Curry Chicken Salad

As much as I would love to deny it, I am definitely one of those New Englanders who complains about the cold in the winter, and then complains about the heat in the summer. It's just been so hot for so long this summer! And the humidity, ugh, don't even get me started. I've never owned an air conditioner in my life but I caved and bought one this past weekend. The heat officially won this year. Don't get me wrong, I love summer, but it definitely makes me not want to be in a kitchen or turn on the oven or stove, that's for sure. Here's a recipe that my mom relied on heavily growing up for just this type of weather: curry chicken salad.

I used a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Definitely not the most cost-effective solution, but sometimes the need to stay cool outweighs the need to save money. If you weren't making this in a heat wave, or have crazy AC at your place, feel free to roast away. 

I'm a fan of shredding my chicken for chicken salad sandwiches, but my mom always used to cube it. The beauty of this type of the recipe is the flexibility to make it exactly how you want it. I just find that there is something totally animal-like about picking meat off of bones with your hands. Sorry if that was a little graphic...

The combination of the slight heat from the cayenne pepper and the sweetness from the pieces of apple makes this recipe a taste complexity, but it's so ridiculously easy to assemble, it takes just minutes. That's a win-win in my book. Enjoy!

Curry Chicken Salad
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Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Chicken meat from 1 rotisserie chicken
1 cup of mayonnaise
2 green apples, skinned and diced
1/2 red onion, diced
2 tablespoons curry
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium bowl add mayonnaise to chicken meat 1/4 cup at a time until desired consistency.
2. Add apple and onion.
3. Add curry, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Stir until combined.
4. Serve cold.