Winter Chicken Salad with Apples and Rosemary

When I make chicken salad, I generally don't follow a recipe. It's a great I-need-to-use-it-up-so-throw-it-in meal. I also LOVE it. It is so addicting to me, especially when eaten with potato chips. I will literally eat the entire bowl one bite at a time by simply piling it onto potato chips. Have you tried that? It is sooo good!!!  If I'm going to have chicken salad in a sandwich, my favorite is to make it with a croissant (and definitely add potato chips for a great crunch!)

Years ago, I made chicken salad for a picnic we were having with friends. My friend Michelle really liked it so she asked me for the recipe. I told her on the spot what I thought I remembered putting in, and luckily, she wrote it down. A couple of years later, she published a blog post with my recipe! So now I actually have a recipe for a really good chicken salad! Yay! Thanks, Michelle.

For me the key to a great chicken salad is loading it up with fresh herbs. And I mean LOTS of them. Put a lot in then add twice that many. Till you think you can't possibly add more. Then add a little more. 😃 Because you can't have too many herbs....especially fresh parsley and basil.

In the summer, it's as simple as walking out my back door and cutting bunches of whatever herbs are about to bolt. But winter is a different story. As I write this, it's snowing and 11 degrees Fahrenheit.

You might not think of chicken salad as the perfect cozy winter lunch. A few weeks ago, however, I had some leftover chicken and I put together a quick salad. It was really simple but so good. Chicken, mayonnaise, fresh rosemary, and apples.

The rosemary and apples were the perfect combination.

During a really stressful time this past December, I bought a beautiful rosemary plant that our local hardware/garden store was selling. It is the perfect decor to transition from Christmas to January.

Plus, when I'm feeling stressed or have a headache, I just rub my hands or face in it, and that spicy, woody smell really helps to calm me down. The particular variety I have is called Barbeque and I have to say, it might be my favorite variety yet (I've grown quite a few of them).

So besides an amazing smell and great decor, I have a fresh herb to use for cooking even in the middle of winter! Obviously you can buy fresh rosemary in the grocery store any time of the year, but if you have a sunny window sill, I highly recommend getting your own plant. They are not fussy at all. The don't like too much water, so you don't even need to remember to water them that often!

Apples are another great winter produce since so many varieties store well. Use a sweet, crisp eating variety like Pink Lady, Honey crisp, or Envy....or whatever you can find. I bet even a tart Granny Smith would taste good, though I prefer the slightly sweeter varieties.

Chop up the chicken, rosemary and apples (I don't even bother to peel the apple!), mix with mayonnaise. Add a little salt and pepper if you'd like, and enjoy a fresh, delicious chicken salad even in the middle of winter. And don't forget the chips. 😊

Tips :

• A grocery store rotisserie chicken makes delicious chicken salad. Plus it's super quick! No cooking required. One rotisserie chicken gives you about 4 cups of chopped meat.
• Ideally, use a mix of white and dark chicken meat for the tastiest chicken salad. 
• It often tastes better if you let it sit in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. However, I'm usually way too impatient to do that. 😃

Winter Chicken Salad with Apple and Rosemary

Makes 4 regular servings or 2 large servings.

4 cups       chicken, cooked, deboned and chopped (about 1 rotisserie chicken)
3/4 cup     mayonnaise, to taste
1               apple, diced--- ideally use a sweet, crisp variety like Pink Lady or Honeycrisp
2-3 Tb      fresh rosemary, finely chopped, to taste
                 salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Add salt and pepper to taste, if desired. Add more mayonnaise or herbs if desired. Serve plain or on a croissant with potato chips.

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