Chicken Salad

I absolutely love this chicken salad.  I made it last summer for a beach get-together with my sisters and family.  I served it with whole wheat pita pocket bread and it was a huge hit.  The secret is fresh tarragon and only making it when grapes are really good.  I also use golden raisins instead of the regular black ones.  The mayonnaise amount is approximate; I really only use enough to "wet" the salad and make it stick together.  As always, fresh lemon juice is a must.  Never, ever buy a bottle of lemon juice!  Real lemons are the only way to go.  You can also cheat and use a rotisserie chicken, but I really prefer to bake whole bone-in, skin-on breasts.

2-3 chicken breast halves, skin-on, bone-in

1 stalk celery, small diced

1 small apple, peeled and diced

1 cup+ green and/or red grapes, cut in half

½ cup golden raisins
1/4 cup roasted nuts (pistachio, almond, etc.) - optional

¾ cup mayonnaise

2-3 T. fresh chopped tarragon

Juice of one lemon

Salt and pepper

Combine first five ingredients in a bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.  Pour over the chicken mixture and blend well.  Refrigerate at least an hour before serving and preferably overnight.

To cook the chicken:

Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper, and bake at 400º on a foil lined baking pan until internal temperature reaches 165º (about 35-45 minutes, depending on oven).  Let cool, discard skin, remove meat from bone, and shred or cut up for salad.

The recipe isn’t exact…just use as much of everything as you like.  And if you can, use Hellman’s mayonnaise.