Rosemary Chicken Salad

I made chicken salad on Saturday for M.'s baby shower and, loving this new blog, looked to it for some inspiration. What I ended up making was a hybrid between my standard chicken salad and this one-- basically I just made my old salad but used some of her ideas (using one half Greek yogurt instead of straight mayonnaise, a hint of Dijon, rosemary) and was very pleased with the results. I use toasted slivered almonds, cucumber, and celery in my salad and also threw in some green onions this time, for effect. Anyway, everyone liked the salad, so I'll blog this recipe here as a remind to myself that next time I made chicken salad I might make my hybrid again.

From a Hint of Honey:
http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/01/rosemary-chicken-salad-sandiwches.html

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced
1/3 C. green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 C. smoked almonds, chopped (I use toasted slivered almonds)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 T. nonfat Greek yogurt
3 T. mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Whole wheat bread or pita, for serving (I still think eating chicken salad with a cheddar dill scone is amazing.)

Directions:

1. Toss to combine chicken, onions, almonds, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Add yogurt, mayonnaise, and Dijon, stirring to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: Serves 4

Pear, Gorgonzola, and Mesclun Salad

Mesclun, according to Wikipedia, is just essentially mixed greens. In case you were wondering.

Salad and I have a little bit of a love-hate relationship. Truth is, I love salad and hate lettuce. I don't know where this came from. The salad of my youth was a side dish and was simple-- iceberg lettuce, tomato, cucumber, possibly some radishes-- and I was happy with that. But the salads of my adulthood have become more complex, cumbersome affairs that I am more likely to want to eat as a main dish rather than as part of a whole meal.

As a result, if a salad is as simple as this one, I find it lacking which is really too bad because the simplicity of this salad is nice-- just pear, gorgonzola, lettuce. And even that would have been too fancy for the old family budget. Yet, I want it to have chicken, toasted walnuts, and chopped dried apricots.

Because I think that salad-- meaning the below plus the above-- would be divine.

Note: I made a half-batch, and lacking vinaigrette, tossed a teensy amount of orange oil with some olive oil and a little nutmeg over it all which was just fine, and maybe drove the wanting for apricots.

From Mark Bittman's Thanksgiving in three hours:
http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/19/dining/the-minimalist-give-thanks-in-three-hours-from-scratch.html?pagewanted=4&src=pm

Ingredients:

4 large pears, about 2 pounds
1 T. lemon juice
6 oz. Gorgonzola or other creamy blue cheese
12 C. mixed greens, washed, dried and torn into bite-size pieces

1 to 1 1/2 cups any vinaigrette

Directions:

1. Peel and core the pears; cut them into thin slices, and toss with the lemon juice. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.

2. Crumble the Gorgonzola into small bits; cover and refrigerate until needed.

3. To serve, toss the pear, cheese and greens together with as much dressing as desired. Serve immediately.

Yield: 12 servings.

Approximate nutritional analysis per serving: 215 calories, 15 grams fat, 11 milligrams cholesterol, 425 milligrams sodium, 4 grams protein, 15 grams carbohydrate.

White Bean Chicken Chili

This recipe I did not make, but rather enjoyed at the home of our friends H&J D. I asked H for the recipe because it was so delicious, but also rather different than the chili I make and I like having two or three versions of a dish in my box o' dishes, just because. I loved the white beans and the lighter feel of this chili, and the Robber ate two big bowls (I think mostly to get away with eating four more pieces of cornbread, bless his cornbread loving heart.)

From All Recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/white-bean-chicken-chili/detail.aspx

Ingredients:

4 T. olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth

3 tomatillos, chopped

2 16 oz. cans seasoned diced tomatoes

1 jar salsa verde

2 7 oz. cans diced green chiles

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. ground coriander seed

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

4 ears fresh corn or one bag frozen corn

2 lbs diced, cooked chicken meat

2 15 oz. cans white beans, drained and rinsed

Chili powder, to taste

Salt and pepper, to taste

Lime slices for garnish

Directions:

1. In large pot, heat oil and saute onion and garlic until soft.

2. Stir in broth, tomatillos, tomatoes, chilies, and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add corn, salsa, chicken, and beans: simmer for 45 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Chicken Tikka Masala ala the Robber

The Robber made this awesome chicken tikka masala, and just the chicken alone would make a pretty awesome meal, quoth the Robber. "What I would almost want to do," says he, "the grilled chicken is always super tasty coming right off the grill and I think the chicken tikka masala is going to be better on day 2, so we should make extra chicken and eat it fresh with rice and veggies and use the leftover chicken in the masala sauce." Good logic Robber!

For the marinade:

Ingredients:

3 lbs. chicken, boneless skinless breast and thigh meat

2 C. plain yogurt

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1) Pound the chicken to flatten it and prepare it for the marinade. Mix together the yogurt and spices. Pour the marinade over the washed chicken and refrigerate overnight.

Next day:

2) Take the chicken out and scrape off the yogurt. Heavily salt the outside of the chicken according to your salting preferences.

3) You can broil or grill the chicken.

-- To broil: Cover the inside and edges of a baking dish with tin foil. Broil for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

-- To grill: Heat the grill on high, once the grill is maximum temperature (20 min or so) put the chicken on, let it cook for two minutes and flip it, then allow it to cook two minutes more. May need to cook additional minutes if not done.

4) When chicken is cool, chop into desired size of pieces for dish.

For the sauce:

Ingredients:

1 C. heavy cream

2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes

1 onion, chopped

1 T. minced garlic

2 tsp. ground cumin

1-2 tsp. paprika

1-2 tsp. chili powder

2-4 tsp. garam masala

1-2 T. white sugar

Optional: additional cayenne pepper

Optional: 1/4 C. ground almonds

Directions:

1) Saute onion and garlic in a small amount of olive oil until onion becomes translucent. Add spices. Stir fry 1-2 min more.

2) Add in tomatoes (including juice) and sugar. Simmer for 10-20 minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened. Add in cream. Simmer for another 10 minutes.

3) Add chicken. Simmer for another 10 minutes until ready to serve.

Serve over basmati or brown rice.

Enchiladas

I decided to make enchiladas. I am on a Mexican food kick, having escaped the dreary North-ness of Rochester and come back to the land of mangoes and strawberry. I made Bob purchase some Mexican hot chocolate at the grocery store (they have Mexican hot chocolate! and tostada shells here!) and I have been drinking it, with my Mother's almond cookies and whipped cream, like a mad woman. What a world.

It turns out that enchiladas can be found in great variety, and upon reflection, don't require a recipe. Nonetheless, I went forth in search of enchilada recipes, and considered especially these listed below:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Layered-Chicken-Enchiladas-with-Tomatillo-Cilantro-Sauce-232700

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Garden-Vegetable-Enchiladas-5672

http://www.wordofwisdomliving.com/home/beths-vegetarian-enchiladas.html

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-and-Green-Olive-Enchiladas-4965

http://joeandanna.blogspot.com/2008/06/beef-enchiladas.html

In the end, I parselled together a pan of chicken and a pan of beef enchiladas, with similarities between the two, out of what I had available. Unfortunately, as it was all parselly, I don't have recorded some of the exact measurements or amounts. It mattereth not. The Robber fell head over heels for the chicken variety-- thanks in part to the secret ingredient (feta cheese!)-- and I was, perhaps, more satisfied with the beef. A lovely meal that has stretched over dinners and lunches and only now is on its last legs. I present to you:

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

12 wheat tortillas (the medium size 8 inches?)

4 chicken breasts, boiled and diced
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2/3 diced red bell pepper
5 green onions, chopped
1 green zucchini, chopped
1 container feta cheese (4-6 oz.)
1 big old can green enchilada sauce (removed 1.5 cups for topping)
8 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated
1 can olives, minus some for topping

On top I put:

1.5 cups green enchilada sauce
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated
Remainder of olives
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Directions:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a big bowl. Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling per tortilla, put all 12 tortillas in 9 x 13 pan. Top by pouring remainder of sauce over enchiladas evenly, then the cheese, and finally olives, tomatoes, and cilantro.

2. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes on middle rack, then increased temp to broil and broiled 5-10 minutes until top of enchiladas becomes light brown and toppings are crispened, just a little. Serve with sour cream.


Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:

18 corn tortillas (smallest size 4-6 inches?)

1/3 diced red bell pepper
1/3 bag frozen corn, thawed
5 green onions, chopped
1 can black beans
8 oz. colby jack cheese, grated (use sharp cheddar in the future)
1.5 lbs. ground beef, browned and cooked with 1/2 of a chopped onion
1 big old can red (picante hot) enchilada sauce minus 1.5 cups
1 cup Mexican hot chocolate! (This was just a random add-in. So unnecessary, but why not?)

On the top I put:

1.5 cups of red enchilada sauce
4 oz. pepper jack cheese
2 chopped small tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a big bowl. Use 1/4 cup filling per tortilla, put all 12 tortillas in 9 x 13 pan. Top by pouring remainder of sauce over enchiladas evenly, then the cheese, and finally olives, tomatoes, and cilantro. There was some filling left over, which we froze and hopefully can use in the future. Could also use bigger tortillas, maybe that would help use all the filling.

2. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes on middle rack, then increased temp to broil and broiled 5-10 minutes until top of enchiladas becomes light brown and toppings are crispened, just a little. Serve with sour cream.

Cajun Chicken

Another recipe from kt-recipe-box.blogspot.com. This recipe is one her father, the illustrious D.T., uses and as he is a fine cook, I decided to invest in this recipe for lunchtime eating at school when the Robber is here which proved to be a wise choice.

The recipe is solidly good and appropriate for many occasions, especially if you are feeding a crowd, but it wasn't-- in the end-- exciting for me. Hmmmm. I wonder why. I didn't use lemon pepper or black pepper, so maybe it had less zing? Maybe I expect too much zing out of everything?

I ended up with one big container that we ate and one that I froze for later. You could easily half it and end up with enough.

Ingredients:

16 ounces linguine pasta
4 green onion, chopped
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
3 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
8 tablespoons butter
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Note from D.T.: I have to do the final cooking in two batches as my skillet is not large enough to hold all of it...

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in bowl-toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).

3. Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

4 Add the sour cream, basil, lemon pepper, garlic and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Chicken Pilau

From Baljekar et. al, the Indian cookbook I am borrowing from Rebekka. We made this recipe together. We used brown basmati rice and subsequently had to adjust the timing of the cooking and things didn't turn out 100% correctly. The rice was too wet and the potatoes not quite done enough, but the dish was still good. I expected it to be more interesting, and wished it had a higher chicken:everything else ratio, but it is nice to have dishes that provide everything all in one place. Meat, vegetables, carbs. These pack well for lunch and are keeping me alive in medical school. So I suppose I will be making this again because it is fairly easy and is nutritiousy.

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
6 T ghee or unsalted butter
1 onion, sliced
1/4 tsp. mixed onion and mustard seeds
3 curry leaves
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root
1 tsp. crushed garlic
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 potato, cubed
1/2 C. frozen peas, thawed
6 oz. chicken breast fillets, skinned and cubed
4 T chopped fresh cilantro
2 fresh green chiles, chopped
3 cups water

Directions:

1) Wash the rice thoroughly under running water, then let soak for 30 minutes. Drain in a strainer or colander and set aside.

2) In a pan, melt the ghee or butter and fry the sliced onion until golden.

3) Add the onion and mustard seeds, the curry leaves, ginger, garlic, ground coriander, chili powder, and salt. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes over low heat.

4) All the sliced tomatoes, cubed potato, peas, and chicken cubes and mix everything together well.

5) Add the rice and stir gently to combine with the other ingredients.

6) Add the cilantro and chiles. Mix and stir-fry for 1 minute. Pous in the water, bring to a boil and then lower the heat. Cover tightly and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat, leaving the lid in place, and let the pilau stand for 6-8 minutes. Serve.

Serves 4.

Nutrition Notes per serving

Energy 603 cal
Fat 16.8 g
Saturated Fat 10 g
Carbohydrate 91.9 g
Fiber 2.1 g

Rebekka's Jambalaya

This jambalaya recipe is adapted by Rebekka from Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen and can be found on her blog: rebeatworld.blogspot.com. This makes a very spicy dish, but that is part of what makes it so grand.

Ingredients:

2 whole bay leaves
1 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t white pepper
1 t dried thyme leaves
1/2 t black pepper
1/4 t rubbed sage

2 T butter
1/2 pound chopped andouille sausage, about 2 cups
3/4 lb boneless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces, about 2 cups
1 T minced garlic
1 c chopped onions
1 c chopped celery
1 c chopped green bell peppers
1/2 c canned tomato sauce (I just use a whole little can of tomato sauce)
1 c chopped tomatoes
2 1/2 c low-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 c uncooked converted rice

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over high heat. Add sausage and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken and continue cooking until chicken is brown, 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, and scraping pan bottom well if it's not nonstick.

2. Stir in seasonings (bay leaf through sage), garlic, and 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers. Cook until vegetables start to get tender, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring.

3. Stir in tomato sauce and cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Stir in the remaining 1/2 c each of the onions, celery, and bell peppers and the tomatoes. Remove from heat.

4. Stir in the broth and rice, mixing well. Transfer mixture to an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan (I found that the recommended 8x8 was much too small). Bake uncoverd in a 350 F oven until rice is tender but still a bit crunchy, about 1 hour. Remove from oven. Stir well and cool a bit before eating.


Note: The seasonings really are quite flexible. I haven't yet used the bay or the white pepper and it has turned out plenty spicy!

Thai Chicken Stir-Fry With Spicy Peanut Sauce

This is a recipe that the Robber found that we have now made twice together. It is tasty and a nice meal all in one dish, with the meat and rice and vegetables. I especially love the peanut taste! It comes from here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1627,158167-247199,00.html, but we alter it by adding in a whole can of coconut milk to dilute the otherwise very strong peanut taste and to make the curry a little bit thinner. The recipe is quite versatile, really you can throw in anything you want. Onion, pepper, whatever in addition to the broccoli.

Ingredients:

2 whole chicken breasts, skinned, boned & cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. water
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. peanut or vegetable oil
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
3 to 4 c. sliced broccoli or spinach

Directions:

In a small bowl, blend peanut butter, water, soy sauce and sugar; set aside. In a wok or large skillet, heat oil over high heat. Add garlic and pepper; stir-fry 30 seconds. Add chicken, stir-fry until firm and white, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli or spinach, stir-fry until bright green, about 3 minutes. Stir in peanut butter mixture. Cook, stirring constantly until sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Serves 4.

BBQ Chicken Vegetable Mango Kebabs

Had the most amazing kebabs.

What were in these kebabs of amazingness?

BBQ Chicken by Bob
Tomato
Yellow and green summer squash
Purple onion
Orange and green bell pepper

annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd....

MANGO.

It was bold.

It was revolutionary.

It was a kebab TRIUMPH.

I am never going back. I am a mango ke-bab-er FOR LIFE.

(Just peel a firm-ish mango and chop it up in chunks like you do the rest of le vegetables and skewer 'em with the rest. Whoo.)

End-Of-The-Year Faux-Thai Chicken Noodle Soup

Four days to the end of the year and counting! Wahoo! In between me and those four days are two big finals, and then I leave to go on my DC/NC trip the day right after. So I needed an easy fast way to dispose of all my left over perishable foods in an easy-to-eat way this week that would be gone when I'm gone. This soup was the answer. This concoction is roughly based of the famous chicken noodle soup pioneered by G., the mother of my friend KT.

Ingredients:

Pot full of water
Salt
Four boneless chicken breasts, thawed
1/2 package whole wheat egg noodles
1 1/4 cup dry roasted peanuts
2/3 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup lime juice (or juice from one lime)
1 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. chicken bullion

Directions:

1) Put the chicken breasts in a deep pot and cover with water. Lightly salt. Bring to a boil and leave at boil until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken from water and cut into bite sized pieces.

2) Increase volume of water to 2/3rds of total volume of pot. Add noodles.

3) While noodles are cooking, combine peanuts, coconut, lime juice, and whipping cream in a blender. Blend on high chop/puree until a rough solution is formed. Peanuts and coconut do not need to be thoroughly blended, but smaller bits of peanut and coconut should be emulsified in the lime juice and cream.

4) Chop the cilantro and parsley. When noodles are not quite all the way done cooking, turn the temperature down to simmer and add in the cilantro and parsley. Allow to simmer for five minutes.

5) Add in the bullion and the peanut/coconut mixture. Stir thoroughly. Put the cooled cut chicken back into the pot and stir. Adjust the water level accordingly. Salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for ten more minutes and serve hot.

Excellent! I am quite proud of my little left-over soup. It was genuinely tasty, filling, and the perfect balance of cream and peanut and cilantro and lime and flavor. A left over home run.

Also, can I say how proud I am that these are the ingredients I had left over? Fresh cilantro? Fresh whipping cream? A lime? Booyah. Big leaps from my college years, when being down to the wire meant a box of saltines.

Suzanne's Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe from a rockstar woman I love, and who makes the best enchiladas around. Terrified of the enchilada, but willing to mount an attack, I emailed her for the recipe. I give her directions and then a few modifications/comments of my own in italics following each step. I doubled the recipe and made two pans of enchiladas, hence the larger proportions, but they fed an army and turned out wonderfully. What a coup.

Suzanne's Directions:

1. Start by cooking some rice (you'll need about 1.5 cups, but anything between .75 to 2 cups is probably fine. You can also skip the rice.

I used 2 cups cooked brown rice. I think the brown rice gives a deeper/healthier impression.

2. Cut up chicken breast in to bite size pieces and cook in a pan on the stove (you can also get 1-2 precooked whole cooked chickens and tear the meat up into pieces).

I cooked five chicken breasts by boiling them in water and apple cider vinegar with a bit of salt in a large skillet on the stove. After cooking I chopped/shredded the chicken into large bite size pieces.

3. Add about 2 cans of tomato sauce (or one really big can) and nearly a whole can of red enchilada sauce, saving 1/3 cup or so to put on the top (I usually use Rosarita, but anything would work.)

I used 2 cans of Ortega medium red enchilada sauce, one larger can of tomato sauce, and maybe another can's worth of tomato puree that I had in the fridge. These enchiladas were a little drier than most, but I like them better that way. Leaving some for the top is definitely wise.

4. Add the rice to the mix (meaning chicken/sauce mix)

5. Add a lot of shredded cheese (uh...maybe 3/4 cup each of cheddar and mozzerella?)

I used sharp cheddar and white monterrey jack, grating an entire small block of each. The net amount of shredded cheese was probably around 3 cups. I saved a little cheese out to put on top of the enchiladas.

5. Now add more sauce until it's a bit runny (if it's thick, the enchiladas will be more like burritos!)

6. Stir up the mix of sauces with chicken, rice, and cheese.

7. Coat a pyrex dish (size 13 x 9 is good, but anything would probably work) with cooking spray.

8. Put a dollup (2/3 cup?) of mix on a flour (wheat!) tortilla, roll the tortilla up, put it in the dish. Repeat until the dish is full of enchiladas. (My dish fit eight enchiladas.) Leave space between each enchilada so some sauce can get in there and so they will separate more easily.

9. On the top of the enchiladas, add: left over mix, left over enchilada sauce, and extra cheese.

Janie and I also cut up a bunch of fresh cilantro and put it on top with the sauce and cheese and chicken and it was delicious! I would put some cilantro inside even, also we added chopped onion to the chicken/rice/sauce mix.

10. Cook at 350 for 30 minutes or until bubbly hot and browning on top. You can also refrigerate before cooking, and just cook a bit longer (40 minutes?) Serve hot with sour cream or guacamole on top.

So good. MMMMMMMMM.

Cheddar Dill Scones with Simple Chicken Salad

I love to try something new when I feed the missionaries, but this time more important things prevailed. MH was in town and we went to the Moosewood in Ithaca to celebrate. This was only fitting because as MH said, "If men were restaurants, I would marry the Moosewood."

We had chickpeas over coconut rice and vegetarian enchilada pie and fresh bread and creamy spinach dressing on salad and pomegranate Italian soda. And banana cake to go. Our server sat us in the sun at a perfect table. He probably dug us. We were, of course, in full charm.

But then after bouncing along rural New York roads in the truck we realized that we had to throw together a meal pronto, so we turned to an old Melville classic-- the cheddar dill scone. Only this time we served it with a twist-- the scones split open and served with chicken salad on top, akin to the pepper and onion shortbread espoused by the Moosewood.

We served it with grapes, bananas, pink lemonade, and multi color icecream cones for dessert. Perfecto. While a bit daring, we found that the stronger flavors of the scones blended perfectly with the mild flavors of the salad, creating a wonderful mix of textures and flavors in the mouth that was surprisingly pleasing. I would definitely serve this combo again. The chicken salad recipe is below:

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts

4 stalks celery

1 cucumber

1 medium sized package slivered almonds

1 small container mayonnaise

Spices to taste (I use salt, garlic salt, paprika, oregano, white pepper, and just a bit of cardamom)

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 375F. When heated, spread almonds out on baking sheet and toast in oven ten minutes or until golden brown. Remove from heat and cool.

2) Fill large pot 4 inches full of water, add salt, bring to boil. Once boiling, add chicken (make sure water is covering chicken thoroughly) and boil until cooked thoroughly. Cut chicken into smaller cubes/chunks and allow to cool.

3) Peel cucumber and cut into wedge-shaped slices. Wash and chop celery into desired size pieces.

4) When chicken and almonds are cool, combine everything in large bowl with mayonnaise and stir. Add spices to taste.

5) Serve cold over warm scones.