Foodie Friday: Pecan Chicken Salad

This is the recipe that got me hooked on The Silver Palate Cookbooks.  This recipe is out of The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins.  The Silver Palate girls were know for fresh food and creativity.  Having been raised on a farm with fresh food all summer long this cookbook spoke volumes to me.  The Dallas Morning News called The Silver Palate Cookbook the foodie gold standard with the re-release of it's 25 year anniversary edition.

I love chicken salad.  There are many ways you can make it but, this is my all time favorite version of it.  

Pecan Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

3 pounds , skinless chicken breasts, well rinsed and patted dry

3 cups of water

1 chicken bouillon cube

1 pound of seedless green grapes ( I used red)

1 1/2 cups pecan halves

1 cup diced celery

1 cup chopped fresh dill

1 1/2 cups sour cream

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 bunches of watercress ( I used romaine)

Dill sprigs, for garnish

Serves 8

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer in a shallow pan.
2. Bring the water to a boil and add the bouillon cube.  Stir to dissolve.  Pour enough bouillon in the baking pan to just cover the chicken breasts.  Lay a sheet of cooking parchment or aluminum foil over the chicken to cool in the liquid; then discard the liquid.
3. Shred the chicken into bite-size pieces and place them in a large bowl.  Add the grapes, pecans, celery, and chopped dill, and toss well.
4. In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream and mayonnaise together.
5. Toss this into the chicken salad.  Season with salt and pepper. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
6. Serve on a bed watercress or other salad green, garnished with dill sprigs.

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