Chicken salad - Summer staple has dozens of variations, all delicious

What would a summer lunch be if no one at the table ordered chicken salad on a sandwich or stuffed in a ripe tomato?

Several weeks back, a Side Orders column asked readers to submit their favorite places to find good chicken salad. It's a yardstick for many diners, said Ann Ball, who frequents Boathouse Raw Bar and Rotisserie, not for the barbecue and seafood it's known for but for its chicken salad.

"I love how thick and meaty it is," she said. "I enjoy the grapes in it, and I really love that nice dressing they use. I don't know what that is, but it tastes like the same dressing they use on their spit-roasted chicken salads. A lot of chicken salad comes in a serving, so I usually eat all I want and still take home enough for a chicken salad sandwich or chicken salad with papaya the next day."

Richard Lobb, director of communications for the Washington, D.C.-based National Chicken Council, said chicken salad has wide appeal.

"It's certainly a popular item and is being updated these days with different flavorings. I had one the other day with dill and sunflower seeds, which gave it a little bit of a twist," he said. "Like chicken in general, it can carry a lot of different flavors and seasonings."

It can be served in numerous ways: in a lettuce wrap, on a tomato, in a croissant or spread on plain white bread.

"I prefer mine on toast, though," Mr. Lobb said. "I don't care what kind of bread it's on, but I like the crunchy texture of toast with chicken salad."

Here are some variations on one of summer's traditional favorite salads.

Vicki Anderson's Chicken Salad

Traditional-flavor deli chicken from the grocery store, cut into small pieces

Golden raisins

Seedless green or red grapes, cut in half

Golden Delicious apple, diced into tiny pieces

Sweet pickle relish

Toasted pecans

Light mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients, except mayonnaise in large mixing bowl, adding enough mayonnaise to bind ingredients and make a creamy texture.

Fran Smith's Fruity Chicken Salad

3 cups grilled or steamed chicken, seasoned to taste and cut into bite-size pieces

3/4 cup light mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Dijonnaise

1 apple, cut into bite-size pieces and tossed with 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup red grapes, halved

1 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup grape juice

4 packs Splenda

In large bowl combine all ingredients well. Serve immediately, or chill before serving.

Serve with split croissants or assorted crackers. This is attractive on a lettuce leaf, alongside fruit salad.

Sweet Curry Chicken Salad

3 cups diced cooked chicken

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup diced celery

2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/2 cup diced apple

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional

4 to 6 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Lettuce leaves

Combine the chicken, cranberries, celery, onion, apple and nuts, if using. In a cup or small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons of mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper. Stir into the chicken, adding more mayonnaise as needed for texture and taste. Line bread or rolls with lettuce and spread chicken salad on the bread, or serve the chicken salad on lettuce-lined plates. Makes 4 servings.

-- southernfood.about.com

Chicken Salad With Bacon

3 cups cooked diced chicken

4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 can (8 ounces) sliced water chestnuts, drained

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1 cup seedless green grapes, halved

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon parsley, fresh or dried

2 tablespoons finely minced green onions

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Dash Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

Combine chicken, bacon, water chestnuts, celery and grapes in a large bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients; combine with chicken mixture, using as much or as little as necessary to moisten as desired. You may add a little more mayonnaise if you like a creamier salad. Chill and stir again before serving.

Suggestion: For a luncheon dish, serve over slices of ripe avocado and lettuce leaves. Makes 4-6 servings.

-- southernfood.about.com

READER PICKS FOR CHICKEN SALAD

* Deli Man and Cake Lady. "It's really awesome," said Fran Smith, an engineering assistant for AT&T Southeast.

* Between the Bridges Cafe. Bonnie Marcus said she could "eat it every day."

* Cafe Dino-Mite at Creative Discovery Museum. It may be an unexpected place to find it, but Charlene Banks said, "By the sandwich or on a lettuce leaf, it's very good,"

* Delectable Delights, Benton, Tenn. Patti Penepent couldn't resist letting us know about this hidden gem. "It has the right balance of sweet and salty, not too creamy, a variety of ingredients, a perfect texture and melody, and best of all, you can still taste the chicken."

* Daryl's Sandwich Shop. Vicki Anderson gave the downtown location a nod, and Susan Spotts said the one on Battlefield Parkway in Fort Oglethorpe gets her vote. "Theirs is the best chicken salad hands-down," Ms. Spotts said.

* Chelsea's on Thornton in Dalton, Ga. "It is not made with fruit or nuts but with a special seasoning, and it's wonderful," Nanette Hawkins said.

* Out of the Blue. "It's my favorite," said Jane Curtis McGrath. It's a simple recipe with "mostly chicken, water chestnuts and a smidge of curry," she said.