Paula Deen Chicken Salad Recipe
This chicken salad is packed with texture, from tender chicken to crisp celery and crunchy pecans!Using freshly cooked chicken makes a difference, and I prefer poaching it so it stays moist without adding extra oil.Duke’s mayo gives this salad a rich, creamy base, but a little squeeze of lemon juice brightens it up beautifully.The grapes add just the right amount of sweetness, and I always slice them in half so I can spread them around.Toasting the pecans before adding them brings out a deeper nuttiness. Yum!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups Chicken cooked and shredded
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Red Grapes halved
- ½ cup Celery chopped
- ¼ cup Almonds sliced
- 1 tsp Curry Powder
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by poaching the chicken breasts in a pot with water, celery, onion, and peppercorns until they are cooked through.
- Remove the chicken and let it cool.
- Once cooled, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces using forks or by hand for a more rustic texture.
- This will be the base for your salad.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken with mayonnaise and fresh lemon juice.
- Stir to coat the chicken evenly and ensure the flavors spread through.
- Add red grapes, chopped celery, and sliced almonds to the chicken mixture.
- Sprinkle curry powder, salt, and pepper over the top.
- Mix everything until ingredients are well combined.
- Refrigerate the chicken salad for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavors to meld together.
- It tastes even better when chilled.