I poach mine, Barefoot Contessa says bake.
Save and freeze the broth.

I made an amazing chicken salad today. I used canned chicken breast meat.

1/2 cup of sour cream
1/2 cup of mayo
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
1 T chopped parsley
1 rib of celery chopped
1 T chopped sweet onion
1 can of chicken breast
3 cups of cooked macaroni
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and let is sit in the refrigerator overnight.

Yummmmy

Helen

Helen, that chicken salad sounds good! Copied, e-mailed to myself, then printed it out for another one of my KT recipes to go in my cookbook I am making for myself.

The way I do a chicken salad is boiled the chicken, debone it. Flake the chicken, and that is not hard if you use a pressure cooker. The chicken will just fall apart. (save stock for chicken noodle soup, YUM)

Add mayo, celery, onion, sweet pickle relish, drained. (I hate watery chicken salad.) Seasonings I use a tsp. of red peppers, and kosher salt. Mix all together then add chopped pecans and mix lightly. Refrigerate and serve on wheat thins, or on a bed of lettuce with side of tomato.

I have used frozen chicken many, many times. I boil. Like rthummer, I always drain the pickle relish. Has anyone noticed that pickle relish seems to have more liquid these days? It irks me! LOL

I bake my chicken for chicken salad.

I put everything into my chicken salad.

Chunks of chicken (not small)
Mayo
Horseradish to taste
Little Mustard
Vidalia Onion chopped
Celery
Green or Red Pepper or both
Sliced Fresh Mushrooms
Pineapple chunks (I think someone here suggested the pineapple and it was wonderful in the salad)
A few halved green grapes if I have them on hand but they are optional
Salt and pepper

If I don't have all the ingredients I listed I just use what I have and serve it on a bed of lettuce.

I had never heard of using pickle juice or relish in salads before I joined the KT. I have seen it in your recipes often - everything from tuna salad to potato salad. It's not how my Momma taught me to make it. LOL

Anne

I use canned chicken breast. I toast some sliced almonds in a skillet, and throw in some quartered green grapes. Then I add enough mayo to make it kinda gurpy (is that a real word) and refrigerate it for a few hours. Sometimes, like the next day, I may have to add a little more mayo. I like this on rice crackers.
Think I'll make some to take to the cabin/river this weekend.
Leslie

I guess I should have added that when I make chicken salad, I usually use left over baked or broiled or boiled chicken. This time, I just used canned because I didn't feel like cooking a chunk of chicken just for the salad.
I have another good chicken salad recipe too that doesn't have the macaroni, but I'll have to look for it. It has walnuts and grapes and it really good too on a bed of lettuce on in a sandwich. I see about posting that one after a while.

Helen

Of course you can use frozen chicken. You can use any chicken, even from a rotisserie-cooked chicken from the store. That's a fabulous shortcut if there ever was one! If I cook chicken for salad or even a casserole, I just simmer it, never boil because it seems tougher to me boiled.

I made chic salad sandwiches for a picnic and they disappeared so fast I could not believe it.

I use chicken and turkey I've frozen from leftovers. It's never been mushy (so far). With just the two of us, I never cook a whole chicken--just poach a boneless, skinless breast. Once you chop it up one breast goes a long way. How do you make your salad?

Sometimes I toss in grape halves, walnuts, celery, a little purple onion and mayo. DH likes it with a little onion, raisins, curry and mayo.

If I make it for sandwiches I put in celery, onion and green pepper. Not too much of each, then add mayo and sometimes tarragon.

Now I'm hungry for chicken salad!

I buy whole chickens when they are on sale....oven roast them, cut them up put on cookie sheet, freeze and put in zip lock bag. Always have chicken on hand for a quick chicken salad. I just take out what I need spread on cookie sheet to defrost....it defrosts in minutes and has never been mushy.

I usually boil the chicken like when I make chicken & dumplings. I would much rather cook ahead the freeze it for convenience. Thanks for the ideas. I just add Mayo, onion, celery, relish & natures seasoning to mine.
Hubby hates canned chicken.

Here is the LONG way to chicken salad....

Using a whole chicken, prepare chicken broth with your favotite seasonings. I use one medium onion, quartered, one medium peeled carrot, one stalk of celery with leaves, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until chicken is tender and broth is golden colored. Remove chicken from pot along with cooked vegetables, strain broth through cheesecloth, pour into old fashioned ice cube trays. Freeze. Then store broth cubes in freezer bags so you have a supply whenever you need chicken broth. Meanwhile, make your favorite cooked chicken recipe for dinner (chicken and dumplings, or chicken soup etc...), reserving enough chicken for the chicken salad. Then....

cube chicken, add some chopped hard boiled eggs, chopped celery, some chopped oinion and either green or red grapes, halved. If I have slivered toasted almonds, I sometimes add them.
Salt and pepper to taste, add Miracle Whip or mayo. Serve on a bed of lettuce or on a fresh croissant. YUM!

Told you it was the LONG way!

Susan

I always pan-sear my chicken before making chicken salad - it 'firms' it up, which we like better.

For chicken salad, I poach the frozen chicken in water with a couple tablespoons of powdered chicken bullion.

If you bake the chicken, do you add anything to it if its for chicken salad only? If poaching, how long does it take to cook? When I cook mine in water it takes a hour.

I sometimes put Montreal Chicken or Steak Seasoning on my chicken when I bake it or sometimes just brush a little butter, pressed garlic and poultry seasoning on it. A little flavour will only make the chicken salad taste better.

Anne