Been to a luncheon down south lately?
If so,
chances are you were served one of many different varieties of chicken salad.
"Chicken salad is as southern as..."
well, it's about as southern as you can get!
And while the ingredients may vary in any given recipe,
such as grapes, nuts, curry, etc...
there's one basic staple, chicken... the breast to be precise.
Many a stately old southern grandmothers would rise from their graves,
if they caught wind chicken salad was being made from anything other than breast meat.
Unfortunately for our household, Mr. Ramblings detests chicken breasts...
just too dry, and not rich in flavor enough for my big burly man!
So we took a walk over to the dark side of the chicken... the thigh!
Thighs are higher in fat,
which means you can practically cook them to death,
and they're still tender and moist, and retain flavor.
For a healthier balance, I do use skinless, boneless thighs, removing any excess fat.
The recipe for my "Not Your Typical Southern Chicken Salad,"
is really quite simple and easy.
First, I boil about 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs in water with just a pinch of salt,
for about 50 minutes to an hour.
After the stock/water is drained, I let the thighs cool completely.
The meat is shredded,
and mixed with Duke's Mayonnaise, sour cream, sweet salad pickle cubes,
and salt/pepper, all to taste.
I only use Duke's,
and it is combined with the sour cream, with the mayo at a slightly larger ratio.
and it is combined with the sour cream, with the mayo at a slightly larger ratio.
I keep adding a little of both until the salad is mixed to the creamy consistency
my family prefers.
So there you have it,
a twist on a southern standard.
Not typical, but pretty doggone good!
And do let me disclose,
if you're reading this and not "from these parts around here,"
I don't mean to exclude you. Just writing about what I know... life food in the south.
How about sharing some of the staple foods from your areas, in the comments!
Would love to hear from ya'll! :)
~Rhonda
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Yummo! I've never had it with thigh meat but I bet it's delicious!
ReplyDeleteGlad to see a post from you today. Are you still working your part time job?
Sounds good to me! I liked chicken breasts until I tried a diet once that was heavy on chicken breasts. Now I like them in recipes like this. But eating them by themselves kind of makes me gag!
ReplyDeleteBrenda
Rhonda, being a Southern girl, I love chicken salad with all the variations. To my knowledge, I have never had it with dark meat, but why not? Thanks for the idea, just wishing I wasn't watching the calories right now and I would try it immediately! Pam @ Everyday Living
ReplyDeleteI was born and raised to the tender age of 12 in Louisiana....my gramma made chicken salad like yours. I love chicken salad, but you might not want to hear how I make mine. My main ingredient is still chicken, but I use canned (gasp!!!) chicken and also chopped boiled eggs. Your recipe sounds very good, but mine is just a bit easier to throw together.....my gramma would definitely roll over in her grave!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds delicious! I love a good chicken salad and always use walnuts and grapes chopped fine in mine. The addition of sweet pickles is intriguing and I plan to try it. It's 4:30 in the morning, though so will have to wait although I'm getting very hungry reading your recipe!
ReplyDeleteHappy Saturday, Rhonda. Another lover of chicken salad here. I enjoy almost all varieties. Although I had some once where the chicken had been finely minced. Too smooth for my taste. I am a chunky girl. haha The sour cream sounds intriguing. I will give it a try.
ReplyDeleteMy mother always used the meat of a whole chicken. She added chopped sweet pickle, chopped onion, chopped olives, chopped boiled eggs, and she was a Hellman's devotee.
I confess I use breasts in mine, and I add finely chopped celery, Hellman's Light, and I season with ground white pepper. I guess I am kind of a plan girl.
Happy Saturday, Rhonda. Another lover of chicken salad here. I enjoy almost all varieties. Although I had some once where the chicken had been finely minced. Too smooth for my taste. I am a chunky girl. haha The sour cream sounds intriguing. I will give it a try.
ReplyDeleteMy mother always used the meat of a whole chicken. She added chopped sweet pickle, chopped onion, chopped olives, chopped boiled eggs, and she was a Hellman's devotee.
I confess I use breasts in mine, and I add finely chopped celery, Hellman's Light, and I season with ground white pepper. I guess I am kind of a plan girl.
This looks so darn amazing! I love me a chicken salad sandwich! Thanks for sharing with us at Create - Share - Inspire Link Party. Hope we'll get to see more of your work!
ReplyDeleteI like to buy a roasted chicken at the grocery and then I use all the meat from it! White and dark get mixed, love it!
ReplyDeleteOooh, girl! You are making me so homesick! There is no such thing as a good chicken salad up north. Or Dukes mayo. I was brought up with the only use breast meat thing, too. Remember that whole "Only use white meat in your chicken salad or they'll discuss you?" I swear, I can hear my Southern Momma whispering in my ear everytime I dig in to the dark meat. Your recipe looks amazing! Thanks for linking up at Best of the Weekend.
ReplyDeletesounds great - used to be a breast girl but was seduced last year to the dark side too :) we do a salad like Beverly's with a bit of everything and fresh crisp lettuce. Nom :)
ReplyDelete