Stephen's Chicken Salad Picnic

Steven Meuret's chicken salad recipe is a classic, add the skewers and spritzer, and your picnic is good to go! Vote for Steven's recipe to help Special Olympics Nebraska win the Perfect Picnic Challenge!
Serves
4
Ready in
60 minutes
Print

Ingredients

  • Chicken Salad
  • 2 lbs Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Red onion, minced
  • 1/2 cup Celery, minced
  • 1/4 cup Pistachios, coarsely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Dried cherries or cranberries (optional)
  • 1 tbsp Fresh dill, chopped
  • 1/2 tbsp Paprika
  • 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • Vegetable Skewers
  • 1 Red bell pepper, cut into 1 in. pieces
  • 1 Yellow bell pepper, cut into 1 in. pieces
  • 1 Orange bell pepper, cut into 1 in. pieces
  • 1 Green bell pepper, cut into 1 in. pieces
  • 1/2 Medium red onion, cut into 1 in. pieces
  • 8 oz Button mushrooms
  • 3 tbsp Olive Oil
  • Wooden Skewers as needed
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Strawberry-Lemon Spritzer
  • 2 pkgs Strawberry Kool-Aid
  • 2 cups Granulated sugar
  • 1 cup Water
  • 2 Lemons, quartered
  • 32 oz. club soda, chilled
  • Ice as needed

Directions

Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
30 minutes
Ready in
60 minutes
  1. Vote for Stephen's Recipe at http://familyfareperfectpicnic.hscampaigns.com/
  2. Preheat oven to 425°F. Place chicken breasts on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper. Bake until chicken breasts register an internal temperature of 165°F, about 20 minutes.
  3. Remove chicken from the oven and chill in the refrigerator. Once completely cooled, remove from refrigerator, dice and place in a mixing bowl. Combine remaining ingredients with the chicken. Mix well and chill until ready to serve. Serve on your favorite bread with crisp lettuce.
  4. For skewers, preheat oven to 425°F or prepare a grill for cooking. Toss cut vegetables with olive oil until lightly coated. Season with salt and pepper. Evenly distribute vegetables onto skewers. Roast or grill, turning occasionally until vegetables are starting to brown on the edges and are tender, about 9 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
  5. For spritzer, combine Kool-Aid packets, sugar and water in a small saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. As soon as sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Squeeze two lemon quarters into each glass. Top with ice cubes, then add 1 oz. of strawberry syrup or more to taste. Top off glass with club soda and stir to combine.