Kim’s Chicken Salad Recipe

My mom borrowed this recipe from a friend who uses it for her UGA tailgates. I have since used this recipe and love it! Kim describes it as ‘a process, not really a recipe.’ She’s right but it’s so worth the process!

Preparing the chicken:

Ingredients:
- bone in chicken breasts (this recipe is great because you can make as much chicken salad as you want. As I mentioned, this is a process so I like to make a lot. I prepared 9 chicken breasts and we’ll definitely be eating a lot of chicken salad for the next week.)
- olive oil
- celery salt
- lemon pepper
- S & P
- Reynolds large oven bags

Wash chicken breasts. I take the skin off some of the breasts before cooking, but not all. The chicken stays moister if you leave the skin on, but if you go ahead and take the skin off, then you get more of the spice flavors in your chicken salad. It’s your call.

Dry breast and rub with olive oil. Season both sides with S, P, lemon pepper and celery salt. Repeat for each piece.

Spray inside of oven bag with Pam. Put about 5 breasts in each bag. Place bag in a baking pan. (Spray pan with Pam as well.)

Cook chicken for one hour at least at 350. Turn oven off and let sit for another hour. Then put chicken in refrigerator to cool.

The chicken falls easily off the bone. Remove the skin if you have not done so yet. Cut chicken into desired size pieces.

Making chicken salad:

Ingredients:
- Prepared chicken
- Celery, cut into desired size (I don’t like a lot of celery in my chicken salad so I use one rib or less per breast)
- Sweet pickle relish (Vlassic is GF)
- Hellman’s Mayonnaise
- S & P

In a large bowl, mix chicken and celery. Add relish and mayo, until you get your desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

Judge how much you want to use based on your own taste buds. I made the chicken salad a day in advance so I added a little more mayo and relish the morning of the picnic. I also like to eat this chicken salad on Mary’s Gone Crackers or on a bed of mixed baby greens.