Grandmas Easy Chicken Salad with Homemade Mayonnaise

Ahh..Grandmas Easy Chicken Salad with Homemade Mayonnaise. I remember going to my grandmother’s house for lunch and she’d have her famous chicken salad on a bed of lettuce with a homemade blueberry muffin. I miss those days as I miss her very much.

This is an actual picture of my grandparents with my 2 year old father. The year is 1931 and my grandmother is 28 years old. Wow! I hadn’t seen this photo since yesterday when my cousin emailed it to me.

My cousin called and told me my aunt Sally (her mother) had passed away on the 14th of this month. Sally was my father’s sister. Some strange things have happened a few days before that call.

My cousin and I had not spoken since my father had passed in 2011. Out of nowhere I mentioned her in a conversation I had with my granddaughter. It was one of those “well in my day...” conversation which a 13 year old doesn’t care about. Secondly when my husband passed I gave some of his ashes to his niece so she could spread them around a tree she just planted. Again, out of the blue, I’d say 2 days before my cousin’s call she contacted me through Facebook. My cousin is saving some of Sally’s ashes to do the very same thing. Eerie...but that’s not the only thing.

Sally, who has had dementia these last couple years, had been getting up and going to the door for about a week before she passed. When asked why she is doing that she said “I’m waiting on my mother, she’s going to pick me up” and another time she said her brother was going to pick her up. Our only conclusion was her mother and brother who have both passed were her guardian angels that were preparing her and going to guide her through her transition to the other side or heaven. And if you ever watch Tyler Henry or Theresa Caputo this makes total sense. At least it made sense to us.

We reminisced about a lot of things, which brought back a lot of memories just like the lunches grandma and I would share. So tonight I’m going to make her chicken salad and I hope you try it too. Serves 4 Total Time:45 minutes

Ingredients:

For the mayonnaise

1. 1 large egg yolk
2. ¼ tsp salt
3. ¼ tsp Dijon mustard
4. 1 ½ tsp lemon juice
5. 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
6. ¾ cup avocado oil or light olive oil
7. (If you don’t want to make mayonnaise, just use 1 cup of Hellmanns mayonnaise with olive oil)

The rest of ingredients

1. 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
2. ½ lemon, sliced
3. ¼ tsp whole black peppercorns
4. 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
5. 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
6. 1 small red onion, finely diced
7. 2 celery stalks, finely diced
8. 1 garlic clove, minced
9. salt, black pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a pot place the chicken, lemon slices, black peppercorns and season with salt.
2. Add enough water to cover the chicken breasts, plus one additional inch.
3. Cover the pot with a lid and cook over medium heat 25-30 minutes.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot and allow to cool completely.
5. Meanwhile, make the mayonnaise.
6. In a bowl, place the egg yolk.
7. Add the salt, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and apple cider vinegar and whisk until combine about 30 seconds.
8. Add ¼ cup oil a drop at a time, whisking constantly, until mixture is emulsified and thick.
9. Gradually add remaining oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick.
10. Cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes and add to a bowl.
11. Add the celery, onion, parsley, garlic, Dijon mustard and half of prepared mayonnaise.
12. Toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and serve.
13. Refrigerate the rest of mayonnaise for another use.
14. Serve on bread or on some lettuce (with a blueberry muffin) Yum Yum!