Chicken Salad Variations

Working downtown, I've come across all different variations of salads and sandwiches, but one thing has caught my eye and it's the Indian curry chicken salad. Unusual at first as the color is bright yellow and a tad disturbing, but it is in fact quite delicious. I've decided to play with the chicken salad dish and I've broken it down into the following key components:

1. Poached Chicken (shredded) - a must if you want to use breast meat and have it tender
2. Mayonnaise plus liquid/oil to thin it out - required for the creamy goodness
3. Dried Fruit - providing that necessary sweetness which balances out the creaminess
   
4. Crunchy Vegetable and/or Fruit (diced or cubed) - adding another hint of sweetness and texture
5. Nuts - more crunchiness and different spectrum of flavors
6. Spices or pastes (optional) - to kick it up a notch

Using those basic methods, I made a thai massaman curry chicken salad. I know, I know...it sounds f'n weird, but trust me - served in a wrap or over some salad greens, it's quite f'n awesome.

My combo included - poached chicken, raisins, shredded carrots, sliced green apple, almonds, mayo, chicken broth, massaman curry paste, and honey. The basic combo yielded sweet and spicy flavors and a good amount of crunch...delicious and even great between your basic white sandwich bread.

You can really take this in any direction as asian pears, and shredded snow peas would be delicious or a touch of chipotle with the mayo would be a fiesta in your mouth.

Some Tips:

• Poaching chicken is a great techinque for chicken breasts, but the key is to bring the water/veg to a boil, then drop the chicken in and simmer for 12 minutes. Let this sucker rest for a good 10 minutes and then shred. If you taste when it's warm, it may still have a tough texture, but once it fully rests in the mayo - it gets incredibly tender
• Sad to say, but Bobby Flay is right when dealing with heavy spiced ingredients - a la curry or chipotle. A little honey balances out the chicken salad perfectly which makes the spices feel less harsh. Another Flay tip is too cook your spices in a bit of oil first to mellow it and let the spice bloom...