California-Style Chicken Salad - Easy

Unlike most of the recipes on this blog, this one starts with store-bought roasted chicken.   I prefer to cook from scratch, but since today is my one Sunday a month to be at work, there's not much time to shop, cook, eat AND squeeze into control-top pantyhose before heading out.

This recipe is based on a clipping that doesn't include where I clipped it from, but I think it's around 20 years old and from Apartment Life magazine (a magazine so wonderful I kept up the subscription after moving to a house), which became Metropolitan Home (a not so wonderful magazine), which folded this past December (see, I told you so).














 I think I mentioned it at least once before, but instead of chopping the herbs, I take the easy way out and use a scissors instead.  Easier.

Grapes  add a nice contrast to the chicken, both in color and in texture.  But hubby, who normally can eat an entire bunch in one sitting, hates grapes in the salad.  So I demoted them to merely optional.

California-Style Chicken Salad
Serves 4-6

1 small roasted chicken (purchased definitely ok)
1/2 - 3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbl. white wine (or white wine vinegar)
3 Tbl. chopped parsley
2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 Tbl. dried)
1/4 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup seedless red or green grapes (optional, but highly recommended)


Remove meat from bones.  Discard carcass and skin.

Try to ignore dog waiting for you to accidentally drop chicken and/or skin.

Shred or cut meat into small pieces.















You should have 2-3 cups of meat, depending upon the size of the chicken.  Place in serving bowl and set aside.

In a medium size bowl, mix together everything except the grapes.   The amount of mayo depends upon the size of the chicken and how mayonnaise-y your family likes chicken salad.  Pour mayo mixture over chicken and stir to distribute evenly.

If you are using the grapes and they are on the large side, cut them in halves.  Gently fold grapes into the chicken mixture.  Chill until ready to serve.

Serve chicken salad alongside a green salad of your choice.