Chicken Salad: One Mix with Soooo Many Uses!

When my little Kimmie went off to "big school" this year, we decided that she would bring her lunch daily. I'm a little skeptical of school lunches. I ate them and survived but I think they have gone down hill since my school days.

I've worked hard to come up with diverse options besides sandwiches for her lunch. More often than not though, the sandwich is my go-to easy lunch. Until recently when my little Kimmie has stated that "she doesn't like sandwiches for lunch anymore." I love how she has these grand epiphanies about her food. She's thinking about food which is great but really, a sandwich is the easiest thing to prepare so now I've got to start thinking of something else for the lunchtime meals.

So with that information, I'm gonna have to whip up the old standard--chicken salad. This weekend I'm planning to make another big batch of chicken salad. It is truly so easy to make and once you have the basic salad, you can do so many different things with it besides, you know, eat it!

You start with cooked chicken--grilled, fried, boiled, baked. However you want and whatever might be easy access. This is a great way to use up leftover chicken. I often times can find some chicken on clearance and will grab that up if I'm going to cook it that day or so.

Dice it up and throw it in a bowl. The size of the chunks really depends on the texture you like in your salad. Remember that as you mix it, the chunks will break down smaller.

I like to add diced celery to mine. It gives it a little crunch without being overbearing.

Now let's talk about mayo. I'm a true Southern girl and to me, there is no other mayo but Dukes. This stuff is seriously the best stuff on the mayo planet.

Put a heaping amount of mayo into the salad. Again, the amount depends on your likes. If you don't put enough, you'll end up with a dry salad. Too much and it gets soggy. I always start with a little and add more to get the right consistency.

 

Mix well and you're done! You can eat it immediately but it's even better once it's been in the frig for a few hours.

 

There are endless amounts of yummies you can make with this salad. Kimmie likes it as a heaping spoonful on some lettuce served with some pretzel crackers for her lunch. My sister, Stephanie likes it when I tuck it into some crescent rolls and bake. And, for an easy go-to lunch, it always makes a good sandwich!

With Love,

Reynie