I haven't been blogging much lately...obviously. We got an offer on our house and moved 27 days later (yikes!), and then I found this website and haven't really done much else. This recipe though...this is blog worthy. Drool worthy, really. One night, I asked some friends what they'd had for dinner , and one of the responses was "chicken salad wraps" and I thought "yum! I haven't had chicken salad in a long time!" so I did some research and came upon Emeril's Chicken Salad with Fresh Herbs. I don't know when the last time was I was this excited about lunch. Try it for yourself. I used light mayo, works just fine. It is a bit spicy though, but you can tame that by cutting the cayenne pepper. I also used the same herbs mentioned (parsley and tarragon). I'm now eating the last of this batch and I can't wait to make it again. It's not yo mamma's chicken salad. It's Emeril's. And now it's mine!
2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp EVOO
1 C mayonnaise
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 C finely diced celery stalks, plus 1/4 C chopped celery leaves
1/3 C finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp chopped mixed fresh herbs (such as parsley and tarragon)
1/2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 to 3 avocados, halved and pitted (optional)
Preheat oven to 400. rinse the chicken briefly under cool running water, then pat dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
Heat the oil in a 12" ovenproof saute pan over high heat. Add the chicken and cook 2 minutes. Turn the chicken over and immediately place the pan in the oven. Roast 10-15 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees when tested with an instant read thermometer. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the mayonnaise, garlic, mustard, celery and leaves, red onion, herbs, celery seeds and cayenne pepper. Mix well.
When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into a 1/2 inch dice, add it to the mayonnaise mixture and mix well. If not serving immediately, transfer to the refrigerator to chill. Serve in avocado halves, if desired.
