Mendocino Chicken Salad

I found this chicken salad recipe in my search for the perfect chicken salad about a year ago. I have now forgotten how to make any other kind because this one is so flipping fantastic! I found it on AllRecipes.com and have modified it to make my life easier (the recipe asks for some kind of smoked chicken that I couldn't find) and because I don't love celery. 

You can chop some celery up and throw it in if you want. I'll pass because I'm not a fan. I'll allow it in cooked dishes (like gumbo) because it belongs, but I never eat the fresh version. Don't let the basil in this salad scare you either. I was a little concerned at first, but after the first bite I knew it was the right thing to do. Just try it. You will see.

I usually toss the meat from the chicken into the food processor so I don't waste 30 minutes tearing it up into small pieces. I know you are shocked to know that my OCD takes over in this step, so it takes way too long for the chicken to be shredded uniformly. Who's got that kind of time? You do what you want, but I find letting the chopper do the work makes my life happy.

I also use more/less grapes, onions, and basil depending on the day. I never measure these, or the mayonnaise. The original used a small amount of chicken, so I've estimated these based on the use of a rotisserie chicken. Again, I've never measured so you may need more or less of the things.

Mendocino Chicken Salad

Ingredients:

1 rotisserie chicken, shredded

2 cups of seedless grapes, halved

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into thin strips

mayonnaise

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Chill and serve.

Super easy. Super tasty. Now go try it and thank me later.  I'm going to make a sandwich!