pam's mom's best ever chicken salad

Name: Pam's Mom's Best Ever Chicken Salad
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ## THE 30 MINUTE COOK TIME IS FOR MARINATING THE CHICKEN.; 1/2 teaspoon(s) salt; 4 tablespoon(s) each salad oil, orange juice, and cider vinegar; ## I INCREASED THE AMOUNTS FOR THE MARINADE AS I FOUND THAT THE CHICKEN AND RICE SEEMED TO JUST GOBBLE UP THE FLAVORS AND I ENDED UP ADDING EXTRA VINEGAR AT THE END TO BRING THE FLAVOR BACK.); 5 cup(s) chopped chicken; 3 cup(s) cooked rice; 1 1/2 cup(s) sliced celery; 1 1/2 cup(s) halved seedless green grapes or whole small red seedless or champagne grapes.; 1 can(s) 15 oz. pineapple chunks drained well; 1/2 to 3/4 cup(s) mayonnaise or to taste; 1 cup(s) toasted slivered almonds; 1 can(s) 11oz. mandarin oranges, drained well; - salt and pepper to taste

(1 RATING)

137 Pinches 5 Photos

Pam Ellingson

Wichita, KS

Updated on Jan 31, 2012

I was going through one of my mom's personal recipe books and found this wonderful chicken salad she used to make at the Wichita Art Museum. Just had to share it with you all, as it was always so popular for women's brunches.

Rate

prep time 20 Min

cook time 30 Min

method No-Cook or Other

yield 8 - 12 Main dish serving size approx 1 cup

Ingredients

THE 30 MINUTE COOK TIME IS FOR MARINATING THE CHICKEN.
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons each salad oil, orange juice, and cider vinegar
I INCREASED THE AMOUNTS FOR THE MARINADE AS I FOUND THAT THE CHICKEN AND RICE SEEMED TO JUST GOBBLE UP THE FLAVORS AND I ENDED UP ADDING EXTRA VINEGAR AT THE END TO BRING THE FLAVOR BACK.)
5 cups chopped chicken
3 cups cooked rice
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
1 1/2 cups halved seedless green grapes or whole small red seedless or champagne grapes.
1 can 15 oz. pineapple chunks drained well
1/2 to 3/4 cups mayonnaise or to taste
1 cup toasted slivered almonds
1 can 11oz. mandarin oranges, drained well
- salt and pepper to taste

How To Make pam's mom's best ever chicken salad

Step 1

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, orange juice, vinegar and salt together. Add the chopped chicken, stir well and refrigerate to marinate for 30 minutes, stirring it once or twice while marinating.

Step 2

While marinating, prepare celery and drain the fruits keeping the mandarin oranges separate from the rest. Toast the slivered almonds and let cool.
Step 3

Remove the marinated chicken from the fridge and add all remaining ingredients except mandarin oranges and about 1/3c almonds. Mix thoroughly but gently (very clean hands work best). Adjust salt and add pepper if desired. You may also need to add a small amount more vinegar to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Step 4

Serve on a pretty ruffled leaf of lettuce or a chiffonade of romaine. Garnish with the orange sections and sprinkle a few almonds over each serving. (We used this for many light brunches served on the lettuce leaf with a small spinach salad, and either a muffin or a croissant and for dessert a small serving of chocolate lava cake.)
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