Chicken Salad (egg-free, dairy-free)

As you may know, I am a big fan of The Whole Life Nutrition Cookbook and Nourishing Meals dot com. Recently I was over there, reading Ali's post, Chicken & Wild Rice Salad with Tangerines & Hazelnuts, which contains her method for cooking chicken. I have cooked chicken this way before, but accidentally simmered the water too hard, resulting in tough chicken.

This morning I decided to try it again, and add all the veggies, herbs and salt Ali suggested. I used my biggest Le Creuset pot, and when it was just barely simmering I turned the heat as low as it would go. After placing the lid on, slightly ajar, I set the timer for 90 minutes (I was using a bunch of organic breasts from Costco, not a whole chicken).

Before I continue, I have to pause here and mention the fantastic smell from the onion, garlic and herbs as it cooked. I sat on my porch and watched the kids play outside, and I could smell the aroma wafting through the open door. It was heavenly. But on with the recipe...

After removing the chicken and letting it cool, I tried a bite and it was soft and tender, just like Ali said. I whipped up a few other ingredients—luckily I wasn't out of them, since I never plan ;-) and we all ate lunch on the porch. Even Zoe who is super picky thought this chicken salad was delish. There was almost nothing left when the 4 of us finished.

Craving something similar but vegetarian? Check out my crazy good Funa (fake tuna salad) made with almonds, sunflower seeds, celery and more, on page 81 in my cookbook.

Cheers, Kelly

Chicken Salad:

4 to 5 cups cooked, chopped chicken (I used this cooking method: Chicken & Wild Rice Salad with Tangerines & Hazelnuts)

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp Herbamare seasoning

1/2 cup chopped pickles

1 cup finely chopped celery

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (always use cold pressed)

3 tbsp Vegenaise Grapessed Oil

Combine.

I like to top mine with some dill and a few cranks of pepper.