MIKE and CHARLIE'S CHICKEN SALAD

More fond memories from the Mike and Charlie's neighborhood restaurant and Emporium (their to-go adjunct to the restaurant).  This is the sandwich I ordered 95% of the time to go with their Cheese Soup.  Yummy.

I am swamped today and don't have the time to actually make this recipe...but I know from the ingredients, and many years of making different chicken salads, that this one has the ingredients I recall....the lemon juice, the dry mustard, the light garlic flavor...ummm, I can almost taste it.

I hope you try it... it's a chunky chicken salad, as opposed to Sandy's World Famous Chicken Salad, which is a spread.  The recipe says it makes enough for 6 people...but that's a pretty big chicken it calls for!  Sounds more like a roaster than a fryer!  It might make more than 6 servings.

I'd love feedback via comments if you make this recipe.  I have verrrry fond memories of this chicken salad sandwich on whole wheat bread!   Ohhhh, now my tummy is rumbling.   :-)

MIKE AND CHARLIE'S CHICKEN SALAD
from "Dining with Diane - The Austin Restaurant Cookbook"
by Diane Payton Gomez

Ingredients:

5-6 pound chicken
1/2 bunch celery, finely chopped
2 cups heavy mayonnaise (Hellman's is good)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper (this would be too much if you used fine grind)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder.

Method:

Put chicken in pot and cover with water.  Cut off the celery tops and add to pot.  Boil chicken until cooked through, about 1 hour.  Cool the chicken overnight in the broth.  Pick the meat off the bones and cut into fairly large pieces (it doesn't say - but discard the skin and fat...don't want that in chicken salad).  Mix together the mayonnaise and all the spices.  Add the chicken and celery.  Gently fold the mixture together, mixing well, but not over mixing.  Makes enough salad for about 6 people.

Geez, now that I've typed this up, I'm going to have to make chicken salad this week-end.  It just sounds too good not to make it!  Maybe I'll do that, and then use the chicken broth to make another batch of the Cheese Soup...I'm sure that will give it an even better depth of flavor!  It will also provide me a complete walk down memory lane!

Bon Appetit, Y'all!!!