A Twist on Something Old and Boring
I love chicken salad, but it seems like no matter what I do, it ALWAYS tastes the same. One time I'll do Srirracha-spiked mayo, another time I'll do dried cranberries and walnuts, sometimes just dill mayo- it's always just eh.
Then yesterday I realized I had some pesto on hand as well as some leftover grilled, boneless, skinless chicken. I diced up the chicken, some celery, mixed some pesto into the mayo and oh my god, it was so stupidly simple, but I'm never eating chicken salad another way.
Do you have any ways that you switch up classics and turn them into something a little less boring? I'm particularly looking for twists on burgers and roast chicken. They used to be two of my favorite foods and now I'm getting the "eh" feeling from both of them.
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10 Comments:
Salmon burgers were pretty good ... and I'm pretty sure the recipe was from an SE "dinner tonight" post. I also really like a veg twist I found for shepard's pie, with black bean/mushroom/squash/eggplant/tomato/etc base and sweet potato topping.
joyyy at 5:20PM on 10/13/09
I like to add dill pickles, fresh green apples red onion, scallions, pickled beets, and pickled herring to my Potato salad :) NUMMI!
@pumpkinbear: I'd totally try that pesto chicken salad! I think I have sundried tomatoes in the pantry; think that would go with it?
hungrychristel at 5:38PM on 10/13/09
As for hamburgers, I found a great recipe from the Rachael Ray web for assorted burgers...lamb, chicken, pork and salmon burgers...The chicken burger made with the fennel and grated orange zest was awesome...everyone and I mean everyone wanted that recipe (seriously, about 50 people wanted that recipe & we're talking very picky people) I will go onto the web to get the specific name but it was a winner...also the Cuban burger is excellent too...just check her site......
As for chicken, how about braising it with white wine, lemon juice lots of garlic and chicken broth--I find that braising fluids really permeate the
chicken..
I love, love, love my rotisserie..got one of those babies as a wedding gift last year--wanted one for ions--I inject the bird with whatever I happen to be in the mood for & roast away...sooo good...I know it's not really a twist on what you had wanted (sorry) but the chicken tastes different in the rotisserie as opposed to roasting in the oven..
Italiancupcake at 5:40PM on 10/13/09
I've posted this at SE a couple of times - try it if you haven't already. I promise it is NOT the same old boring chix salad.
therealchiffonade at 5:46PM on 10/13/09
@Hungreychristel: I think sundried tomatoes would be awesome.
PumpkinBear at 6:15PM on 10/13/09
This is something I experimented with during one of the Weekend Cook and Tell projects (meal for 4 under $10).
Chicken Salad Sandwich and Wrap
Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1 tsp Zatarain's Creole seasoning
mayonnaise
1/8 c basil, shredded
1/2 c peas
1/4 c red bell pepper, diced
1 tsp Zatarain's Creole seasoning
ground black pepper
6 whole basil leaves
bread
tortilla
1. Coat chicken with 1 tsp Zatarain's Creole seasoning and refrigerate overnight.
2. Grill chicken. Chop chicken to pieces.
3. Mix desired amount of mayonnaise with chicken, basil, peas, and red bell peppers. Add 1 tsp Zatarain's Creole seasoning and pepper to taste.
4. Layer whole basil leaf on bread. Add chicken salad.
I'm sure roast chicken would work fine.
As far as hamburgers go, I still love chorizo+beef mixture. What I do to change a hamburger up is not the change the meat, but to change what I stack inside -- whether it's using a random combination of 1000 Island dressing, chipotle mayonnaise, avocados, jalapenos, mushrooms, lettuce, tomatoes, type of cheese, dill pickles, potato chips, etc.
Cassaendra at 7:20PM on 10/13/09
Make some chipotle mayo to mix into your chicken salad, my whole family LOVES it!!
csmith7811 at 11:26AM on 10/14/09
I like to cut up my bird before I roast it. (in the standard 8 pieces) I feel like it has more flavor. Just experiment with different seasoning, glazes, rubs, etc. The whole cut chicken is great!
kmgagne at 4:15PM on 10/14/09
my new twist on burgers - portobello mushroom burgers. I usually do not like traditional veggie burger patties. So when I see portobello mushroom burgers on a menu, I go for them.
MadelynRodriguez at 7:56PM on 10/14/09
@MadelynRodriguez- Oh nice! I've had a similar one with goat cheese, roasted red peppers, chipotle mayo and spinach on an onion kaiser. 2 die for!
hungrychristel at 10:05AM on 10/16/09