Sweet Honey Chicken Salad

Sweet Honey Chicken Salad

I did not make Beans & Rice with BBQ Squash on Wednesday. I have broken my promise.

Seriously, three weeks in a row without making the same menu item? You would think I'm trying to avoid eating beans and rice for some reason. Perhaps there is a subconscious message playing in my head. Could it be from the disastrous crock-pot beans and rice recipe I tried a few weeks ago? Your guess is as good as mine.

I have all the materials for this dish. I have a BBQ grill outside. There are always excuses, but I think the excuse this week is quite valid. A touch of sickness. Ick. 

Wednesday afternoon I started feeling a little funny in my tummy. I recalled my daughter's funny tummy from three days earlier and the contents of that funny tummy all over her bed later that night. 

The prospects for the evening's activities were not good. I chose to lay in bed to wish the darn thing away. My plan worked. However, the family was forced to eat our leftover Sweet Honey Chicken Salad for the second night in a row. That's not a bad thing considering how scrumptious this dish was.

Sweet Honey Chicken Salad

You'll Need:

2 lbs chicken (boneless skinless or from a whole roasted chicken, whatever your preference), chopped

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1/3 cup orange blossom honey

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

The Preparation Method:

Cook your chicken. Any way you like will do. I broiled my boneless skinless breasts under the High setting for about 10 minutes, flipping once at the 5 minute mark. The chicken is done when the juices run clear and the inside is no longer pink. Chop it up into bite-size pieces.

Grab a large bowl. Spoon in the mayo.

Pour in the sweet honey.

Here's a tip I learned from my midwife in my first days of parenting a newborn: grease the measuring cup with olive oil before you put the sticky stuff in and the sticky stuff will roll right out. This relates to parenting a newborn because olive oil works the same way on a baby's butt. Rub olive oil around the diaper area before putting a fresh diaper on and that sticky tar-like meconium will slide right off. 

Add the salt and pepper. Swirl together and enjoy those psychedelic patterns.

Add the chicken pieces.

And the nuts.

Continue piling on the sweetness with the dried cranberries.

Add the crunch... celery.

Mix it all up. Voila! You have a delicious chicken salad that you can eat for days and days and days (only if necessary, of course).

Despite the ill feelings, we still danced. Albeit a bit slower today.

Xavier Rudd - Better People