Sweet Tarragon Chicken Salad

Growing up, I always hated chicken salad. Bland meat slathered in mayonnaise? No thanks. It took a while for me to be able to be near the stuff, let alone actually eat it. Last week, I developed my own little recipe for a different take on chicken salad. It makes for a simple, tasty sandwich.

It may look like normal chicken salad, but it'll surprise you.

Ingredients:

  - 2 skinless chicken breasts

  - 1/4 cup mayonnaise

  - 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper (green or red)

  - 2 tbsp vidalia or another sweet onion, chopped finely

  - 1 ear of corn

  - 1 tbsp fresh tarragon (or 1 tsp dried), chopped finely.

  - 1/2 tsp celery salt

  - salt

  - pepper

Instructions:

1. Soak the chicken breasts in a brine (say, 1 tbsp salt and 1 1/2 cups water) for 30 minutes to a half hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes and let cool for at least five minutes.
2. Boil the ear of corn for about 10 minutes. Set it aside and let it cool.
3. Meanwhile, put the onion in some ice water for a few minutes (this helps reduce the acidity).
4. Cut the chicken into small chunks, and put into a large bowl with the mayonnaise, bell pepper, onion, tarragon, and celery salt.
5. With a sharp knife, cut the kernals off the ear of corn and toss them into the bowl with everything else. They'll probably come off in little sheets.
6. Stir everything together nicely - the corn will break up without a problem.
7. Salt and pepper to taste

Serve on some good bread. Easy! Canned or frozen corn could be used instead of fresh - about 1/2 cup would probably be appropriate. The green peppers take the place of the celery I'm accustomed to in chicken salad. For reasons I don't fully comprehend, I hate celery. Fresh bell peppers provide the crunch and sweetness without all of the excess evil. I threw a little celery salt in to appease my girlfriend; celery salt doesn't bother me nearly as much as regular celery does, and it gives the dish enough of a little kick to make her happy. The tarragon is the star of the show here, though. It has a really unique flavor, and after hanging around with the mayonnaise for a little while the flavor can diffuse through the dish quite nicely. If you're using dried tarragon, make sure to wait a little bit for it to soften. Feeling crazy? Substitute sage, mint, or basil.

Definitely brine the chicken. If you've never done it before, it'll shock you how much flavor the meat keeps.

Final Verdict:

Taste: 4/5

Ease: 4/5

Health: 4/5