California Chicken Salad
As befits the Autumn Equinox, September in California means wine weekends. The Autumn Equinox, or Mabon, was the harvest of orchard fruit along with perhaps the most sacred of all produce: grapes. In the ancient world, wine was revered for its ability to loosen inhibitions and to alter states of consciousness, which acts were seen as vital to the practice of connecting with the Earth. Drinking, merriment and madness were all associated with the festival atmosphere of Mabon, but the celebration belied deeper truth. In revering the Earth's production of grapes and the sacred gift of wine, those ancients were celebrating the second of the three harvests not just in gratitude, but in rituals of sympathy with the turning of the seasons. Harvest celebrations were acts of stewardship for the Earth as well as appeals against scarcity during the upcoming bleak months of winter.
Harvest is the most significant time of year in wine country. Wineries and tasting rooms are at their peak of production and of visitors. Harvest festivals abound, from Solvang's annual scarecrow festival to Santa Barbara Harvest Weekend. The Harvest tradition of the corn maze becomes a hay maze, often highlit by lattices of grapes. Aside from grapes, many of the farmlands grow pumpkins, which are vended from clapboard shacks along country roads just as strawberries are in the summer. Wineries often introduce their proudest bottlings during Harvest, and everyone -- everyone -- has an opinion on this year's yield.
It is a rite of wine country passage to go on a wine picnic, and there is no lovelier time to do it than a wine country autumn. Many of the wineries provide picnic tables and manicured lawns for opening a bottle just discovered. There is something special about spreading a blanket under a bower of grapevines, upon the welcoming ridge of a green hillside, upon rocky beach sands with the Pacific crashing against the shoreline. It is healing and connective, just as the autumn harvest has always been, has always been meant to be.
Olives, artichoke spread, bread, crackers, cheese and fruit are all available at such local markets as the Los Olivos Grocery and R Country Market in Los Olivos and the El Rancho and Vinhaus in Solvang. Another California supermarket staple that will likely be available for your picnic is California chicken salad. If you immediately thought of the mayonnaisey glop from the office lunch cart, get ready to encounter a regional preparation for as stalwart an item at the American table as there is, that will prejudice you once and for all against all indifferent interpretations and/or executions of it.
California chicken salad highlights west coast crops and flavors, including the crop most central to California living and food: grapes. It embodies the tenets of California cooking of freshness, local produce, lightness of touch and richness of flavor. Wine-poached chicken is pulled into delicate threads, then mixed with distinctively California ingredients for a dish that is flavorful and satisfying. It travels safely if kept cool, so make it ahead of time to serve with picnic crackers or pulls from a fresh loaf of bread, or keep a bowl of it in the fridge for lunch fixes.
At whatever table from picnic to luncheon you serve your chicken salad, its legacy is truest when enjoyed with a glass of good California wine. Try Gainey's spritely Sauvingnon Blanc, Foxen's plush Chenin Blanc, Bridlewood's voluptuous Chardonnay or Melville's satiny Pinot Noir. All will nicely compliment this original recipe for a true Golden State classic: California chicken salad.
California Chicken Salad
Resist the urge to poach the chicken quickly or over high heat; the slow, steady method is the only way to achieve the velvety texture for this dish. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for chicken stock; if using store bought, use low-sodium. This recipe makes enough to serve four to six people.
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 - 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
Harvest is the most significant time of year in wine country. Wineries and tasting rooms are at their peak of production and of visitors. Harvest festivals abound, from Solvang's annual scarecrow festival to Santa Barbara Harvest Weekend. The Harvest tradition of the corn maze becomes a hay maze, often highlit by lattices of grapes. Aside from grapes, many of the farmlands grow pumpkins, which are vended from clapboard shacks along country roads just as strawberries are in the summer. Wineries often introduce their proudest bottlings during Harvest, and everyone -- everyone -- has an opinion on this year's yield.
It is a rite of wine country passage to go on a wine picnic, and there is no lovelier time to do it than a wine country autumn. Many of the wineries provide picnic tables and manicured lawns for opening a bottle just discovered. There is something special about spreading a blanket under a bower of grapevines, upon the welcoming ridge of a green hillside, upon rocky beach sands with the Pacific crashing against the shoreline. It is healing and connective, just as the autumn harvest has always been, has always been meant to be.
Olives, artichoke spread, bread, crackers, cheese and fruit are all available at such local markets as the Los Olivos Grocery and R Country Market in Los Olivos and the El Rancho and Vinhaus in Solvang. Another California supermarket staple that will likely be available for your picnic is California chicken salad. If you immediately thought of the mayonnaisey glop from the office lunch cart, get ready to encounter a regional preparation for as stalwart an item at the American table as there is, that will prejudice you once and for all against all indifferent interpretations and/or executions of it.
California chicken salad highlights west coast crops and flavors, including the crop most central to California living and food: grapes. It embodies the tenets of California cooking of freshness, local produce, lightness of touch and richness of flavor. Wine-poached chicken is pulled into delicate threads, then mixed with distinctively California ingredients for a dish that is flavorful and satisfying. It travels safely if kept cool, so make it ahead of time to serve with picnic crackers or pulls from a fresh loaf of bread, or keep a bowl of it in the fridge for lunch fixes.
At whatever table from picnic to luncheon you serve your chicken salad, its legacy is truest when enjoyed with a glass of good California wine. Try Gainey's spritely Sauvingnon Blanc, Foxen's plush Chenin Blanc, Bridlewood's voluptuous Chardonnay or Melville's satiny Pinot Noir. All will nicely compliment this original recipe for a true Golden State classic: California chicken salad.
California Chicken Salad
Resist the urge to poach the chicken quickly or over high heat; the slow, steady method is the only way to achieve the velvety texture for this dish. Click here for Urban Home Blog's recipe for chicken stock; if using store bought, use low-sodium. This recipe makes enough to serve four to six people.
1-1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 pound red seedless grapes
8 ounces pecan halves
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1 cup off-dry white wine such as Chardonnay, Viognier, or Pinot Gris
Chicken stock1 - 1-1/2 cups mayonnaise
1-1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoons table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Prepare the chicken
- Look over the chicken breasts and trim and discard any fibrous areas or areas that display discoloration or an off odor.
- Place the chicken breasts in a medium sized saucepan with a tight-fitting lid.
- Measure the wine into the pan. Add enough chicken stock to cover the chicken breasts by 1/2 inch. Add the bay leaf and the peppercorns to the pan. Swirl the pan around to mix the liquids and the seasoning together.
- Cover the pan. Turn the burner to medium-low. Cook the chicken breasts until they are cooked through and the cooking liquid releases its fragrance, typically about 30 minutes. The chicken is cooked through when the tip of a sharp knife safely inserted into the thickest part of the meat meets no resistance.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, turn off the heat and remove the pan from the burner. Allow the chicken breasts to cool in the poaching liquid 15 minutes.
- Once the chicken breasts are cooled down, remove them from the poaching liquid and place them on a plate lined with a layer of paper towels. Discard the poaching liquid.
- Working one chicken breast at a time, place a chicken breast on a clean cutting board reserved for poultry. Use two forks or your hands to tear each chicken breast into bite-sized pieces. Transfer the shredded chicken to a large mixing bowl as you go.
Prepare the remaining ingredients
- While the chicken is poaching, remove the grapes from the stems, popping them into a colander as you go. Rinse the grapes and give the colander a shake to express excess water if any.
- Use a clean cutting board devoted to fruits and vegetables and a paring knife to cut each grape lengthways into halves, then each half into quarters. Pop the quartered grapes into a large mixing bowl as you go. Once you have quartered all of the grapes, you should have between 1-1/2 to 2 cups. Don't worry if the measure is not exact.
- Sprinkle the grapes with the salt and several grindings of fresh black pepper.
- Transfer the pecan halves to a nut grinder or mini kitchen prep and pulse until ground but not pulverized. Transfer the ground pecans to the bowl containing the grapes.
- Measure the poppy seeds into the bowl containing the pecans and the grapes. Use a silicon spatula to mix the grapes, pecans, and seasonings together.
Make the chicken salad
- Use a silicon spatula to transfer the seasoned grape-pecan mixture to the bowl containing the shredded chicken. Use the silicon spatula to mix all of the ingredients together.
- Use a measuring scoop and the silicon spatula to add the mayonnaise to the chicken mixture. Measure the cider vinegar into the bowl containing the mixture.
- Use the silicon spatula to mix all of the ingredients together. It is okay to add additional mayo/vinegar to the chicken salad to achieve the texture you like; work in increments of 1/2 cup mayonnaise to 1/2 tablespoon cider vinegar.
Serve the chicken salad
- Scoop the chicken salad into a serving dish or transport vessel, depending upon when and how you're serving. Serve with wheat crackers, fresh bread, or salad greens.
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