Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad

 Hello, everyone!  I was planning to have "the girls" and their babies join Collin (my little man) and me for lunch on Saturday afternoon, but I ended up having to cancel due to the arrival of an untimely cold.  However, I had already prepared the food the afternoon before and took a picture.  On that note, it is very difficult to please and satisfy everyone's tastes, so I had to come up with something delicious and easy (I'm always a fan of easy food, right?). I LOVE chicken salad and I think it's pretty popular amongst other folks as well.  Here is my recipe:

 Ingredients:
-1 rotisserie chicken (remove skin and shred)---That's right, you don't have to cook any chicken! Yay!
-2 cups of red seedless grapes (sliced)
-2 cups of celery (about 5 stalks)
-1 cup of dried cranberries
-1 apple (I used a Granny Smith) diced and soaked in 1 tbs. of lemon juice to 1 cup of water for 3-5 minutes to prevent it from browning. That's a nifty piece of information, isn't it?? =) I thought so too!
-2 heaping spoonfuls of sweet relish
-salt and pepper to taste
- about 1 cup of mayonnaise with olive oil (I don't use regular mayonnaise.) You may want to add more or less depending on your desired consistency.
-bread or rolls of choice (I used bakery fresh wheat bolillos.  I forgot to take a picture of them.  They are very similar to a baguette.)
-sliced almonds or pecans (I did not add nuts to mine this time; I wasn't sure if everyone liked them, but I missed them!)


Shred your chicken in the bowl you will use to mix the salad.  I always try to use as few dishes as possible.  Why create more work for yourself??After you have sliced and diced, add them all to that bowl where the chicken has been patiently waiting.  It's mayonnaise time!  Use your own discretion here, people.  I don't like a dry chicken salad, so I added a little more than one cup.  Give that lovely salad a dusting of salt and pepper (again, do this to your taste).  After it's all mixed and delicious, clean up the sides of your bowl so you have a neat presentation.  Crack some more pepper over the top to give it that "bistro" look.  I like to place my rolls or bread in a bowl (pre-sliced for my guests' convenience) with a towel and let my guests prepare their sandwiches. I hope you enjoy this recipe.  It was something I whipped up and would love some feedback on your results.  On my next chicken salad expedition, I would like to try this with some vanilla greek yogurt.....
Live Lovely,
Candice