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Old-Fashioned Chicken Salad with Cooked Dressing

Source of Recipe

"The Southern Sympathy Cookbook" by Perre Coleman Magness


Recipe Introduction

"Over the years, as I peruse my ever-growing collection of community cookbooks, I've run across a number of recipes for 'Cooked Dressing for Chicken Salad.' Rarely is there an actual recipe for chicken salad, just for the dressing. After seeing so many recipes, though, I had to give the salad a try. And I am glad I did. The dressing is creamy and tangy with a sweet-and-sour edge from the sugar and vinegar. I kept the recipe simple here, with crunchy celery and almonds and a nice herbal note from parsley, but this salad will absolutely work with a variety of additions, so get creative. I assure you, it will be the most unique chicken salad on the table."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 3 chicken breasts
â—¦ 1 cup chicken broth
â—¦ 1 lemon
â—¦ 3 celery stalks
â—¦ 1 bay leaf
â—¦ 2 eggs
â—¦ â…” cup granulated sugar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ ½ cup water
â—¦ ½ cup white wine vinegar
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
â—¦ ½ cup slivered almonds
â—¦ 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
â—¦ Salt and ground black pepper, to taste


Recipe

Place the chicken breasts in a large saucepan that fits the breasts in one layer and pour over the broth. Squeeze the lemon juice into the pot, then drop in the juiced skin. Break up one celery stalk and add it to the pan with the bay leaf. Add enough water to cover the chicken breasts if needed, then place over high heat and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through (a 165° F internal temperature), about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the chicken breasts to a plate to cool.

Make the dressing while the chicken is cooling. Beat the eggs in a medium saucepan, then beat in the sugar. Stir the flour into the water in a small bowl to make a paste, then add it to the eggs. Add the vinegar and salt and stir to fully combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the dressing thickens to the consistency of runny pudding. Pull the pot off the heat, and stir in the butter a small piece at a time, letting each one melt before adding the next. Set aside to cool slightly.

Finely chop the remaining 2 stalks of celery and place in a large bowl. Dice the chicken into small pieces and add them and the almonds and parsley to the bowl, and stir to combine. Spoon in the dressing a bit at a time and stir to coat the chicken until you have a consistency that suits you. You may not want to use all the dressing. Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover and chill until ready to serve. The salad will keep for 2 days.

Serves 6