Cranberry Chicken Salad

Lately, I've been really bored with lunch...whether I'm packing one for work or just eating at home. It just seems like I've been having the same ol' thing...turkey sandwiches with provolone or ham and cheddar. Yawn! Last night, I was determined to come up with a fresh new sandwich. And what I came up with was certainly new and very flavorful. Here's what I did...

-1 large chicken breast

-1 large celery stalk, chopped 

-a large handful (about 1/4 cup or so) of dried cranberries

-a handful of roasted and salted sunflower seeds (about 2 TBS worth)

-about 1 TBS of fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley, chopped

-1/2 cup of Greek yogurt

-1 rounded TBS of Miracle Whip or mayo (I know everyone has their preference, so use whatever you like.) 

-1 orange, zested

-a heavy pinch of parisien bonnes herbes (get it here:http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysparisienherb.html--for some reason, this didn't create a link, so just copy and paste this into your browser. ) You could also use a small amount of fresh tarragon, chopped.

-a generous sprinkle of the following: celery seed, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper

Now, this can be made from a rotisserie chicken or any leftover chicken, but if you don't have either of those then just take 1 large chicken breast and put it into a medium pot. Add enough cold water to cover the chicken by an inch or so. Add in the celery seed, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat and cook for about 10-12 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. The internal temperature should read 160 degrees. Remove the chicken from the pot and let it cool. Once you can handle the chicken, cut it into small cubes and put it into a medium mixing bowl. Stir in the chopped celery, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and parsley. In a small mixing bowl, add the yogurt, Miracle Whip or mayo, orange zest, parisien bonnes herbes, and salt and pepper to taste. Adding a little of the dressing at a time to the chicken mixture, stir until mixture is just moistened and everything is distributed evenly. Add more dressing to your specific tastes. Serve on a warm bun or toast and top with romaine lettuce or spinach or serve it on top of a bed of greens!

Typically, chicken salads have nuts in them, but I wanted to write this without nuts. My niece, Emmy, has a very serious nut allergy, as I know many kids do. She can eat sunflower seeds though, so I wrote this recipe for her. It's sweet and crunchy with a little bit of tang from the Greek yogurt and orange zest. The parisien bonnes herbes (I know I use this a lot, but it's so versatile and a delicious blend of herbs!) add a fresh depth of flavor. This was a great recipe to get me out of my boring sandwich rut! I hope you enjoy it too!