Summer Picnic Chicken Salad

It is way too easy to get lost in our grandma's library of cookbooks. She has an entire closet full... dozens upon baker's dozens... and she's also one of the best cooks we know (and most organized - she scans and uploads winning recipes onto her computer for easy access). When she recommends something, we know it will be good.

When we saw Best Recipes Under the Sun (Marion Kane, 1987) tucked away on one of her shelves, we picked it up because we own it too. We wanted to see what the colorful sticky notes were marking off her in her version.

A quick and easy summer salad looked like another promising addition to our parentless week... This was dinner for Lisa one night, and lunch for Amy the next day.

Summer Picnic Chicken Salad

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 chicken, or 2 - 3 chicken breasts (boned, skinned, diced) --> see tip below

1/2 cup seedless grapes, halved

1/2 cup sliced celery

1/4 can (14 oz, or 398 mL) pineapple chunks, drained

1/2 can (10 oz, or 284 mL) mandarin oranges, drained

1/2 can (10 oz, or 284 mL) water chestnuts - optional (we didn't add them)

Lettuce leaves

• Toast almonds: place on baking sheet in 350 F oven for 5 minutes.
• Combine mayo, curry powder, and soy sauce in a large bowl. Add almonds, chicken, grapes, celery, pineapple, and oranges. Feel free to leave out the water chestnuts, like we did (Amy doesn't like them). Toss everything together.
• Refrigerate overnight.
• Serve on a lettuce leaf, over salad, or on a sandwich!

Tip for extra juicy chicken:

Place chicken in roasting pan. Season with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle inside and out with onion powder.

Place 3 tablespoons margarine in chicken cavity, and 2 tablespoons around the exterior.

Cut 1 stalk of celery into 4 pieces. Place in chicken cavity.

Bake uncovered for 1 hour 15 minutes, to minimum internal temperature of 180 F.

Remove from heat, baste with melted margarine and drippings.

Cover with aluminum foil. Let chicken rest a half hour before serving.