Kristi's Chicken Salad Recipe!
The first thing any new-comer to Kristi’s recipes should note is that nothing she does is an exact science. Her recipes are all on the fly, and the measurements are generally by sight and taste. If it looks right, tastes right...guess what? IT IS RIGHT!
And just like the Pirate Code set down by Morgan and Bartholomew, everything is more like guidelines than actual rules.
Ingredients:
2 cans of chunked breast meat chicken (the bigger cans)
1 jar Kraft Sandwich Spread (you will not need the entire jar---I prefer to use it after it’s been in the fridge, but straight from the pantry works just as well)
1 stick of celery, chopped
1 to 2 handfuls of grapes, cut into four pieces per grape (unless they are little grapes, then just cut them in half)
1 handful of Craisins (I suppose you could add regular raisins---we just hate them at my house)
1 to 2 handfuls of pecans or other nuts, crunched up (I prefer pecans, and generally only make it this way)
2 hardboiled eggs, chopped
1 tablespoon of sweet relish
1 tablespoon-ish of yellow mustard
Onion (chopped, or the flakes---I use the flakes if I know Lizzy will be eating it, so I can pretend they aren’t in there. *whistles innocently*)
Paprika
Salt
Poultry Seasoning
Instructions:
Okay, the ingredient list shows you there’s a lot of chopping that has to be done for this recipe. It takes forever to make this, but it’s totally worth it when you get it done. I normally start by getting my eggs boiling, and prepping some of the other things while I cook those. Strain the chicken, and put that in your mixing bowl. Mix in enough sandwich spread that the chicken will stay together when you put a sandwich together. You will probably add more as you add ingredients.
Chop up your other things, like the onion, celery, and grapes, and stir them in. When your eggs are done, peel and chop those up, adding them in. It doesn’t matter if it looks pretty---in fact, the uglier it looks, the better it will probably taste. Crunch up your nuts (with the pecans, I break them up by hand over the bowl), and add them. Add your relish, and the rest of the ingredients, holding off the spices until last.
I do the spices last mostly because you have to taste it altogether in order to make sure you’ve got it done correctly. I generally coat the top with the poultry seasoning at least 1.5 times. The paprika gets slightly less, and there’s just a little bit of salt added to it.
Once everything is mixed up, pop it in the fridge for a little while (the flavors will mingle the longer it sits) and then crack it open and enjoy!