Some years ago, my friend Linda & I went on a quilt shop hop. We ended up in Woodstock around lunchtime and were delighted to discover that the shop was serving chicken salad wraps for lunch. They received so many compliments that they included the recipe in their next newsletter. In fact, the chicken salad was so well-loved that in subsequent years’ hops it was nearly impossible to find a parking spot in Woodstock at lunchtime. All the shop-hoppers wanted to be at Woodstock Quilt Supply for lunch! It was hands down the best chicken salad I’ve ever had. Below is my version of the recipe; printer-friendly is at the bottom of this page.

One of the endearing qualities about the recipe (other than the fact that it’s easy & absolutely delicious) is that it lists ingredients the really old-fashioned way: without measurements. If you’re not accustomed to cooking that way, don’t let this scare you off. It’s easy, I promise!

Ingredients:

Buttermilk

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Chopped celery

Chopped scallions

Quartered grapes (Get firm ones. If all you can find are soft ones, you’re better off skipping them.)

Chopped walnuts

Mayonnaise or plain non-fat Greek yogurt

Easy Homemade Poultry Seasoning, Bell’s Poultry Seasoning or Ruth Ann’s Muskego Ave Seasoning (from Penzeys)

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

1.) Place the chicken in a shallow dish. Mix some of the seasoning with enough buttermilk to cover the chicken. Pour into the dish, turning chicken to coat. Cover, refrigerate, & let marinate overnight.

2.) In the morning, remove the chicken from the marinade. Discard the marinade and cook the chicken. You can bake it in your grill or oven, or cook it in your Instant Pot.

To bake, preheat oven or grill to 350°. Wrap the chicken tightly with foil. Bake for a half hour, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove the chicken from the grill or oven, let it rest for another half hour, and refrigerate.

To cook in an Instant Pot, place a trivet in the inner pot. Add one cup of water. Place the chicken on the trivet, close and lock the lid,, and seal the steam vent. Using the “Manual” button, set the pot for five minutes on high pressure. When it finishes, allow a seven to eight minute NPR (Natural Pressure Release). Release the remaining pressure, remove the chicken from the pot, let it rest for another half hour, and refrigerate. I used two levels for these two whole breasts. The trivet that came with the pot held the first breast, then I added a taller trivet with plenty of space between it and the first piece of chicken, for the second breast. I don’t know if that was strictly necessary, but it worked.

3.) In the afternoon, once chicken hss cooled, cut into 1/2″ chunks. Place roughly equivalent amounts of chicken, celery, scallions, grapes, and walnuts in a large bowl. Add enough yogurt or mayo to coat & moisten to your liking. Dust the top of the mixture with seasoning, salt, & pepper. Stir, taste, adjust. Refrigerate until supper. Serve on its own, or in a wrap or pita with lettuce.