her kitchen! She quickly ran through some red onion, celery and poached chicken and discovered that was the trick all along! Mom still has the meat grinder but lucky for the rest of us the food processor works the same way here!
This recipe is SIMPLE and is ready in minutes! Feel free to add in your own flavors too! I know people love things like red grapes, raisins, chopped apple, pecans, or walnuts in their chicken salad - so by all means stir some in! Those are all great add-ins! And as always, swaps are available too! Not a red onion person? Use shallot instead. Mayo not for you? Try Greek yogurt, or mashed avocado in its place! Like I always say - your food is YOURS!
As for serving, because this chicken salad is so perfectly scoopable, I love serving mine with tortilla chips! Hubby likes his as a classic sandwich on toasted bread. But Nonni always served it open faced, on white bread with pickles! I hope you enjoy this quick and easy lunch as much as my family does!
Nonni’s Chicken Salad
Serves 4
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 stalks of celery
1/2 red onion
1/4 C. mayonnaise
salt & pepper
Fill a small pot with water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Add chicken breast and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the chicken from the water and allow to cool.
Roughly chop the celery and onion into quarters. Add to the bowl of a food processor and pulse a few times to begin chopping vegetables.
Break the chicken apart with your hands or a knife and add it to the bowl of the food processor. Pulse again until chicken is chopped and evenly mixed with veggies. Transfer to a bowl.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper and mayonnaise. Stir to combine well. Serve as a sandwich or a salad! Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.