Since this was my first attempt at chicken salad, I used a recipe from Food Network as my guide. But I changed it up tremendously to make it nearly unrecognizable.  The chicken was grilled instead of poached; celery was replaced by fennel (celery is one of the few vegetables that I just don’t like); the herbs were doubled (many recipes are just too timid with the use of herbs); and some of the mayonnaise was replaced by sour cream (my attempt at a healthier and more tangy salad).

Grilled Chicken

• 1 large chicken breast (about ¾ lbs)
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1 tbs chopped rosemary
• 1 tbs chopped thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or crushed
• 2 tbs olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Place the chicken in a zip-lock bag and add all the other ingredients to it. Shake the bag well to ensure that the chicken is well seasoned and allow to rest (in the refrigerator) for about 2 hours. Full disclaimer: I only waited for 30 minutes. Hey, I had a date to get ready for 🙂

Remove chicken from the bag and grill on medium-high. About 4 minutes per side should do it. Check to make sure it is done.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Since I was in a hurry, I immediately placed it in the refrigerator to quickly cool down.

Chicken Salad

• 1 grilled chicken breast, chopped in small pieces (recipe below)
• 2 tbs mayonnaise
• 1 tbs sour cream
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbs tarragon, finely chopped
• 2 tbs parsley, finely chopped
• 2 tbs chopped onions
• ¼ cup fennel, chopped in ¼-inch pieces
• ½ cup apples, chopped in ¼-inch pieces
• ¼ cup toasted pecans, chopped
• Salt
• Pepper

Place mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard and lemon juice in a bowl and combine to make a dressing.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Place all the other ingredients in the dressing and (chicken included) and toss well.

My Costco-bought chicken breast was huge – when chopped, I had in excess of 1-½ cups. So this recipe made enough salad for both Anders and I to enjoy 3 open-faced sandwiches (2 for him, of course). The sandwiches were made with homemade bread and some lettuce. Yum! All that, a glass of wine and we were ready for the movie, which incidentally was very enjoyable.