Chefs, Catering, and the Chicken Salad Dilemma

I've been a chef for many years now. I listen to what people say and try to give them what they are asking for... in certain situations. There is a time and a place for trying to broaden your guests' horizons... business lunches are not the time or the place. People know what they want and they want it when they want it, how they want it. Wine dinners, Tastings, Supper Clubs; those are acceptable times for "culinary education" and experimentation. Times when people want to eat and get back to business with a broad array of palates to please is not one of those times. Give the people what they want. It's easier to sell a perfectly done smoked ribeye sandwich on a beautiful yeast bread with tangy tomato, crisp green lettuce, and a crunchy pickle to everyone than it is to sell a mortadella on carmelized onion foccacia with fontina and roasted red pepper relish and saffron aioli to someone with a much more reserved palate.

That being said, I have wrestled with finding the perfect chicken salad recipe for years. How much is too much mayo? How much is too little? Some chefs add fruit -- apples, raisins, pears... Add nuts or no? I've seen it with walnuts; I've seen it with pinenuts. To chunk or to shred? That is the question. Simple parsley or tarragon? Perhaps chervil? Green onion or Spanish onion? Possibly no onion... I've had it with cinnamon. I've had it with cumin. Curry is always a choice... not MY choice, but A choice.

So this is my Kobayashi Maru, and no I'm not a "Trekkie"! No Star Trek shirts with the delta thing on the chest and no Spock ears in my top drawer! I just happen to have an older brother and a bit of trivial pop culture knowledge... Anywhooo... Needless to say I've been working on a killer chicken salad recipe for quite some time that caters to the tastes of everyone.

So here we go. Sometimes recipes evolve over time and sometimes they appear in a cloud with angels singing all at once. (Aaaaaahhhh! Aaaaaahhhh!) This is one of the latter. It just all came together at once and I'm happy to share it with you all...

Tuscan Pesto Chicken Salad
1 pound Chicken (white meat, dark meat, or whatever mixture you prefer)
1/4 cup minced Onion
1/4 cup Celery, small dice
1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, chopped
1/3 cup Toasted, Slivered Almonds
2 Tbsp Roasted Garlic
1/4 cup Basil Pesto
1/3 cup Italian Dressing (mix yourself or buy a high quality brand)
1/3 cup Mayonnaise
1/3 to 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as desired)
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook chicken to desired doneness. Shredding or chunking are both perfectly acceptable. Mix all ingredients together and adjust the moisture to your preference with olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on a naughty, buttery croissant with tomato and lettuce or by itself with a nice mixed green salad and a Bloody Mary for lunch. Enjoy!

I'm very happy with the results and it has taken years to get to this recipe. It's not always Foie Gras and Sweetbreads, sometimes a great chicken salad is just what the doctor ordered... literally. Cheers and Bon Apetit!