Chicken Salad, once an old restaurant standby, has come of age. Flavored from spices and ingredients from around the world, today’s Chicken Salad has been transformed into a nutritious meal fit for an elegant lunch or entrée.

There are many ways to prepare the chicken meat to be used in a salad. Steeping, produces a moist, breast that can then be shredded and flavored. Roasting, is a method that will leave you with the remaining roasted chicken parts that can be eaten as is or used in numerous other recipes. Quick pan frying, is a simple method that results in tender inside meat and a browned and slightly crisp texture outside.

To steep:

Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add skinned and boned chicken breasts to the pan; cover and return to a boil. Removed from heat and let stand. Let chicken sit for about 15-20 minutes or until it is no longer pink. Remove chicken from water and let cool before shredding.

To roast:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Wash and dry a whole chicken inside and out. Salt and pepper inside of cavity and outside of chicken. Place chicken on a roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue roasting for 45-60 minutes or until inside temperature reaches 180 degrees F.

To pan fry:

Melt 1 Tablespoon butter with 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a non-stick skillet. Flatten skinless, boneless chicken breasts with a meat mallet until they are uniform in thickness. Salt and pepper chicken breasts. Place chicken in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown on one side and then turn breasts over and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove cover and test for doneness.

Whatever your method for cooking the chicken, we’re sure you will love these flavorful chicken salads!

Chicken Curry Salad
Chicken and Grapefruit Salad
Chicken Tostada Salad
Chicken Pasta Salad with Tomatoes & Kalamata Olives