The Everyday Chicken Salad

This salad is perfect over mixed greens, spinach, or arugula or served in lettuce cups for a quick easy lunch. It keeps well for five to seven days in the fridge. I adore using Homemade Avocado Mayo (recipe follows), or Primal Kitchen’s avocado mayo if you’re short on time, in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 medium organic chicken breasts

• Sea salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• 1 cup red grapes, halved, or 1/2 medium green apple, seeded and chopped

• 1 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped

• Juice of 1/4 lemon

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh tarragon

• 3 celery ribs, chopped

• 1/2 cup Homemade Avocado Mayo (recipe follows) or a clean store-bought brand

Simply Real Eating by Sarah Alder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the chicken in a baking dish, season with salt and pepper, and bake until cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes, depending on thickness. Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool before slicing or shredding.

In the meantime, mix together all the remaining ingredients in a bowl, adding a generous amount of sea salt and pepper to taste. Add the chicken and mix until well combined. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.

Homemade Avocado Mayo

Makes 3/4 cup

This is such a great versatile recipe to have around, without the low-grade canola or soybean oil that’s found in most store-bought mayonnaise. This spread is perfect for sandwiches, to mix into tuna or chicken salad, or to use in place of regular mayo in any recipe that calls for it. Keeps well in the fridge for up to one week.

Add 1 avocado (peeled and pitted), juice of 1/2 lemon, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt to a blender or food processor and process, then slowly add 1/3 cup olive oil as the machine runs until the mixture thickens. Add more lemon juice, if desired. Store in a sealed container in the fridge.

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