Friday, July 23, 2010

The Squirrel Can Cook - Spicy Chicken Salad

When I was in high school, I worked for my Dad’s construction company during summers. He would pack us both lunches before we’d head off to work in the mornings. Quite often he’d make chicken salad sandwiches.

Chicken salad is pretty neutral stuff, and you can take it a lot of different directions. If Dad was in a hurry, his chicken salad would just be a can of chicken, some mayonnaise, and a little salt. If he had a bit more time to prepare it, he’d often cut up a pickle or some celery or onion. Either way, it was always pretty good stuff.

Here is a take on Chicken salad that would have been a bit spicy for my Dad. (Mrs. Squirrel didn’t eat any of this, either… In fact, all of my photographs show only a half recipe, as Mrs. Squirrel used the other half of the can of chicken to make her own, much milder, chicken salad.)



Our ingredients are:
1 12.5-oz can of chicken, drained
3 tablespoons of pickled jalapenos and carrots, chopped
1 teaspoon hot mustard
½ teaspoon of minced garlic
½ cup Miracle Whip (not pictured


Since the jalapenos and carrots are sliced, we need to chop them up into fine little bits. The La Costena green pickled sliced jalapeno peppers is a blend of jalapenos, carrots & onions, and is very spicy. A friend gave me a few cans to try, and I’m very glad she did!



Next, combine the chicken, jalapenos and carrots, mustard, garlic, and Miracle Whip in a bowl. Mix well with a fork. That’s it! (I didn’t say it was hard…)



Serve as a sandwich or eat on crackers. One recipe makes four sandwiches. Enjoy!

The Squirrel shall not live by bread NUTS alone!

post signature