Chicken Salad

This is a classic chicken salad. A purist, traditional version. It’s really simple because it uses a store bought rotisserie chicken and has no extra frills, but its loaded with flavor. Whole Foods has really delicious rotisserie chickens that they sell cold. I Love Them. They are really good and useful for many things, but particularly chicken salad. Most of the time, they are less expensive than buying uncooked chicken parts. I don’t get it, but all the more reason to buy precooked chicken.

The secret to all of the flavor is using the chicken gelatin that forms in the bottom of the package. If you roast a chicken at home and then immediately refrigerate it, you get the same congealed juices. It’s basically really concentrated chicken stock and incorporates beautifully into a dressing. Using the “chicken jelly” as I like to call it would be the equivalent to adding a bouillon cube to a recipe for flavor. It’s already there, why not use it?

(yes, I’m talking about this stuff) ⤴️

What you need:

1 whole rotisserie chicken, cooled

1/2 cup of mayonnaise (I prefer Duke’s)

1 tbsp whole grain mustard

2 stalks celery with leaves

Handful of dry toasted slivered almonds

Handful of fresh parsley

Salt and pepper

Begin by separating the chicken jelly from the chicken. You don’t want any white fat, just the golden brown stock. Take 2-3 spoonfuls of the jelly and put it in a large mixing bowl. Quickly return the jelly to liquid form by either microwaving it for a few seconds or placing the bowl over the burner for a few seconds, it doesn’t take much to liquify it. Stir in mayonnaise and mustard until you have a smooth dressing.

Remove the skin from the chicken and discard it. Carefully pick all of the meat from the bones and roughly chop it up. I like my chicken salad to be finely chopped, it holds together better in sandwiches. Next chop up the celery. Slice it in half lengthwise and then chop it into finer pieces. If the almonds are in big pieces, give them a rough chop too. Finely chop the parsley and any celery leaves you have. Add the chicken and all other ingredients to the mixing bowl with the dressing. Stir well to combine. If its a little dry you can add more mayo (it should be enough unless its a huge chicken). Salt and pepper to taste and enjoy! It should keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but I promise it won’t last long.

Grilled Romaine with Homemade Ranch

I love a crunchy, refreshing, salad during these dog days of summer. When trying to feed the family, one thing we can all agree on is that homemade ranch dressing is delicious. I saw this beautiful romaine at the grocery store and thought it would hold up well against a heavy ranch dressing. It’s the perfect side dish for grilled meats and adds barely any time to dinner prep. Add some sliced cherry tomatoes when they are in season and creamy avocado to balance out the tangy crunch.

What you need:

1 large head of Romaine lettuce, ugly outer leaves removed

1/2 cup of homemade ranch dressing, recipe below

1/2 cup of sliced cherry tomatoes

1/2 of an avocado, diced

Freshly ground salt and pepper

Make this dish when you already have the grill going, it should be around 425°. Slice the lettuce in half but keep the stem on the end to help hold it all together. Place the romaine on the grates and let sit for about 45 seconds. When it has nice sear marks carefully turn it over. Allow to sit for another 30 seconds up to one minute. You want it to remain bright green but wilting around the edges. Cook time will vary depending on how large the lettuce is. Remove from heat and trim the stem off. Drizzle over the ranch dressing while its still warm and arrange tomatoes and avocado onto the serving plate as well. Add plenty of freshly ground salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Enjoy!

Homemade Ranch

1/2 cup Dukes mayo

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tbsp champagne or white wine vinegar

1/2 tsp dried chives

1/2 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried dill

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Greek Stuffed Tomatoes (Yemista)

We learned how to make these in Kefalonia at the beginning of June and I have spent the entire summer trying to perfect my home recipe. Tomatoes stuffed with herbs and rice, what could be better? The tomato juice seeps into the rice and it absorbs so much flavor. I have been putting them in smoker to add another lay of deliciousness but the oven is fine too. We only had oven baked Yemista in Greece and they were great (hence why I’ve been trying to recreate them all summer). We had entree versions with ground beef baked inside and also had some with shredded zucchini. I’ve dumbed them down for a delicious side dish with very few ingredients. You can also make this recipe with green bell peppers which is the traditional accompaniment, they are often cooked in the same pan. I prefer the tomatoes.

What you need:

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

3/4 cup medium grain white rice

1 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup freshly chopped herbs (basil, parsley, mint, and oregano or at least 3 out of the 4)

Salt

sugar

4-5 large slicing tomatoes

First preheat the grill or oven to 425° . Begin by slicing the tops off of the tomatoes and scooping out the center of the tomato with a spoon. Gently use the spoon to core and pull out the center of the tomato being careful to keep the exterior still intact. Drizzle a little olive oil into the bottom of each tomato and sprinkle a pinch of sugar and salt into the bottom. Set the tops aside until later.

Add the onions and a few tablespoons of olive oil to a saute pan and heat over medium heat. Begin to sweat the onions and stir occasionally for about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle about a 1/2 tsp of salt onto the onions. When the onions are translucent add the rice and herbs to the pan. I like to take the tomato cores and squeeze the juice onto the onion mixture as well and then discard the rest. Add a little more olive oil and some more salt. Begin to toast the rice gently but do not let it burn or brown. Stir gently for about 3 minutes until the herbs and onions have incorporated with the rice. Turn off the heat and set aside.

Place the tomatoes in an oven safe dish with high walls so the tomatoes won’t tip over and you can cover easily with aluminum foil. Fill each tomato with the onion and rice mixture leaving a smidge of room between the top of the filling and the rim of the tomato. It will reach the top when the rice puffs up during cooking. I made the mistake of over stuffing them several times and the rice would spill out and stay crunchy at the top. You want to be sure the rice is inside the tomato so it can fully absorb all the moisture. Drizzle a little more olive oil across the top. Sprinkle some more salt on the under side of the tomato tops and place them on top. Drizzle more oil across the tops of the tomatoes and add some salt around the exterior. You want to flavor the whole thing so you can enjoy every last bite. Cover with aluminum foil and bake or smoke for 1 hour. Remove the foil and continue cooking for another 40 minutes up to one hour. When the tomatoes look like they are about to fall apart they are finished. Let them rest for 15 minutes before lifting them and serving. Lift carefully so they do not fall apart. These are excellent served slightly warm or even at room temperature. Tzatziki and fresh pita on the side make these even better.

Enjoy!