Chicken salad is one of those dishes that is never the same anywhere you go. When someone says “I’ll bring chicken salad” you just don’t know what you’re going to get! If there is leftover chicken in my fridge during the summer, I’m having chicken salad for lunch. Since Labor Day is right around the corner, which marks the end of summer for some, I though I’d share my version of this chameleon of a dish. I hope you enjoy!
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The Ingredients
The chicken in this picture is only chicken breast, which is not what I normally use because it tends to be too dry for this. Usually, about once a week, I cook a whole chicken overnight in the crock pot. Then I debone and shred it for to use for various things during the week. This week I found a huge pack of split chicken breast for under $5, so it went into the crock pot instead! Those hot-sweet pickles are some I canned myself.
In my family there are those that make the sweet pickles and those that consume them by the jarful. I used to make them just to give out at Christmas because I don’t like to sit down and munch on them like potato chips, which is what the “pickle consumers” do in my family. One day I accidentally bought a jar of hot-sweet pickle relish that changed the way I felt about sweet pickles. I threw a couple of jalapenos into the next batch of pickles so I could have my own hot-sweet pickle relish. Just beware, you’re nose hairs might catch on fire when you’re making them!
Yes to olives! I know this is one of those things that you either love or hate, kind of like mushrooms. When I’m craving something salty, just a few of these usually does the trick. If you’re an olive lover, you should try these snack packs, for on the go snacking emergencies!
Chop, chop, chop! Then into the bowl with all the other deliciousness! My egg came from my grandmother-in-law. She has lots of lovely chickens, that make lots of lovely eggs, and she is gracious enough to share. Thank you Grandma Jane!
Finish with a Flourish
Mix it up real good and feel free to lick the stirring apparatus because this is chicken salad for one!
But what about the peperoncini? Don’t worry, he’s like the cherry on top!
Now, just bite off the end of the peperoncini and shake all the juice out over the top of everything. Mm-mm….this is one of my favorite dishes! The printable recipe is below!
Why is this one of my favorite “summer” dishes? Well, it’s usually a cold dish and I like hot dishes when the weather cools. During the colder months, my chicken becomes chicken soup! I’ll have to share the recipe when the temperature gets somewhere between “fry an egg on the sidewalk” and “brrr, I need a jacket!”. I will also be working on bringing my garden back to life! Hopefully I will be canning my own pickled peperoncini next summer! Maybe I’ll try some of these peperoncini chips in the meantime…
I don’t know about that, maybe I’ll stick to my olives! Come back on Friday to help kick off September, which is Thyroid Cancer Awareness month. See y’all then!
Do you have a go to lunch or favorite chicken salad recipe? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below!
Ingredients
- 1 cup shredded, cooked chicken
- 1 boiled egg, diced
- 1-2 Tbsp chopped, hot-sweet pickles
- 3-4 kalamata olives
- 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 Tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1 1/2 tsp spicy brown mustard
- 1-2 pickled peperoncini
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients except the peperoncini in a bowl and mix well.
- Bite off the end of the peperoncini and shake the juices over the mixture.
- Enjoy!
