Dill & Cucumber Chicken Salad

I confess when I was younger I was not all that fond of chicken salad sandwiches. I am not sure why.  It is something which I have taken to mostly in my older life.  There wasn't anything really per se that I didn't like about them, I guess I just always preferred sliced chicken to chicken salad.  To be honest, I hadn't really tried it . . . I just always thought that I wouldn't like them, and so I was hesitant to try.  When I worked at the Manor though, I used to make Chicken Salad for my boss now and then, and in the process I was required to taste it, and I then learned that actually, Chicken Salad was kinda tasty!

 

You can make a chicken salad either to eat on its own on a lettuce leaf, or to be placed between two sliced of bread very easily.  Chicken breast meat is so benign flavourwise and adapts itself well to many textures and flavours. 

 

I think for me the reason I avoided chicken salad for so long, it was a texture thing.  I was never really fond of the feeling of having something soft in my mouth, and mixed with something of resistance . . .  almost like trying to eat the bone in a fish, or a piece of gristle in a hamburger.  I still cannot really eat a lot of things with hamburger in them, but I do enjoy a nice chicken salad every now and then.  I have adapted and my tastes have grown!

  

This chicken salad today is a bit different than the usual one. You won't find any fruit in it all, nor nuts.  In fact almost everything in it is green. You might want to call it GREEN chicken salad, except that name is quite highly un-appealing, so we won't!!  There is plenty of flavour and texture in this salad from the use of chopped spring onions (Scallions), celery, cucumber, pickle, dillweed and the usual mayo, sour cream, some Dijon mustard and some seasoning. 

 

For the pickles I chose Mrs Elswood Whole Sweet Cucumbers.  They are not really sour like gerkins or cornichons would be, but have a lovely sweet pickle flavour, with just a hint of onion and sweet pickling spices.  I thought they would go well with the dillweed.  If I had used dill pickles that would have been too much dill, these whole sweet cucumbers added just the right touch.

 

Todd enjoyed his on a soft roll, as for myself, I wanted to enjoy it on some toasted wholewheat bread.  Kind of like you might get at a Diner Counter.

 

This sandwich kind of reminded me of my younger days when I was first working away from home.  I was boarding with a little old lady who gave me a packed lunch to take to work every day, but on paydays I used to treat myself to a nice lunch out at the Metropolitan Department store which was around the corner from the office I worked in.

 

Some days it would be our family favourite Fish and Chips, always disappointing because it was only the frozen fish wedges, not hand dipped fillets . . .  more often than not, I would opt for a Club Sandwich  or a BLT on toasted whole wheat bread.

 

If they had offered a sandwich like this . . .  with a delicious chicken salad, and a healthy layer of salad greens on toasted whole wheat bread, I might have been tempted to try out chicken salad sooner!  This was IS a very good sandwich.  I am going to try this again!  It made a great change from having chicken salad with cranberries or pecans.  This was very nice.

 

*Dill & Cucumber Chicken Salad*

Makes 8 servings

Printable Recipe 

A delicious chicken salad that is a bit out of the ordinary.  Filled with lots of flavour and crunch. 

375g cooked chicken, cubed (3 cups)

40g sour cream (1/3 cup)

65g mayonnaise (1/3 cup)

1 TBS Dijon mustard

4 spring onions, trimmed and chopped

6 inches of an English cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped (abput 1/2 cup)

2 sticks celery, trimmed and chopped

2 pickles, chopped

2 tsp fresh dill leaves

1 tsp fine sea salt

freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl, stirring until completely combined.  Taste and adjust seasoning as required.  Use as desired. Its lovely served as a salad, scooped onto lettuce leaves, or in a sandwich with another pickle on the side.  I like mine on toasted whole wheat bread with a healthy layer of salad leaves.  Store any leftovers, covered, in the refrigerator.

 

With Picnic season coming up, these would also make great sandwiches to take along with you in the picnic basket on some of your outings.  Todd and I love to gad about in the warmer months going here and there, but we don't always want to have to resort to buying a meal when we are out.  I normally will make us a picnic lunch to take along. There is nothing like sitting on a blanket up at the Horseshoe Pass and enjoying a nice sandwich while you take in the beauty of God's splendor! 

 

Whether it’s the healthy addition to your cheeseboard, for adding a tasty crunch to your sandwich or the secret ingredient in your salmon terrine, pickles are bigger than ever (The London Evening Standard flagged them as an upcoming trend), which is why Mrs Elswood, the number 1 pickled cucumber brand in the UK is excited to announce their return as a sponsor of National Picnic Week (15-24 June 2018).


Now in its 13th year National Picnic Week is dedicated to everything great about the British summer – getting outdoors (weather permitting), enjoying tasty food & drink, and spending time with family & friends. Activity planned for National Picnic Week include competitions for the best picnic spots in the UK, recipes for delicious alfresco dishes to prepare at home and general advice on picnicking.


In preparation for National Picnic Week, the team at Mrs Elswood will once again be coming up with some easy, outdoor recipes to impress your friends on your jaunt to the park.


Produced at the height of the cucumber growing season during June & July every year and packed straight away for freshness and full flavour, Mrs Elswood is ideal in a quiche, a welcome addition to a ham sandwich or fabulous on their own. A household name for over 70 years, Mrs Elswood is the must-have picnic basket essential.