Chicken Salad with Rosemary and Basil

CHICKEN SALAD

A Cool & Easy Summertime Favorite!

Hi folks, Harv here! It's been quite a while since I've posted anything. I surely hope everyone has been ok and are ready to make some delicious cool summertime favorites. Today's recipe will be Chicken Salad in Pita Pockets. If your'e not watching your calories or carbs, then try it on croissants also!

This recipe will serve 2-3 adults (unless one of them is me, then you may wanna double it up)

INGREDIENTS:



Add Optional 1/2 cup celery for traditional taste.



2 cups cooked chicken (diced) (about 2 average chicken breasts)

1/3 cup fine diced red onion

2 tbsp. slivered almonds (we'll toast them later)

1/2 cup red or green seedless grapes (cut into 1/4's)

1/2 cup celery (diced) (optional)

1/2 cup broccoli florets (diced med. fine)

2/3 cup mayo

2 tsp. sugar

1 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Rosemary & Basil (seasoning for chicken when cooking)





Lightly toast almonds over medium heat



I start by lightly toasting the slivered almonds. Set them aside to allow them ample time to cool.

While the almonds are toasting, now is a good time to trim the chicken parts that you plan to use in your chicken salad. I prefer the boneless, skinless breasts done on the grill. To add some nice smooth flavor to the overall taste profile, I seasoned the chicken breasts with a drizzle of olive oil and rubbed in some rosemary and basil. Both of these together will really add some jump to your dish.



Grill or broil the seasoned chicken



I prefer the open flame of a grill for cooking just about any type of meat. Under the broiler of the oven works well also. Cook the chicken until the juices are clear and any signs of pink have disappeared. White meat chicken is much easier to tell when it is done by judging the color. For darker meat, a thermometer reading of 160F indicates the meat is done and safe to eat. A basic dial type or digital meat thermometer is a small but invaluable investment for your kitchen with regards to insuring your serving your friends and family only the best and safest of food to enjoy.



Chop into 1/4"-3/8" pieces.



Once the chicken is done and cooled in the fridge for a few minutes, you will dice the chicken into 1/4"-3/8" pieces. This size serves best in pita pockets, in croissants, or on top of salad greens.

Cooling the chicken well first insures that your not going to cook your nice cool mayo by dropping searing hot chicken into the ingredient bowl.



Mix everything EXCEPT the mayo, vinegar, and sugar



Bring all of the ingredients EXCEPT for the mayo, sugar, and vinegar together in a large mixing bowl.

Stir well to consolidate the ingredients.

In a seperate dish, mix the mayo and sugar. Once the mayo and sugar have been blended, add the red wine vinegar and mix quickly and well.

Put the mix into the fridge for a while to allow it to cool and voil'a, you have a super cool dinner or lunch, or picnic delight!!!

Note: When adding vinegar as an ingredient into any mix, a glass or other non-metal container should be used. Metal dishes can react to the vinegar and cause a metal taste to develop in the food.

Super easy pita pockets!

I found the pre-cut pita pockets at Food City here in Abingdon. They make a great way to serve the food. As I mentioned above, croissants are also a super way to serve chicken salad. (as long as you aren't counting carbs or calories)

Thanks to each of you for taking your time to stop by Cooking With Harv!!

Please invite your friends, family, relatives, and the occasional stranger in the mall to sign up for Cooking With Harv. I really appreciate the click-thru traffic!!!















Potato Salad - Summertime Favorite!

Hi folks! Its been awhile again since I last posted. Looks like spring weather has turned into summer weather overnight and with summer comes barbeques. Ribs and baked beans cant stand alone..you gotta have some potato salad on that plate to make it complete. The potato salad  presented here is the same one I grew up eating. I learned to make it years ago while living at home, but with most things passed down like that, you never measure anything. I finally took out a pad and pen along with the measuring cups and measured each and every ingredient that I usually just threw in there. The potato salad is best served cold so make it early enough to allow it to chill before serving. I like to make mine the day before and refrigerate it overnight so the flavors mellow out and get to know each other. Enjoy...Just Harv.

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Potato Salad

3-4lbs potatoes (peeled, washed, and cubed)

1-1/2 cup yellow onion (1 medium), finely diced

2/3 cup dill pickles - finely diced

1/2 cup pickle juice

2-1/2 tbsp. cider vinegar

1/2 tbsp. salt

1 cup mayo

2/3 cup yellow mustard

6 eggs (boiled, cooled, and peeled)

Paprika - for garnish

In a large stock pot, cover the cubed potatoes with water to about 1 inch above them. Bring to a boil. Boil for 12-15 minutes or until the potatoes break easily with a fork. Drain carefully. To speed up the process of waiting for the potatoes to cool, I put the cooked potatoes in a strainer, refill the pot with COLD water and add lots of ice cubes, and then set the strainer of potatoes back into the water to chill quickly. Using hot potatoes or eggs in a recipe that includes mayo is a sure fire way to "cook" the mayo and ruin the dish. Chilled is best.

While I am waiting on the potatoes to cool, I cut up my onions, pickles, and 5 of the 6 boiled egss. Once the potatoes are cooled, I dump them into a large mixing bowl (or sometimes I just use the same pot that I boiled them in). Using a hand potato masher, I mash some, about a third of the potatoes. This will make the salad a little smoother while still providing a nice balanced amount of cubed potatoes. Add in the mayo and mustard, mix well by hand. A nice large wooden spoon works best for me. Add in the remaining ingredients and mix well. Once blended well, spoon the completed salad into a large bowl. Using an egg slicer, I make thin slices of the remaining boiled egg. Top the completed salad with these and lightly sprinkle with paprika for garnish. Allow to chill for two hours (overnight is best).....Serve and enjoy!!! Thanks again and I hope you enjoy the potato salad. I know I sure do.....I had some over the weekend with some BBQ ribs!