Old School Chicken Salad

by Eric N Gibson
Contributing Writer

It was hot. Too hot to cook. I had visions of chicken salad for dinner. Nothing fancy, some pulled chicken, mayo, a few spices, maybe some celery. Tossed all together and paired with some lettuce and a couple pieces of bread, a quick and easy dinner was beginning to take shape in my mind’s eye.
Knowing there were some leftover baked chicken “drums” from the weekend I was on my way to making dinner after a quick stop at the bank and into the store for some bread. While there I found some Finger Rolls, a nice addition to “up scale” dinner. Along with a bag of Garlic Parmesan Pita Chips, dinner was just a few miles away.
Arriving home, I opened the fridge and, much to my chagrin, there were only two drumsticks left. There were four this morning. I guess someone didn’t want a sandwich for lunch. Now what to do? Thinking for a moment as I looked in the fridge, I remembered my son saying something about a bag of chicken thighs in the freezer while he was making room for a pig due back from the butcher. (Another story for another time.)
I went down to the freezer, grabbed the bag of thighs, and then back up to the kitchen where I opened the bag. They were gigantic! Perfect! I’ll take two. Tossing them into a pot of water with a little salt, pepper, garlic, and onion powder they were brought to a rolling boil and let roll on for nearly 30 minutes or so. Just enough time to prepare some ingredients for the chicken salad, wash the morning dishes, clean the sink, and get the thighs cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Removing the thighs, I poured off the broth to properly cool for a later application.
Running the thighs under cold water for a while brought the temperature down cool enough to handle. Removing the meat from the bones of the legs and thighs I chopped and diced the meat and placed it in the fridge while I prepared the rest of the ingredients. Washing the cutting board I pulled a couple of stalks of celery and some red grapes out of the fridge. I washed and cut these items on a clean cutting board, dicing the celery and cutting the grapes into halves. I then gathered my seasonings and a few other items for the chicken salad. All the while I was anticipating the delicious meal ahead. I really wanted to toss some Walnuts, Pecans, or toasted Almonds into the mix but I knew I would have a rebellion on my hands if I did, so the nuts were but a fleeting thought. Combining all ingredients I mixed thoroughly and placed the chicken salad into the fridge to chill until dinner.

Diced celery and relish give this salad a bit of crunch while the grapes offer a touch of appealing sweetness. The equivalent of two large whole chicken legs offer enough dark meat for at least four servings (12 hearty filled finger rolls). The mayo is the classic “binding” for the ensemble while the seasonings tie all of the flavors together.
So, you are probably wondering; why would I describe the process of making something so mundane as chicken salad? It is because I wanted to address a few points regarding food safety, points that often go overlooked as one works with raw chicken and raw vegetables in close proximity to one another. Chicken and raw vegetables can both harbor harmful bacteria that can cause illness if not handled properly. If handled improperly, these items can contaminate or cross contaminate surfaces when they or you (after handling these items) touch surfaces, so it is important that you wash your hands often, wash contact surfaces properly, handle foods properly, cook and cool foods properly, and keep foods cold or hot, depending upon what they are, and how they are to be served.
That seems like a lot to remember, but if you cannot remember it all then remember to wash your hands completely; fronts, backs, and in-betweens, with soap and water before beginning work in the kitchen (including washing dishes), after touching raw meat, like chicken, and before you touch foods that are ready to eat, like veggies that will not be cooked. It is a good idea to even wash your hands before touching veggies that will be cooked. And always completely wash your cutting boards between cutting different items on them.
The other thing to remember is to keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold. This is why I cooked the thighs in a rolling boil for plenty of time, and I always have a thermometer handy to check temperatures when cooking proteins like meat and eggs to ensure they meet proper cooking temperatures and cooling temperatures. This is especially important in the summer kitchen, kitchens are already a hot place to be, but summer time temperatures just crank up the heat, and heat plays a critical role in affecting food safety. Always get items such as meats and other proteins into the cooking heat or into the fridge to chill as soon as possible. Don’t let proteins sit out in the heat needlessly. Temperatures that are warm but not hot enough to cook proteins will shorten their “food life” by affecting their food quality, taste, and may eventually become potentially harmful if left out for too long.
Times and temperatures can vary depending upon the item and the list is too long for this article but check out these websites for more information about food safety:
https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep-food-safe
https://extension.unh.edu/health-well-being/food-safety
And, as a side note to Chicken Salad, here I am thinking I’m a genius for combining all these delicious ingredients into a “new” twist on a classic dish, but oh how wrong I can be!
According to internet lore, once again I have been trumped by about 70 years. It seems a woman, perhaps you may have heard of her, by the name of Helen Corbitt created a similar chicken salad for the Neiman-Marcus Luncheonette Counters and restaurants of the 1950’s. Who knew!?!? Well more like, who, under the age of 70, knew?
Play it safe this summer in the kitchen, wash your hands with soap and water and keep proteins at their proper temperatures. Limiting their time in the heat as you prepare them on clean cutting boards that are properly washed between tasks and keeping cold foods cold and hot foods hot will keep foods fresh and tasty while limiting their ability to spoil. And check out those websites with some great tools that will keep you enjoying the Simple Feast all summer long!