One June day while trying to frantically fit in more errands than one school day will allow, I became hungry. I stopped into the gigantic Whole Foods in Bellevue and checked out their deli. I’d had the curried chicken salad and wasn’t in the mood for that, but next to it was their Blackened Chicken Salad. Well, I like my blackening seasoning and I like my chicken, so that sounded pretty good to me, you know. It WAS good. So good that I peeled the ingredients list off with the determination to re-make that lovely dish so that I could have it anytime I wanted to! It looks like this:
CRACKS ME UP to post pics like this, but at least you get the gist. I’m going to have to take a class on food photography.
Here’s my take of Blackened Chicken Salad:
3 chicken breasts, poached and sliced (you can chop it if you like, but they sliced it and I liked that)
2-4 green onions with greens, sliced up nicely
1 c. paleo mayo
1 T. country or dijon mustard
1 T. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 T. Blackening Seasoning
Mix all but the chicken breasts together well and then toss with the chicken. Wrap it up in some lettuce or just eat it and enjoy!
Blackening Seasoning is easily made at home by mixing 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, 2 t. fennel, 1 t. thyme, 1 tsp paprika, 2 t. mustard seeds, 1 t. red pepper flakes, 1 t. garlic powder in a spice grinder and pulsing until powdery. Makes a nice coating for grilling foods, too!
Couple of ideas I’ll pursue the next few times I make this: Grilling the chicken for an alternative, and perhaps adding bacon crumbles to the poached variety.
sounds good!