Not dull roasted chicken salad with almonds and other good things

You’re going to think me kind of hateful when I say this….but I find chicken salad kinda bleh. I know, I know, the spiteful British girl calling something bland…I mean, come on, isn’t that what you’re country is know for? Well, yes, it was, at one point in time but I’m doing my bit to change that. This palette of mine is alive and kickin’ and only taking in food that is full of flavor! Oh, my… not only did I say that in an American accent in my head but I also corrected my English spelling of flavour. Times are clearly changing for London Foodie in New York.

If you don’t mind, I’m just going to dig myself out of this little hole by saying that my disgust for chicken salad really does not go very deep. It is held solely for the ones’ that taste of nothing but mayonnaise. Which is fair enough, no? You know the kind I’m talking about. Is it me or is that just dull dull dull? Really, there’s no excuse. Nope, none. Not when you can so easily buy a plump free-range rotisserie chicken, rip it to shreds and then mix it up with things more inspiring than Hellmann’s and celery. Like crunchy almonds, and carrots and crisp red peppers and a little lemon juice (because lemon fixes everything). Seriously, lemons are my kitchen superhero. I know when I’m asleep at night my lemons shed themselves of their zesty skins in lieu of capes and tights and prance around looking for leftovers they could have made that much better. And there’s a little insight into Anna’s World for you.

But back to chicken salad- so you see (look up or down) this one is jazzed up with all the frills but not the effort. Because effort in the kitchen is only fun when you have time and patience. There’s no poaching of chicken. Yawn. There’s no chopping into neat cubes. Why chop when you can tear? And you don’t have to use tons of mayo, so your heart will thank you me too. And there you have it. Just another day doing my bit to save the humble human race chicken salad.

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Roasted chicken salad with almonds
I like to serve this salad mixed with with brown rice but it’s also great stuffed between doorstop slices of toasted multi-grain bread with a few crisp lettuce leaves and juicy slices of tomato.  This is really just a rough recipe, use it as a guide but feel free to add more or less mayonnaise, extra veggies or mix up the nuts. Anything goes…
Serves 6

1 good-sized free-range rotisserie chicken (or roasted), skinned and meat roughly shredded
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 small bunch parsley, leaves picked and chopped
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise (light is fine)
zest and juice 1 lemon
Drizzle of good olive oil
a couple of handfuls of toasted almonds, chopped

• Toss together all of the ingredients, except for the nuts and oil and season to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil, and sprinkle over nuts to serve. Don’t be tempted to add the nuts too far in advance or they will go soft.

Tagged as: easy, Healthy, No cooking, quick, Recipe