I love summer, don’t you? Everything is in bloom, the days are long and full of outdoor activities to enjoy, and downtown Main Streets come to life with sidewalk sales, soon to be discovered “starving artists”, outdoor cafes, and farmer’s markets! So much to see and do! Yet plenty of time to kick back and relax, too.

We’re in the middle of yet another blistering heatwave, and anything hot right now just doesn’t even sound edible. So my refreshing, cool and creamy chicken salad that tastes like you’re dining al fresco at an outdoor sidewalk cafe sounded perfect for a light supper to end the day! What could be better than that, except maybe piled onto a bed of crisp, chopped lettuce and a toasted croissant!

Back when I used to cater, this was my most requested salad in the summertime! It’s simple ingredients produce anything but a simple flavor! The secret is the tarragon. Yes, you read that correctly, tarragon. It’s wonderful in this salad and people never guess that it’s in there. I don’t normally measure anything when I make this, but this time I did and wrote it down for you as I went along. It’s just too good not to share and so want you to give this a try! It’s very much “upscale bistro-style”, and if I were ordering this in a trendy cafe, I’d expect to pay no less than 8 dollars for it. But you can make this at home for so much less. It’s quick to make, very easy, and uses just a few simple ingredients. 

Though it’s simple, it is definitely company-worthy. So invite a few friends over and share out on the patio, on the boat or beach, or under a gazebo in the park, and pair up with glasses of a nice light white wine such as a sauvignon blanc. I have a 2006 bottle of Cakebread Cellars that I’d love to share with you!  I think this would also go beautifully with a cool and creamy chilled fresh asparagus soup, too.

So get out there and take advantage of those farmer’s markets and whip up this salad for the weekend!  Enjoy and, literally, stop to smell the roses! Have a beautiful summer day all!

Yield: 5 - 6 sandwiches

Sidewalk Cafe Chicken Salad with Red Grapes, Pecans, Celery & Tarragon on Toasted Croissants

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Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of all fat
• 2 large bay leaves
• 1 cup heavy mayonnaise
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp. dried tarragon
• 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups seedless red grapes, halved (measured before slicing)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 5-6 large croissants
• 4 cups coarse chopped iceberg lettuce

Instructions

Place chicken breasts and bay leaves into a pot of cold water, bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer 12-15 minutes or until done. Drain, discard bay leaves, cover with cold water, and let cool long enough to handle.

Large dice (about 3/4" in size) chicken into a large mixing bowl. Pile mayo on top in center. Add salt, pepper and tarragon on top of mayo. Mix spices and herb into mayo first to get it a little more evenly mixed, then fold and gently stir into chicken until well coated. Fold in thinly sliced celery, halved red grapes, and chopped pecans.

Lightly toast whole croissants in toaster oven or hot oven. This only takes a minute or two. *I do mine in my wall oven that has an overhead broiler. I broil them on the medium setting for 1 minute per side on a rack positioned in the center of my oven. (I place them right on the oven rack, not a baking sheet.) When LIGHTLY toasted, remove from oven to a platter or baking sheet. When cool enough to handle, only takes about 15 seconds, carefully slice in half with a sharp, serrated bread knife.

Spread inside bottoms with just a little mayo, place a handful of lettuce on top, and pile on the chicken salad. Top with top half of croissant. Enjoy!