Harvest Chicken Salad

I took off for the High Holy Days, as I generally do most years.  There are so many commitments and services, plus staying up late for most of them.  What that meant to my eating schedule was that I would be having lunch at home 5-7 days a week, instead of two.  For two days, I like toasted cheese bread and an apple.  More than that, I needed a bit of variety and got out the last jar of chicken until I decide to can another batch.

For me, a summery chicken salad is what I already posted.  Going into the fall, I like to add more flavors to it.  The herbs change a bit.  Also, it was all items I had on hand.  The point was something easy to have ready to eat while doing a dozen projects and adulting things between the services that had been postponed during a hard month at work.

*1 10-14 oz can chicken, or 2 C cooked shredded
*2 green onions, finely sliced
*2 ribs celery, small dice
*1 apple or pear, diced
*2 Tb sliced or slivered almonds
*2 Tb dried fruit such as cranberries or chopped figs
*1/2 tsp orange zest
*1 Tb dried parsley flakes (or 1/4 C fresh)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
*1/4 C mayonnaise 
*1 tsp mustard of choice

1.  Drain chicken.  In a bowl, combine bite-sized chicken pieces, green onions, celery, apple, almonds, dried fruit, orange zest, and parsley.

2.  Stir in mayo and mustard until everything is evenly distributed.  Add salt and white pepper gradually, tasting and adjusting amounts.  You may use more or less.  Chill until ready to serve.

Difficulty rating  π