Zesty Orange Poppy Seed Chicken Salad

So, I’ve been living at home with my parents for just short of a year now.

I moved home because my good friend and roommate Lish was getting married and I decided it was time to buckle down and save some money.

The plan was to move home at twenty-five so I would never have to move home again.

I’d have my own home.

For the first six months of living at home, I pretty much sucked at saving.

Wait, that’s not right. I flat out SUCKED at saving.

I didn’t save at all.

My first excuse was our family trip to Greece. I needed a whole new wardrobe so that I could walk the streets of Volos like it was my own personal runway.

Whole new wardrobe is a stretch, but I did spend a pretty penny.

Then there was the holidays. Always a costly time of the year.

But come January first, it was time to buckle down.

And buckle down I did.

Even though I’m more on the spiritual side than the religious side, I gave up shopping for lent.

And it felt good. Oodles of money went into the savings account and I survived the forty days.

Well, a couple of weeks have gone by since Easter came to visit and my shopping freeze has ended. The fruits of my shopping labors have started showing up at the house and one thing has become clear.

I have a major shopping problem.

MAJOR.

It became clear as day tonight as the family recounted all the bags and boxes that have shown up just this week.

I’m writing this all down in an attempt to turn over a new leaf.

The first step is admitting you have a problem. Right?

So from now on, I’m going to have to settle for food shopping.

And tomorrow I’ll probably go shopping for ingredients for this chicken salad.

It’s an amazingly fun and interesting version of an American classic and perfect for the upcoming summer season.

You will need…

4 large chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)

1 large orange

½ cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 stalks celery, chopped

½ cup chopped pecans, toasted

2 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons poppy seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

(2 cups arugula and 4 of your favorite rolls if you want to make a sandwich)

Start by putting the chicken in a large saucepan and filling the pan up with enough water to cover the chicken.

Peel strips of orange zest from half of the orange with a veggie peeler and add the zest and 1 teaspoon salt to the water.

Cover the pan and bring the water to a boil over high heat.

When the water boils, reduce the heat to medium and simmw, uncovered until the chicken is cooked through. About 20 minutes.

Remove the chicken and let it cool.

Zest the remaining orange peel with a small grater into a large bowl and then juice the orange into the same bowl.

Add in the mayo, yogurt, mustard, celery, pecans, green onions and poppy seeds.

Shred the chicken and add it to the mixture. I shred my chicken by using two forks to pull pieces of chicken apart.

Combine the mixture well and serve.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela