Lorraine Wallace's Creamy Chicken Salad

Lorraine Wallace shares another delicious family tradition.

Creamy Chicken Salad

Serves 8 to 10

The eggs add moisture to this recipe and allow you to control the amount of mayonnaise to create that “old-fashioned” picnic flavor, creamy and rich.

Ingredients

1 quart water

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1 bay leaf

4 stalks celery, cut into 3/4-inch dice

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, or less if desired

1 teaspoon celery salt

3 hard-boiled large eggs

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

Place a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat and add the water, chicken breasts, oil, peppercorns, salt, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer, then immediately remove the skillet from the heat. Cover and let stand until the chicken is tender, about 12 minutes.

Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate and let cool.

Place the celery in a large bowl. Shred the cooled chicken with your fingers or with a fork and add to the celery in the bowl. Add the mayonnaise, celery salt, and salt and pepper to taste and toss until evenly coated. Crush the hard-boiled eggs with your hands and fold into the salad. Chill the salad and serve in a large bowl.