What color is your chicken salad? The option-happy dish enjoys year-round rotation but seems to come into its own in warm weather. With the right combination of ingredients, starting with a rotisserie bird, you can skip cooking altogether.
Avoiding mayonnaise these days? Greek yogurt or mashed avocado can stand in, or you can go the vinaigrette route.
Is crunch a must-have? Besides the stalwart celery, a world of nuts and radishes and greens is at your disposal. Natural sweetness can play off any tang or tartness once you include grapes, mango, dried fruit or a touch of honey.
Note to vegetarians: There’s something here for you, too.
Chicken Salad for the Ladies
5 or 6 servings (makes 7 cups)
As the recipe’s author explains, “the ladies” played tennis together and lunched on this at their end-of-season social. Major Grey’s chutney is widely available in several brands. Using a store-bought rotisserie bird keeps this dish easy, but if you’d rather cook the chicken yourself, trim 4 or 5 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves of visible fat. Season them generously with salt and pepper, and arrange them on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Cover tightly with foil; bake in a 300-degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool before cutting. Adapted from “The Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center/Park Avenue Potluck: Recipes From New York’s Savviest Hostesses” by Florence Fabricant (Rizzoli, 2007).