Chicken Salad with Pickled Peaches
As I mentioned in my matzo ball soup post, I let nothing go to waste when I make a stock. And I absolutely had to make a stock this weekend, because I have.... drum roll... the flu.
Womp womp.
But I will not take this lying down! (I mean, I will. I will lie down a lot. That's how you beat the flu.* *I am not a doctor.) I made a beautiful stock, some lovely matzo balls, and the chicken that simmered for two hours to make that lovely stock has become chicken salad to go with the bread that I bought because BART: bananas, apples, rice, and toast; that's what the flu-ridden can eat safely. And I am flu-ridden (but on the mend!).
Planning!
When I thought about the chicken salad, I asked myself did I want the crunch from celery? I kind of felt: no, not this time. I also was put off this time around by the idea of sweet dried fruit (like dried cranberries or raisins, which can be a delight in chicken salad). And then I remembered my gorgeous pickled peaches. I make them at the end of every summer. They are heaven. And they sounded perfect to add to the chicken for a lovely pop of flavor that wasn't too sweet or sour. They would be just right.
Here's the nutritional breakdown from Fitbit...
Groceries I had on hand...
- pickled peaches
- chicken legs (these are accounted for in the cost of the matzo ball soup)
- light mayonnaise
Groceries I had to buy...
- bread (I just couldn't face baking bread this week, what with the FLU...) ($4.99/loaf)
- tomato (.5lb @ $2.49/lb = $1.25
Total monies spent for the entire recipe: $6.24
Total monies spent for each of these 3 meals....
$2.08 per meal...
Cooking!
This really is cheating. I simmered the chicken legs to make the stock, then stored them separately when I stored the stock overnight. Today, they were nice and chilled, so I pulled the skin off the meat (no one wants your soggy skin in the salad, chicken!), and the meat off the bones. I portioned the meat directly into my three pint-sized containers (one leg per container), then weighed them to make sure they were evenly distributed and readjusted. I chopped the meat in the container - with scissors! Then added a pickled peach half to each container and scissor chopped again. After that, it was a tablespoon of mayo in with each portion, and I stirred them all up and popped them in the fridge. Too easy.
I'll slice my tomato each morning as I go, because presliced tomato can get a little dicey by the end of a week (I speak from experience). I'll just rest a couple of slices of tomato on top of the chicken salad, then bring the bread to work separately and assemble the sandwiches at lunchtime.
I do love chicken salad, and there are so many variations to explore. This is a new one for me, and I am excited! Onward, with this new chicken salad adventure!
