^[1]

^[2]In an effort to use up leftover chicken in the refrigerator, I decided to make a chicken salad. I intended to make my mom’s wonderful recipe, but found that I was missing some key ingredients from it. So, I started to modify the recipe to use up the ingredients I had in the kitchen and accommodate the gluten-free diet, too. By the time I was done tweaking, it was nothing like the salad my mom used to make. It turned out just as good, but with a completely different taste. It made a tasty chicken salad sandwich (on gluten-free bread, of course), but was also great just served on green leaf lettuce.

Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients:

Dressing:
3/4 Cup Mayonnaise
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
1 tsp salt

Salad:
2 Cups chicken, cooked and chopped
2 TBSP onion, finely chopped
2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
1/4 Cup sweet pickle relish
1 Cup red seedless grapes, each cut in half
1/2 Cup (about 3 oz.) pine nuts, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. Mix dressing ingredients well and refrigerate.
2. Combine all salad ingredients, except the pine nuts. Pour dressing over salad ingredients and mix well, but gently.
3. Serve on gluten-free bread, rolls, or a bed of lettuce.
4. Sprinkle toasted pine nuts on top.

Additional Notes:

• To toast the pine nuts, place in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Using a spoon or spatula, push them around in the skillet for about five minutes – just until they’re golden and fragrant. Don’t walk away, they can burn quickly if the heat gets too high.
• This is best after chilling in the refrigerator overnight, so go ahead and mix it all up the day before. However, to keep the pine nuts a little crispier, you may want to wait until just before serving to sprinkle on the pine nuts.
• Makes 4-6 sandwiches or salads.