Rachel's Chicken Salad
Source of Recipe
My friend, Rachel at http://lawntea.blogspot.com/
Recipe Introduction
Rachel made this when we went to visit them in April 2009. It is really the best chicken salad I've ever had. Wait until you see the secret ingredient(s)! Rachel must be using delicate little chickens. The bosoms that I bought were so huge that I could have used three!
List of Ingredients
6 chicken breast halves, bone and skin still on
handful of celery for simmering
a few carrot slices for simmering
large onion, cut up, for simmering
Salt and pepper
1 apple (Gala or Fuji), peeled and chopped
1/2 c. celery, cut in thin slices for sandwiches, or wider for salad plate
3 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
A coupla big handfuls of red seedless grapes, halved (omit for dainty sandwiches)
1/2 to 1 cup good Mayo
1/2 cup toasted pecans (halves for salad, chopped for sandwiches or choux puffs), see below
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Fresh-ground black pepper
Special Syrup, Make day before - see below
Recipe
CHICKEN
Simmer the chicken along with the handful of celery, carrots, onion and a little salt and pepper, enough water to cover. When done, turn off the heat and let cool in the liquid. When warm, but not hot, skin and bone and shred or chop meat and place in large bowl. Sprinkle on several tablespoons of Special Syrup, toss and let sit awhile.
SPECIAL SYRUP:
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. cider vinegar
5 - 6 cloves
Put in a small saucepan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Cool and place in the refrigerator in a jar.
TOASTED PECANS:
Bake at 200 degrees for one hour on a cooky sheet. Toss with a little butter and salt.
CHICKEN SALAD:
To the chicken, add the apple, sliced celery, chopped eggs, grapes, mayo, pecans, powdered sugar and salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well and refrigerate.
Keeps for 3 days.
IN RACHEL'S OWN WONDERFUL WORDS:
6 chicken breast halves, skin and bone still on (roast them like Miss Ina if you like---they are rich and savory, but the original has them simmered at a mere shimmer-in-the-pan, with a big handful of celery, tops and all, a few carrot slices or a handful of the babies, and a large cut-up onion. Salt and pepper as everything goes in; give it about thirty minutes at a not-quite-bubble, then cool it in the liquid. Or if you're in a hurry, take them out to a platter til you can handle them.) Broth and veggies make splendid soup, and the creamy-tender veggies are the ulitimate "cook's treat."
Bone and shred or chop meat and put into a large bowl. Sprinkle on several tablespoons of special syrup, toss, then leave to absorb.
1 apple (Gala or Fuji or some such nice sweet snappy one), peeled and chopped
About half a cup of celery, cut in thin slices for sandwiches, or wider for salad plate
3 boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
A coupla big handfuls of red seedless grapes, halved (omit for dainty sandwiches)
1/2 to 1 cup good Mayo---Kraft is fine, but we use Duke's or Blue Plate---they both have a good Southern tang like homemade.
1/2 cup toasted pecans (halves for salad, chopped for sandwiches or choux puffs
3 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Fresh-ground black pepper
Special Syrup, below
Toss everything well with chicken in bowl, put into Tupperware to chill. Keeps in fridge three days from the moment you took the chicken off the fire (Mammaw's standard, and she'd toss out half a bowl after the time expired---life in a hot climate, I guess).
THE BEST TOASTED PECANS: 200 degrees for one hour---cookie sheet. Then toss with a bit of butter, sprinkle any kind of salt.
Special Syrup---this is essential to the final dish---make the day before and keep in fridge in a jar---we're never without it. This makes a scant cup:
In a small saucepan, put 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup cider vinegar, five or six cloves. Simmer like simple syrup just til sugar dissolves, then put into a small jar and chill.
This is also the secret of the potato salad, and I've never before parted with either recipe this thoroughly. (And a confession from my TRASHY heart: I LIKE dark meat included---it's richer, somehow).
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