Little Mama's Super Yummy Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad!  It's always been something that I just throw together, but I have had SO MANY people tell me how much they love it and ask for my recipe.  Well, here it is!

Gather Your Ingredients:

• 10oz shredded, cooked chicken
• 2 stalks diced celery
• 2 to 3 scallions, sliced (I like lots of onion so I use 3)
• 10 to 12 red grapes, quartered and then cut the quarters in half
• 2 to 3T mayonnaise, just enough to coat all of the ingredients
• salt and pepper to taste

Make It:

1. There's only one step ... combine ingredients and let chill for at least 30 minutes or longer to combine the flavors. 

Want to kick it up a notch and take the flavors to a whole new level?  Add a handful of chopped pecans ... you'll thank me!

Kitchen Tip - Fruit

Maybe some of you have already figured this one out, but in my mind ... I'm a genius! LOL   I have had one too many experiences with "gross things" lurking on the inside of my fresh fruit.  So, I now "prep" the fruit before consuming it.  With kids in the house, I also spend a lot of time slicing apples etc for them.  I have one of those apple slicers, but it doesn't work on all fruit.  One day I saw my under-utilized melon baller and voila!

1. Step One ... slice said fruit in half.  If it has a hard pit in the middle, slice through as far as you can and then rotate the fruit until it is cut all of the way around.  Then grab each side and twist until it comes apart.
   
   
   
   2.  Step Two... Use the melon baller to scoop out seeds.
   
   3.  Step Three... Slice fruit, trim any ends (like where the stem is) and enjoy!
   
   
   

Pinterest Tested ... and Adjusted

I have clicked on every pin of this recipe that I can find, and I can not for the life of me find the original source!  It is for an Italian Seasoned Chicken, Potato and Veggie Bake.  Most people who have reposted it are calling it Italian Chicken.  I have found THIS link and THIS link ... neither of which seems to be the original.

Well, there are tons of people singing praises for this dish ... talking about how delicious it was!  I decided to try it out!   My review of the recipe (cooked as is):

• The chicken was over cooked.  Could have been due to oven variances, so I would not count this as a strike against the recipe.  Everyone's oven cooks differently, it is important to know your oven and make adjustments to recipes when needed.  (For the purpose of a review, I wanted to cook it exactly as it was listed)
• My BIG issue was this.  You know how when you cook chicken, the fat cooks out and makes this white ... I don't know how to describe it ... confetti, maybe.   Well, you guessed it ... chicken fat confetti through all of the veggies!  It was very off putting!
• My BIG praise for this dish is that the Italian Seasoning combines beautifully in this dish and tastes great!  Well, that's not news ... I have been combining Good Seasons Italian Dressing Mix with my foods for years.  

Bottom Line ... The flavor is good, the cooking method ... not so much.  Keep in mind that this is my personal opinion of the dish cooked as the original pin states.  Never fear, dear readers ... I have redeemed this recipe and made it new!  I want to post it on a separate post so that it is not hidden in this one.  As soon as it's posted, I will link the two posts!  Stay tuned!!