Rachael Ray Chicken Salad Sandwich

Cooking dinner nightly with 2 small kids being pretty demanding just got easier with the introduction of puffs. Miss Puff Princess Amelia Grace could eat them for hours upon hours and be perfectly content. She is quite good at delicately placing them in her mouth...only 1/2 of them end up on the floor or down her shirt

So you are wondering where August 10th went huh?

I was going out with the ladies so I cooked the guys some quesadillas again. Recipes already on here so no need for a re-post

Onto dinner...from last week shhhhh I am still playing catch up

Here is another Rachael Ray Day. Again I find her pretty annoying but I am always on the look out for new inspiration and I had not tapped into her magazine yet. I refuse to call a sandwich a Sammie, I will put that out there from the beginning so I have to change the name of this recipe but if you would like to see the given name, click on the link for now I will simply call it

Rachael Ray Chicken Salad Sandwich
Adapted from the lady herself Rachael Ray

INGREDIENTS

1 large shallot, finely chopped
3 tablespoons champagne vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
Salt and pepper
3 cups shredded poached chicken or skinned rotisserie chicken
3 ribs celery from the heart, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped or grated
A handful of butter lettuce leaves, torn or chopped ** I love Boston Bidd for Sandwiches**
4 sprigs tarragon, leaves stripped and chopped **After I bought it and chopped it I omitted—I HATE tarragon**
1 large Pullman-style white or whole wheat bread loaf, unsliced ** I used ciambatta rolls** a nice Italian loaf will do.


In a bowl, combine the shallot, vinegar, mustard and honey.

Whisk in the EVOO and season with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken, celery, carrot, lettuce and tarragon; toss.

Trim the ends off the loaf of bread, then slice the loaf into six 2-inch-thick slices.

Using a serrated knife and starting at the top, cut a pocket into each bread slice.

Fill the bread pockets with the chicken salad….Or just use a roll and eat dinner like a normal person

VERDICT
While I find her annoying, If I ever meet her I will thank her for hiring people who can write such great recipes. This salad is amazingly delicious. I love that it is no mayo. It is so fresh tasting and really delicious. I forgot to take a picture of it last night when we ate it, but thankfully we had a bunch leftover so I could recreate the picture….and eat the extremely yummy sandwich again. I think this would be a great addiction to a brunch buffet, tail gating, the holiday leftovers, just make it and you will get what I am saying. I have a favorite chicken salad recipe that is my old faithful but I have to say this one might be taking over the top spot! It scores high marks for using ingredients I usually have in the house.

Oh and I didn’t use the tarragon because ew! I don’t like tarragon. I wasn’t sure but when I chopped it and smelled it and then put a small bit in my mouth I remembered I don’t like it. It smells like black licorice or anise and I don’t like either of those things. I almost added it to be fair to the recipe but I was really hungry and didn’t want ruin a whole giant batch of yummy goodness. So if you like it use it, I am sure you will be happy with the end result. Come on, I like cilantro now, so I had to find another offensive herb to protest against.

And I didn’t get the whole stuffed Sammie thing. I just used a normal ciambatta roll (which I love) and it worked out just fine. No need to stuff anything or make it harder then it needs to be. It’s a sandwich not an art project. Shoprite makes the most delicous Ciambatta rolls which is why I use them often. Its hard to believe they make the best rotisserie chickens AND the best rolls right in my local grocery store

I paired with this

Summer-Strone

adapted from a Rachel Ray recipe--I added to it and I think made it better

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Israeli Couscous **I used small little tube pasta because I couldn't find this kind of couscous**
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound kirby cucumbers—peeled, seeded and sliced **I used English seedless**
One 15-ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 cups vegetable broth
1 zucchini, shredded
1 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped **could also use basil**
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Grated peel of 1 lemon

optional--I also used 2 ears of fresh corn off the cob

Directions:
In a pot of boiling, salted water, cook the couscous (or pasta) until al dente, according to package directions.

Drain and rinse with cold water.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat.

Add the cucumbers and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes and paprika.

Using a food processor, and working in batches, puree the mixture. **I used my immersion or hand blender if you don't have one its a kitchen must have in my house**

Return to the pot and stir in the vegetable broth, couscous and zucchini. AND fresh corn if you would like to make it even better

For cold soup, refrigerate until chilled. I liked it hot with cheese on top

In a small bowl, combine the parsley, Parmesan, lemon peel and remaining 1/4 cup olive oil.

Serve the soup drizzled with the parsley pesto. **I skipped this step because I was starving and didn't think Jackson would like it and didn't feel like cooking anymore**

VERDICT:
Loved this soup. As I have said before I could eat soup everyday and this one is sure to please. Jackson loved it and so did I. It was heavy enough to make a meal out of as well. I loved the corn in it and was glad I thought to add it. I also liked the veggies grated up so it wasn't too chunky. It is the perfect light lunch soup too. Will be making this one again soon. Never did find the right couscous and I am glad I didn't use the regular small grain one, I think that would have ruined it. You could use ditalini, pastina, or achi de pepe also.