Chicken Salad
Whenever I am running low on money or need a quick meal that I can make for my family, my go-to is always chicken salad. I love this recipe not only because it tastes fantastic but also because it is cheap and easy to make. Whenever I make this recipe, I try to make a big batch. It is popular with my family and easy for lunch. So if your partner works in a hard labor job or you are a busy person. And need something you can eat quickly or at your desk than this recipe is for you.
So Cheap!
Like I mentioned above, this recipe is really cheap; the most expensive thing would be the roasted chicken. If you have some chicken you need to get rid of, then you already saved your self like four dollars. Overall, if you did not already have any of these ingredients. It would cost you twelve dollars to feed your self for a week depending on the size of your potions. Also, if you already had some tomatoes and onions in your fridge, you saved yourself a dollar there. Same goes with the mayo, the point being if you already have some of these ingredients, then you saved money. This is why I say it is perfect for college. Because it will cost you almost nothing to make and feed you for a good chunk of the week.
Chicken Salad Direction Help
To make this recipe, there is a lot of prepping that first has to be done. You want to wash and put your potatoes to boil first since that is what’s going to take the longest. After they are done, you want to peel them and cut them into bite-size pieces. Then you want to boil your pasta, drain your corn and cut your tomatoes and onions into small pieces. This chicken salad won’t taste the same without the tomatoes and onions. My recommendation for onion and tomato haters is to cut the onions into small pieces, so it’s easy to hide. As for the tomatoes, I would also make them small but not so small that the haters cant pick them out.
After you have prepped all of the veggies, the next step you want to focus on is your chicken. You have two options when making this chicken salad. You can either buy a roasted chicken from a grocery store or boil/roast any frozen or thawed chicken you need to get rid of. Typically I buy the roasted chicken because when I make this, I’m typically in a hurry and want to get it done quickly. But in the end, it is up to you in what approach you want to take.
The last step to this recipe is the easiest, throwing everything together and mixing it up. Something to keep in mind is that I make my chicken salad a little “dry” because mayo sometimes affects my tummy. When you make this, you are the boss of your mayo and can add as much as you want. Another thing to keep in mind is salt; I typically do not add salt to this because ill is eating it with chips, which are already salty. But if you’re going to eat this in a different form, then I would add salt to taste. Other than that, that is it for this recipe and could be enjoyed both as it is or cold.
Recipe
Chicken Salad
Equipment
- Sauce Pot
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Strainer
- Large Bowl
- Measuring cup
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Dried Maccaroni La Moderna
- ½ Cup Onion
- 1 Cup Tomato Roma
- 2 Russet Potatos Boiled and Peeled
- 1 Can Whole Kernal Corn Drained
- 1 Whole Roasted Chicken Deboned and Skinless
- 1 Cup Mayo
Optional
- Pickled Jalapens
- Corn Tortilla Chips
Instructions
- In a saucepot boil your pasta with a pinch of salt until al dent. Drain and set off to the side. Same for your canned corn, drain it and set off to the side
- In a different saucepot, boil your potatoes until you can easily stab a knife into the middle. Drain the hot water. Rinse them off with cold water and peel off the skin. Dice them into bite size pieces and set them off to the side.
- For your onions and tomatoes, you want to cut your onions into small dices for any onion haters and your tomatoes into bite-size pieces for any tomato haters and set them off tot he side. Make sure you wash your produce first before dicing them.
- For your chicken, you want to remove the skin and debone it. Try and get as much of the chicken that you can. Cut them into small chunks, place them in a large bowl and use a hand mixer or two forks to shred them.
- In the large bowl that your shredded chicken is in, add your pasta, corn, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, and mayo. Mix them all together
- If you want a "wetter" salad just add more mayo.
- Enjoy with tortilla chips
Notes
Other ways to enjoy
Another great thing about chicken salad is that it can be enjoyed in very different ways. For example, I eat my chicken salad with chips. But you can make a sandwich out of it if you have a croissant. If you want something lighter, you can make it into a wrap or lettuce wrap. There are many things you can do. One thing about this chicken salad is that it lacks the color green. To solve this problem you can add some peas, I didn’t because I hate peas. Or you can add some avocado, which will make it even better! Whatever you choose to do, just make sure it is great and enjoyable.