Buisson International: Fruitless Chicken Salad

After last week's Tasty Tuesday recipe, I had quite a few requests for my Chicken Salad recipe. To me, Chicken Salad is one of those things that EVERYONE has a different taste for. Some people like fruit in their's, and some people don't. Some people like grapes but not apples, and some people like apples but not grapes. Some people like chunky chicken, and some people like smooth chicken. I can't really say what my favorite kind of Chicken Salad is because there are so.many.from which.to choose.

I came up with my recipe after doing some research on what kinds of ingredients make a good Chicken Salad. I picked a few ingredients that I knew Luke would like. I did a couple of runs with different spices and ingredients. I also did a few runs with and without the food processor. As I have become a better cook, I find that it is easier (food processors are a pain to clean) and quicker (food processors are a pain to clean) for me to NOT use the food processor. Anyway, I came up with a recipe that I enjoy and one that my husband especially enjoys (although I should stop that because he eats it all too quickly).

Fruitless Chicken Salad

Total Time: 15 minutes (excludes the time for cooking the chicken)
Servings: probably 10 or so full sammiches

5 small chicken breasts (Season one side with garlic powder, pepper & Tony's. Bake in the oven. Then dice or shred it.) (Ain't got time for all that? Use 3 large cans of chicken chunks in water, but drain the water first.) (Want to waste time? Buy a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat off of the bones.)
1 Finely chopped Pepper (green is the best, but I like to mix all colors to add up to one pepper - plus its colorful!)
1/2 chopped Red Onion
1/4 cup Crushed Almonds (optional) (I just place them in a baggie and use something to crush them. If using a food process be careful not to grind them too fine.)
1 1/2 cup Light Mayo (or until moist enough)
1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard (or to taste)
Season to taste with pepper & Tony's

-Allow chicken to cool before mixing.
-Mix chicken and veggies (and almonds if using them) (A food processor works well here. I suggest dumping it all in together rather than chopping the veggies first, and then adding the chicken. The juices from the veggies will become too much - been there, done that.)
-Mix in the mayo and mustard. Add more mayo, if the mixture is not moist enough.
-Gradually season with pepper and Tony's until you feel it is seasoned enough

Usually, I make Chicken Salad for sammiches where I toast the bread and add cheddar cheese.

I have also made Chicken Salad Salad (sounds like it doesn't make sense but it does) where I put it on top of lettuce and added avocado, tomato, cucumbers, chopped eggs and cheese. That was a good one!