Chicken Salad in a Pita

Last week I was in Maine for a pseudo-reunion. My sister, brother-in-law, and niece voyaged up from Florida, and my aunt, uncle, and little 2nd cousin drove in from western New York. The house was hopping! That said, I did no food blogging. For those of you who noticed, I apologize.

But I'm back now, and I'm ready to give you a little more TLC. I'm starting with a simple chicken salad sandwich, which takes very little elbow grease and absolutely no finesse. Because I know we all have those days.

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For once, I think the picture does this meal justice. I served my chicken salad on a low-carb whole grain pita and topped it with diced cucumbers and carrots. The cold crunch of the vegetables acted in contrast to the softness of the chicken, and I think mixing textures and temperatures is a simple way to excite your tastebuds.

My chicken salad starts with a parboiled chicken breast. I boiled my chicken breast for about twenty-five minutes. The touch test works on parboiled chicken, too, so when you think it's done, pull it from the liquid, let it cool for a second, and give it a nudge. This is your only cooking method for this chicken, so it needs to be fully cooked. Give another bath if you're not sure. Or slice into the thickest part to check. That breast needs to be white from top to bottom; if it's pink, it needs more time in the pot.

When the chicken was cooked, I pulled it out, patted it dry a bit, and set it on a cutting board. You want this chicken to cool before you start hitting it with mayonnaise, so give it some time. Place your chicken in the refrigerator. To speed up the cooling process, cut it into cubes and then stick it in the fridge.

When my chicken was cool to the touch, I added a tablespoon of mayonnaise (FYI: I'm not a mayo fan, so if you are so inclined, feel free to add more), a teaspoon of minced garlic, a ton of black pepper (to taste, meaning: as much as you like), a little salt, and some finely diced onion. If I had had celery in the fridge, I would have added that too. Mix it all together. Give it a taste. If you like it, leave it. You can serve it right away or let it sit covered in the fridge for a bit. One chicken breast served two pitas plus a topping for Ram's salad the next day.

I'm not a fan of chicken salad, usually. That mushy, mayo-y, sort-of-light-brown stuff my mom bought when I was a kid turned me off instantly. But I have learned to like chicken salad when it contains some other things-- when it's actually a salad, not just pureed meat. A lot of people add cut grapes and walnuts to theirs, and for me that's acceptable. But whether you like it plain or fancy, chicken salad is a fairly low-fat/low-cal summer (and year-round) staple. Enjoy-- with fork in hand.