Perfect Chicken Salad

i.heart.chicken.salad.

There's nothing better on toasted bread...period.

While I was in culinary school, I interned under Chef Fred Amato - a known Italian chef in the Myrtle Beach area who decided after many years in the uber busy restaurant world to slow down a bit and open a small Italian deli. I was lucky enough to spend a year under his wing learning techniques and recipes he had perfected over time.

One of his more popular sandwiches was his chicken salad. I could literally make it in my sleep!! His recipe is BY FAR the most flavorful traditional chicken salad I've ever tasted - and I've had tons of chicken salad!

So, would you like for me to share? It's quite simple...and I bet you have everything in your fridge right now!

• 2 cups of shredded chicken
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1/4 cup diced celery
• 3 hard boiled eggs, diced
• Splash worcestershire sauce
• Splash hot sauce
• Tbsp dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup-1 cup mayo
• Season salt, pepper and granulated garlic to taste

Start by boiling your eggs - I use Martha Stewart's no fail plan: cover eggs with water in a pot, bring to a boil, boil for 5 minutes, take pot off of burner and let sit for 15 minutes, put eggs in ice water bath to cool. And voila! Perfect hard boiled eggs {never a green ring} every time!

As far as the chicken goes, I only ever use one of two options - either a bought rotisserie chicken or a roasted chicken from my oven - and I always use both white and dark meat. We usually have leftovers from the night before's dinner, so I just use that. Shred the chicken in a large bowl. Add diced onion, celery and hard boiled egg and combine. Add worcestershire, hot sauce {I

like Siracha}, mustard and seasonings. Combine those ingredients.

I was super excited when Hellman's came out with an Olive Oil version of their mayo!! And, the best part is it tastes good...like I can't tell a difference! Plus, it's a great option for my family's health - what could be better!?! I say to have anywhere from a 1/2 cup to a full cup of mayo ready to go. I start with a 1/2 cup and just add more {one tbsp at a time} to the mixture until I've reached the perfect consistency. Remember, you can always add more, but once it's in there, you can't take away...so, be careful because there's nothing worse than soggy chicken salad!

Easy as pie, right? I like to let mine sit for at least an hour before serving, just so all the flavors can marinate together. Serve on toasted bread, a buttery croissant or your favorite bagel. You'll love it!

Can you believe we're only 1 1/2 days away from 2011? Ahh!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!