Chicken Salad My Way

Did you ever find a recipe and think, I'd do that part a little differently? Or maybe, Why on earth did they use that ingredient?

That's the beauty of cooking. You can make it completely personal, because food is a personal experience. I did that with this recipe from a recent Food Network Magazine. There were a couple of things I wanted to change, but I kept the amazing presentation! Below is the way I made it, a little differently from the original.

Ingredients:

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast

salt and pepper

2 Tbsp olive oil

3/4 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp dijon mustard

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1/2 cup apple, chopped

2 Tbsp parsley

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp celery salt cayenne pepper to taste

2 avocados, halved and pitted

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat olive oil in a large, oven-safe skillet over high heat.

2. Rinse chicken and lightly season with salt and pepper. You can also use some really great spices - I used McCormick's Montreal Chicken. It's one of my favorites.

3. Brown one side of the seasoned chicken (about 2 min) and flip it over. Put the skillet straight into the preheated oven. Cook 12-15 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

4. In a large bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients except the avocado. Mix until just covered.

5. Once cool, chop the chicken into tiny pieces. Add to the apple mixture. Serve in the avocado for a lovely presentation. Top with a small shake of parsley.