Friday, February 26, 2010

Spruced up Chicken Salad

I have started buying whole chickens at the grocery store (actually CostCo... they come in packs of two for about $8) and using the meat for casseroles, soups, etc and making my own chicken stock.  When I was pregnant, my midwife said that homemade chicken broth is one of the best sources of calcium you can get (over milk, even), and I really enjoy using it to cook rice, pasta, etc... gives it extra flavor.  I've really enjoyed having pre-cooked, chopped up chicken in the fridge that I can use for dinners throughout the week as well.  I had some chicken that I needed to use up, so I searched for a chicken salad recipe, and then made some changes and ended up with what I thought was a tasty, tasty chicken salad.  Here's what I did...

3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

handful of bacon bits (could easily use 4-5 pieces freshly cooked bacon)
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 chopped fresh tomato
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp parsley
2 Tbsp chopped green onion
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbs finely chopped roasted red pepper
2 Tbs grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Combine mayo, lemon juice, Worcesterchire and parm cheese in small bowl. Set aside.

Combine all other ingredients and mix.  Slowly add dressing to coat.  Best if allowed to cool for about an hour before serving.

We just ate ours on fresh bread, but this would be really tasty on a tortilla wrap, in a lettuce wrap, or served in an avocado!