I'm having an affair...with my chicken salad...

I'm still not quite over my ex...my tuna salad...but my chicken salad is quickly moving in and he's packin' a big punch.

Yum.

Let me back up a bit for a sec...

Here's a fun tidbit about moi. I'm kind of like a sandwichaholic...love eating them...love making them...thinking of owning my own sandwich shop someday...with my own homemade sandwiches of course. K...tad bit of a pipe dream there...but that is how much I LOVE the sandwiches I make. It's fun to get creative and make sandwiches from random leftovers too...like REALLY FUN. And super delish. You should seriously try it. Or don't...just come visit me in my sandwich shop in a few years and taste what you've been missing... ;)

I DARE YA.

Anyway, my dad is working on a closet project in my house right now and so I thought that I'd make a nice lunch for him while he was here. Chicken salad came to mind...made it...loved by me...loved by all else (including my wonderfully fabulous sister who also dropped by in time for lunch). Total winner. Here are some shots I took and a sorta recipe:

Started out with some cooked chicken tenderloins...

Kept the ingredients for the chicken pretty simple and healthy...Pam Olive Oil spray for a little non-stick action, a little sea salt and a little black pepper...

(not pictured, once cooked, I cut up the chicken into small bite size pieces)

Got the rest of my ingredients together...some baby carrots...celery...onion...

Spicy brown mustard, mayo and pickle relish...

Not so secret ingredient.

Chopped up my veggies with my handy dandy Pampered Chef Food Chopper (love it)

(Please excuse my orange onions - I was being lazy and didn't rinse the veggies out of the food chopper after each use. The onions were last and therefore got the brunt.)

Mixed the chicken, veggies & Craisins together along with the mayo, mustard, pickle relish, salt & pepper (sorry, no real measurements here...just an eyeball thing)

And viola!

A closer look...

P.S. I typically add a little bit of lemon juice to the mix for freshness but I didn't have any on hand today...

Also, walnut, pecans or slivered almonds are optional - they add a nice crunch if you're into nuts

So, there you have it...my contribution to the world of chicken salad.

There is only 1 downside and here it is...it disappears quickly! Ours is already gone...made and gone in about an hour...granted, I did have hungry guests. ;)

If you try it, please send me a comment and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!
XO