Okay well, technically not yet, but maybe one day! As I’ve said time and time again, I’m not much of a cook BUT my husband is a marvelous chef in our home! He’s always creating new and different meals. This is his own creation of THE BEST CHICKEN SALAD EVER!! It took some arm twisting just to get the recipe from him. So please, if you use this recipe, please give credit where credit is due!
First and foremost, you need fresh, high-quality chicken! You can buy cases of fresh, never frozen chicken at wholesale prices from places like Zaycon Foods – 100% natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients.
Season it to perfection with Salt, Pepper, and Italian Emeril Essence and smoked on the grill with applewood! This is one of the main key components to great chicken salad. We prefer a (Weber) charcoal grill, instead of gas, and we use a chimney to start the charcoal, making sure all of the outer coating is burned off before cooking.
Cook your chicken until the internal temperature is 165 degrees. Large cuts of chicken breasts, such as these, take more time than thinner cuts.
Remove the chicken from the grill and place in refrigerator to cool. You want to make sure your chicken has had time to set and cool before you cut into it so you don’t lose any of the delicious juices.
Once cooled, you’ll need to finely chop up the chicken. Using a food processor is the quickest and most efficient way to do this.
Now for the finishing touches…
add in chopped pecans, mayonnaise, lemon, and mustard…
I’m typically not a fan of nuts, but I will eat them in this. The mayo we use is Duke’s Mayonnaise but any kind you prefer will do.
One of the MOST IMPORTANT ingredients is the lemon! It gives it the fresh, zesty bite! Plus it will keep your chicken salad from turning a dull color.
Mix the chicken salad thoroughly and serve with crackers, on a sandwich, or even in a salad! We made 10 POUNDS of chicken salad at one time so we added chicken salad into almost every meal!
Chicken Salad Recipe
This recipe is for 10 pounds of chicken. Please adjust portions accordingly.- 10lbs fresh, high-quality chicken seasoned to taste
- 1/2 cup crushed Pecans (or more)
- 3 cups Mayonnaise
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp Mustard
Disclaimer: 40 pounds of chicken was provided to me by Zaycon Foods in exchange for this post. These views and opinions are my own and were not influenced by compensation.
I am encouraged and expected to write honestly about my experience: good, bad or indifferent. As a blogger, I have no obligation to endorse anyone or anything.
Amy, that looks FANTASTIC!
Thank you!! 🙂
That looks amazing. We are huge chicken salad fans:)
Let me know how you like it if you try it!!
YUM! Looks like a great recipe. I have to say I’ve never made chicken salad. I bet the pecans add a nice touch of crunch!
interesting recipe, i’ve never ate sth like this. 🙂
Looks delicious! Can’t wait to try it 🙂
I’ve stumbled this post. Mine is at http://silverfaeries-dragonflies.blogspot.com/2011/08/creative-endeavors.html
It really is great chicken! Thanks for sharing your recipe. I’ve returned the stumble on this post!
I agree with you..Actually you can get the real taste of a chicken if there’s no preservatives or artificial ingredients added..I love chicken salad..
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Mustard? Huh! I’ve added lots of things to my chicken salad, but never thought to try adding mustard. I have something new to add to my ever changing list of ingredients!
I stumbled your post. If you want to stumble back, you can find mine at http://www.mamamommymom.com/2011/08/savory-oven-roasted-potatoes.html
Jamie @ http://www.mamamommymom.com
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Looks easy to do and yummy!
looks really good, thanks for the recipe
I love chicken salad and this one looks incredible! I’m so glad you shared it with us on my Foodie Friday Blog Hop =)
Melissa A Room for Two with a View
I’m an amateur cook but this looks amazing. The crunch of the pecans with the chicken mixed in must be good. Need to grab a few hungry friends and recruit them into the kitchen for this!
Officially hungry now…… I pinned this so I could find it again. never thought of putting lemon in chicken salad!
Mmmmmmm that looks yummy!! I wanna try this!
Looks delicious! I just pinned this recipe and will try it soon
This sounds delicious and would be great for a party.
yum, sounds great! i love chicken salad sandwiches