Saturday night as we walked in the house, and I headed down the hallway to the back, I thought, “hm, it’s a little warm in here”. I immediately turned back down the hallway to check the thermostat.
At this point, you’re probably already saying, “oh no.” Well, oh yes. Oh, yes indeed. It was kaput.
Lucky for us our temps are just in the mid-80’s this week, with cooler evenings, and maybe, if I cross my fingers, lower humidity. I’ll just have to throw open the windows and pretend I’m back in that hotel room in Paris or the Gasthaus in Germany where’s there’s no A/C, and no one seems to mind.
But, for now, as I’m sitting here sweating and thinking about meals for next week and what recipe to share with you, I’m definitely leaning towards the cooler side of things. No-cook tomato sauces, cold noodle salads, and one-pan-don’t-stand-over-the-stove-too-long type dishes are topping my lists.
A big batch of chicken salad would certainly fit the bill! Growing up in the south, chicken salad has always been a staple, and usually makes an appearance at any church potluck or family picnic or holiday cookout. You’ll find it right next to the cheese ball.
While I love a traditional grapes/celery/toasted pecans chicken salad, today’s recipe for my Curried Chicken Salad is quickly becoming a new favorite! It just feels a little extra special and maybe even unexpected in a chicken salad from a Tennessee gal.
This chicken salad has a mayo based sauce with the perfect amount of curry powder stirred in. It’s enough to let you know it’s there without being overpowering. Then there’s crunch from diced celery and toasted almonds, pops of sweetness from golden raisins, and a hint of mild onion flavor from thinly sliced scallions.
Most likely you’ll find me piling this Curried Chicken Salad in lettuce cups where it’s flavor can really shine. But I’m also good with crackers, sandwiches, tortillas, a fork straight from the bowl when no one is looking…
At the end of the recipe, you’ll see a little note about mayonnaise (Hellmann’s - an always for me, but you do you) and how I prefer roasting bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts for chicken salad (self-proclaimed chicken salad snob, it’s the best way). Of course if that’s a deal breaker for you, then poach some chicken or get that rotisserie!
Until next week! Stay cool, tell your A/C you love it, and dream of fall weather just around the corner.
MONDAY - Pasta with “No-Cook” Tomato Sauce
Just in case the air conditioner is still on the fritz, I’ve planned for a simple pasta with cherry tomatoes, lots of fresh basil, and a cool and creamy ball of burrata torn open right in the middle. Just boiling water for the pasta shouldn’t heat up the kitchen too much.
TUESDAY - Shawarma Style Chicken and Rice Plates
We love these yogurt and spice marinated chicken thighs. Sliced up over yellow rice with a cucumber salad on the side makes a fresh shawarma-cart style dinner.
WEDNESDAY - Sloppy Joes
Just like the cafeteria used to make! Ok, maybe not. I got ground turkey on sale, so for a little healthier option, we’ll have turkey joe’s with homemade sauce. Crinkle fries, sweet potato fries, tots…whatever we have in the freezer for swiping up the part that falls out.
THURSDAY - Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Talking about the air fryer and going through my favorites last week started a hankering for that chicken and broccoli “stir fry”. It’s an all-in-one dinner that we all love. The extra toasty edges of the onions are my favorite part!
FRIDAY - Friday Night Pick-up
SATURDAY - Dinner at YaYa’s (the in-laws!)
My brother and I are taking Dad for a quick trip to Chicago for the weekend (to celebrate that big birthday he had last month), so I won’t be around for dinner. But, I’ve had a request for good old spaghetti and meat sauce at my house, and haven’t made it yet. That might be a great idea for dinner at Yaya’s; I know my boys won’t say no!
SUNDAY - Dinner at Dad’s!
We should be home from our trip in time for dinner, and Dad just got a smash burger press, so obviously we need to try it out! He has a stainless steel griddle that goes over the grill grates, so we’ll form burger patties and then smash them down flat! Grilled onions, cheese, toasty buns…what else do we need?
LUNCHES for this week -
I’m going to pull some of my prepped grilled chicken out of the freezer and just eat cool, crunchy salads for lunch this week. I’ve gotten to where I like putting a scoop of hummus on the side of my salads. It adds a little more protein plus a rich, creamy texture to mix in.
EXTRAS for this week
I’m still getting fresh peaches every chance I can, and I want to work on an idea for mixing them into a pound cake batter. If it comes out, I’ll make a whipped mascarpone cream to go on top!
Curried Chicken Salad
Makes about 2 quarts (8 cups)
· 1 ½ cups Mayonnaise
· 1 teaspoon Lemon Juice
· 2 teaspoons Mild Yellow Curry Powder
· ¾ teaspoon kosher Salt (Morton or other store brand)
· ½ teaspoon White Sugar
· ¼ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
· 1 cup diced Celery
· ¼ cup thinly sliced Green Onions
· ¾ cup Golden Raisins
· ½ cup Slivered Almonds, toasted
· 6 cups shredded, cooked Chicken
In a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, salt, sugar, and pepper. Stir in celery, green onion, raisins, and almonds.
Add the shredded chicken and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least one hour before serving to let the flavors come together.
The chicken salad will keep in the refrigerator for five days.
NOTES: A couple of things I feel strongly about –
I’m a Hellmann’s Mayonnaise girl, and all of my recipes are developed with Hellmann’s. You can use other mayo (Dukes would probably be my second choice), just be aware that some have wildly varying sugar ratios, and the flavors may be different.
Also, for chicken salad, I’m an advocate for roasting bone-in, skin-on split chicken breasts. They have better flavor and stay moist. My method below.
Roasted Chicken Breasts for Chicken Salad
· About 5 pounds bone-in, skin-on Split Chicken Breasts (usually around 4 breasts)
· 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
· 1 teaspoon kosher Salt
· ½ teaspoon ground Black Pepper
Preheat oven to 400 and arrange a rack in the upper third. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with foil.
Place chicken breasts, skin side up, on baking sheet. Rub with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roast for 45-50 minutes, until a thermometer reads 165 degrees in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove from oven and cool for 20-30 minutes, until they’re not too hot to handle.
Remove the skin and bones and shred to desired consistency.
This may give you slightly more than the 6 cups of shredded chicken needed for the chicken salad. Save the remainder for another use.
That’s all for now, thanks for reading! See you back here next week!
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Always a delight to read Sarah's "In This Kitchen" blog! Recipes are great & her quirky, fun personality shines through.