Chicken Salad

This recipe is a very popular one, it's unique and refreshing. I have made these little sandwich treasures for a rehearsal dinner, weddings, birthdays, funerals and anniversaries. Yesterday was the best reason of all. I made them for my daughter-in-law Katie's baby shower. Now how about that, I will soon be a first time Grandma. Baby James is due on June 9th. I have not met the little guy yet

and I can hardly wait. I am already in love with my grandson--Nonna is waiting. You don't need a special occasion for these treasures. Chicken Salad is great for the hot spring and summer days ahead. Enjoy!

• 2/3 cup petite frozen peas, thawed
• 2 (12.5 oz.) can chicken breast packed in water, drained
• 1 cup mayonnaise, I use Hellman's light or Aldi's Fit & Active
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. ground white pepper
• 2/3 cup sliced spring onion, tops and root trimmed, sliced thin
• 2/3 cup diced celery

Thaw peas in cold water. Meanwhile, open and drain chicken. Place chicken in a large bowl and break up chunks with fingers. Add mayonnaise, mustard and white pepper, mix together well. Chop celery and onion, drain peas well and mix all 3 into chicken salad. Cover and chill overnight.

This chicken salad tastes best on potato rolls. I make them on Martin’s potato party rolls (24 pk). They make a nice small sandwich. Or you can use the burger buns too. I use reduced fat mayonnaise and it is still delicious. Also I can not stress the importance enough to use petite frozen peas, they have a sweetness to them that the larger peas do not.

My recipe is an awesome twist on chicken salad. This is a very requested recipe. I buy large cans of chicken from the wholesale food clubs. Don't let the fact that the chicken is canned fool you, it tastes better then one you would cook up fresh and does not get that flavor change that whole cooked chicken does.

 If making a lot of sandwiches this tip is a time saver. Refrigerate the 24 count packs of Martin's party potato rolls, this makes slicing easier. Pull out 12 attached rolls at a time, do not separate them, slice in half horizontally all the way through. Then remove all 12 bun tops leaving them still connected. Using a small cookie dough scoop up chicken salad and place a dollop on top of each of the 12 roll halves. Top with bun tops and cut with a long knife to separate into 12 mini sandwiches. Repeat until done. This is a great assembly line technique to prepare them.

This is a pic of my expecting daughter-in-law Katie. We just had these chicken salad sandwiches at her baby shower over the weekend and they were a hit.