Reviewed: Feb. 4, 2010

I guess I just needed this recipe to start the instructions a little earlier. Like, how do you get your chicken cooked perfectly, ready to chop? Ok, here's what I do: Boil 3 or 4 (seasoned) chicken breasts in 2cups water (with 2 T.oil) about 8 minutes on a rolling boil, or until done. Cool & dice fine. Add I need more seasonings in my chicken salad: I stir together the 1/2 cup mayo, 2 T. lemon juice, seasonings (1/2 t. pepper, 1/2 t. garlic powder, 1/2 t. Old Bay, 1/2 t. Mrs. Dash) and 2-3 Tablespoons sweet pickle relish. (Yes! that's TABLESPOONS -- the big ones!) Toss with chopped chicken, 2-3 ribs diced celery, 2 T. finely diced onion, & 3/4 cup slivered almonds. Add addt'l salt & pepper to taste. Chill 1hr.+ for flavors to meld. Serve chilled. Of course, this makes MORE than Jackie's recipe, but if I'm making something this good, I want enough to enjoy several (toasted) sandwiches, as well as nibble at it with crackers! Yummy!

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Reviewer:

LouHoo in VA

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Roanoke, Virginia, USA

Living In: Martinsville, Virginia, USA

Reviewed: Jan. 17, 2010

I absolutely loved this recipe. I added chopped pecans and a new dill relish that I found. It was wonderful.

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Reviewer:

Huzzer

Reviewed: Dec. 16, 2009

I really liked this; I was a little surprised -- esp. since I generally don't like nuts in my food. But I mashed the almonds to tiny bits, and that really helped. I also substituted purple onion for the celery (but didn't measure it). I especially loved the tang of the lemon juice. Good stuff! (PS-You can definitely get more than 2 sandwiches out of this.)

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Reviewer:

MsMonica

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Temple, Texas, USA

Living In: Dallas, Texas, USA

Reviewed: Dec. 15, 2009

Left out the almonds, added a wee bit of onion. Thought it was ok. Very easy to make. Shredded my chicken tho.

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Reviewer:

Mattie Hyde

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Reviewed: Nov. 15, 2009

Great basic recipe. Love the toasted almond flavor. Added 1/4 cup apple for a nice sweet crunch. Could probably use a little less mayo if desired.

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Reviewer:

Laura

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Living In: Rome, Lazio, Italy

Reviewed: Nov. 8, 2009

This was sooo good. I added a sprinkle of dried basil which added a lot of flavor. So simple for a quick lunch!

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Reviewer:

LinnyIrene

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Flushing, Michigan, USA

Living In: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 30, 2009

This recipe is a good foundation. If you want to add dill pickles, but don't have pickles in your refrigerator, use fresh dill from the store. I also added some garlic powder. Since I didn't have celery, I substituted using 1/2 of a green bell pepper. Of course a red bell pepper would be fine too. To give the recipe some zip, I chopped up some scallions and added them to the mix. White onions would also work well. I also added some chopped walnuts. Finally, I didn't have lemon juice on hand, so I substituted this ingredient with lemon pepper. My wife loved it! What a great way to use up the remaining store bought rotisserie chicken.

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Reviewer:

zoltman

Cooking Level: Intermediate

Home Town: Toledo, Ohio, USA

Living In: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Reviewed: Oct. 21, 2009

This is an excellent and easy recipe. I've always wondered what the "secret" ingredient of gourmet chicken salad is and I think this recipe made it clear...roasted almonds!! We all thought this was yummy with more lemon juice, salt and extra freshly ground black pepper. It's basic but delicious!! Next time I'll add diced onions and creole seasoning to add a little heat! Yummy to my tummy :o)

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