Cathy Borden's Chicken Salad

Louisville, KY

4 - 6 chicken breasts
1 rib of celery, diced fine
Olive oil
Mrs. Dash seasoning
White pepper
Salt
Parsley, either fresh or dried
Mayonnaise to taste

First, stew the chicken breasts - if you are using bone in, stew for 45 minutes to an hour - if you are using boneless, stew 20 minutes. Throw in a celery leaf for added flavor. Let cool in the stock/water. When it is cool, remove chicken and chop into bite sized chunks.

In a Tupperware dish or Ziploc bag, place chicken, a few teaspoons of olive oil, a tablespoon of Mrs. Dash, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, a tablespoon of parsley, and just a sprinkle of salt. Then toss to coat, and refrigerate for at least an hour, or overnight.

Take the chicken chunks; add your celery (I use only the white part - it looks nice and tastes milder). Then add salt, a dash more of white pepper, and enough mayonnaise to make it hold together. Mix well, and chill for an hour. Then serve!

When I do this for lunches, I serve it on all butter croissants, with a slice of Swiss or provolone cheese. It's great dressed, with lettuce, tomato and a green pepper strip. My niece served hers on mini croissants we get at Sam's. And my sister will serve it to the PTA on cocktail buns from the bakery. As for me, I like it on croissant with the Swiss cheese, salt and pepper, but not dressed. I also love it on super fresh bread, or toast. My mother always had me make it, and she ate it on Zesta saltines. It's also great in pita bread, with lettuce and sliced black olives.

You have to follow the recipe to get the taste. You should not substitute black pepper for the white. And if you want, you can omit the olive oil. But I like the way it tastes with it. I also use a good quality mayonnaise, Kraft or Hellmann's. If you are using bone in chicken, be sure to remove the skin and bones. I trim the fat and cartledge from my boneless chicken. You will be the hit of the party with this recipe - I know I am!