Chicken Salad

This is a take on the classic chicken salad with grapes and nuts. My version adds mustard and tarragon for a bit of flavor interest.


Chicken Salad

2 large chicken breasts, thawed (about 1.25 lbs chicken)
15 large red grapes, cut into 1/8ths
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup celery, minced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/2 cup mayonnaise (don't substitute greek yogurt, it'll wind up too watery with the added waer from the grapes)
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tsp tarragon
Salt
Pepper

Begin by poaching the chicken breasts in boiling water for 15 minutes. I like to salt my water and add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes to try and get some flavor into the chicken as it poaches, so it won't be too bland, but what you do to your poaching liquid is totally optional. When the chicken is done, remove it from the liquid, dice it into slightly smaller than 1/2 inch cubes, then add salt, black pepper, and poultry seasoning to taste. Put it in the fridge to cool while you chop the rest of your ingredients.

Go ahead and do the rest of your chopping, then in a large bowl combine the grapes, celery, red onion, pecans, mayo, mustard and tarragon and stir. Adjust the mayo amount so that the salad achieves your desired level of creaminess, the 1/2 cup in the recipe is more of a guideline than any hard-and-fast law. Serve chilled.

This plates really well on a bed of spinach or lettuce leaves, with grape tomatoes around it for color. It's also great on sandwiches if you want to go that route.

Serves 6.

Asian Lettuce Wraps with Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs

These are fast, require little cleanup, and are surprisingly both tasty and healthy. Even my father, who is wary of all things Asian-inspired, loved them. It uses meatballs that I sampled at the store and liked, which is a lot faster than making your own.


Asian Lettuce Wraps with Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs


For the coleslaw:
1/2 head red cabbage, grated
1 granny smith apple, cored and grated
1/2 cucumber with the seeds scooped out, minced
12 baby carrots, minced
1 tsp dried cilantro (fresh can also be used and is better, but dried is what I had)
Salt
Pepper

For the dressing:
3 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (add more to taste)
1 tbsp lime juice

For the lettuce wraps:
6 leaves romaine or iceberg lettuce, large enough for wrapping
1 package Aidells Teriyaki Pineapple Meatballs
Coleslaw (see above)

Start by mixing all the ingredients in the coleslaw dressing into a small bowl, whisking vigorously, then setting aside. They'll meld while you prep the slaw vegetables themselves.

Grate the cabbage and the apple, chop your carrots and cucumber. Add all the ingredients for the slaw into a large bowl and pour the dressing over them, then stir well. Add salt and pepper to season to taste. Set slaw aside. If you're prepping this in advance, the slaw can go in the fridge for up to a couple days.

Prepare the meatballs according to package directions. I used the oven for 12 minutes at 375 and they came out well. Rinse your lettuce leaves and pat them dry.

Serve meatballs, slaw, and lettuce leaves and let guests assemble their wraps themselves. Sriracha sauce, sprigs of cilantro, and lime slices are optional garnishes.

Serves 3