Road Trip Chicken Salad Sandwiches

The Story:

Once a week, Matt and I travel to the big city after work.  We started a tradition of stopping somewhere on the way up.  Whenever it was my choice, I picked Qdoba.  You know they have amazing tacos?! I LOVE TACOS!!!

But now we are trying to be more sensible.  So to save a little more money, we began bringing dinner along with us to eat in the car.  So what do you feed a hungry husband that probably skipped lunch again, who is driving in mid-volume to stop-and-go traffic on the interstate?  I sure don't know.  But he suggested chicken salad.  Once again I asked myself, "Do I know how to make that?"  Once again, the answer was, "No."

Remember Rookie Cookie from The Mini Page?  That lady  That dog  That mouse  She knew what she was talking about.  Approximately 17 years ago, my little sister found a Rookie Cookie recipe she liked, clipped it out of the newspaper, and apparently asked my mom to make it a lot.  I don't remember this, but I ran across the recipe and decided to try it out.



The Recipe:

Chicken Salad Sandwiches (From Rookie Cookie and Emily, modified by me)
Makes about 4 sandwiches

3 chicken breast halves
1 cup cottage cheese
1 stalk celery, chopped
two heaping spoonfuls dill pickle relish
two heaping spoonfuls mayonnaise
salt and lemon pepper
cayenne pepper to taste
I think I might also add some cumin, but I forgot last night
bread (croissants are good, but any sandwich bread is fine)

In a medium saucepan, cover chicken with water, add some salt, and boil until done (about 15 minutes at high altitude).  Remove chicken from water and cut into small chunks.

In a bowl, mix chicken, cottage cheese, celery, relish, mayonnaise, salt, lemon pepper, and cayenne (I use 2-3 dashes of cayenne to give it a slight bite).

Spread thickly between bread slices.  For road trips, wrap in waxed paper to prevent messes while eating.  Makes four or five sandwiches.



The Verdict:

I thought this was just going to be some corny, tasteless, kid recipe that I was making because it was convenient and Husband wanted it.  Surprisingly, this is a worthwhile salad with a more complex taste than just an everyday chicken salad.  It's also easy to make and is great for leftovers on crackers the next day.  We eat it with other easy-to-eat-in-the-car foods: pickles, potato chips, and cookies.

I chop and freeze celery so it's handy to throw in soups and chicken salad, but Matt hates it.  Last night I made and packed dinner before he got home.  He walked in the door, kissed me, and said, "I smell celery!  Did you put celery in  something?"

"What are you talking about?"  I asked innocently.  "I didn't put celery in your sandwiches, calm down."

"Celery is an abomination!"

"You can't smell any celery!"

But he insisted, "Then how did I know you used it?"

I don't know.  I still say you can't smell celery.