Ranch Chicken Salad Wraps - My Million Dollar Recipe - 52 Catering Recipes

This may not be my Million Dollar recipe, but it is my Thousands of Dollars Recipe.  From my very first catering order until the big order I filled this morning, this has been my most requested lunch item.  It may take awhile, but eventually I am sure it will live up to the title of -

MILLION DOLLAR 

CHICKEN SALAD WRAPS!

There is a lot to this recipe that sets it apart from just Chicken Salad.

First is the brine.  Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts are famous for being dried out and tough.  By brining the chicken, you add moisture and tenderness and even additional flavor.  It makes a BIG difference.  It only takes a few minutes of hands on effort, but makes a HUGE difference in the tastes,  I make mine in the mornings, so I brine my Chicken Breasts the night before.

Next is the Ranch Dressing. Really, it works, adds a little extra something something to the mix.

Finally is the ingredients themselves.  This is LOADED with lots of little extras... Crunchy Celery, Sweet Apples, Juicy Grapes and even Savory yet Sweet Onions.  If you add everything together, there are about as many extras as there is chicken.  Just layers upon layers of flavors!

Once you have the salad it can be served up in a variety of ways.  Mostly, my clients like to order Wraps made with tortillas.  I slice them diagonally and sprinkle a bit of Paprika on the top for a garnish.

I have also served them open face on a piece of cocktail bread, as a slider (I LOVE using those Hawaiian Brand Rolls for sliders).  Sometimes I even serve just a bowl of this salad and a roll of Ritz Crackers.  Everything is better on a Ritz!

ENJOY my favorite and best selling Chicken Salad!  Even if you don;t charge, Betcha your friends and family will rave next time you are asked to bring a plate of sandwiches.

OK... here's what I did...

Million Dollar
Chicken Salad Wraps -

Ingredients

• FOR THE BRINE -
  6 Large Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1 Gallon Water
• 1 Cup Salt
• 2/3 Cup Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Cracked Pepper Corns
• FOR THE CHICKEN SALAD -
  1 Cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 Cup Ranch Salad Dressing
• 1 Cup Seedless Grapes, Washed, Sliced in half (or even quarters if the grapes are large)
• 1 Cup Apples, Core removed, Diced Medium Size
• 1 Cup Celery, Diced same size as Apples
• 1 Cup Sweet Onion, Diced same size as Apples
• 1 Cup Pickles (I like Dill, but can use Sweet Gherkins), Diced same size as Apples
• 2 TBS Herbes de Provence Spice mix (Can use whatever dry spices you have in the house... Dill is very good)
• 1 TBS Cajun Spice Mix (Optional but adds a lot of flavor to your salad)

Cooking Directions

1. First, BRINE YOUR CHICKEN BREASTS... In a large Heavy Bottomed Stew Pot, heat water to simmer. Add the Salt, Sugar, Soy Sauce and Cracked Pepper Corns. Stir to dissolve and allow to simmer for 2 minutes, stir again.
2. Remove pot from stove and allow to cool to room temperature. Add Additional ice cubes to cool the water more.
3. Add the Chicken breasts, cover the pot and refrigerate for 4 hours, no longer than 8.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees... When ready to cook, drain the water and rinse the chicken breasts. Pat dry with a paper towel. Rub each chicken breast with a bit of Olive Oil.
5. Place in a Glass Casserole dish, bake for 35-40 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees (NO MORE, but be sure to check each breast). Remove from oven and allow to cool.
6. While the Chicken is baking, prepare all of your vegetables, slice and dice. In a LARGE BOWL, add everything together and stir to mix.
7. Once Chicken has cooled, dice the meat to 1/2 inch cubes. Add this to the bowl and stir to mix. Add additional Mayonnaise as needed.
8. Serve wrapped in Tortillas or on sandwich (Or just use as a dip with a Ritz Cracker). Refrigerate until ready to eat and ENJOY!

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This recipe has been added to my growing list of "52 Church PotLuck Dishes"!

A list of something NEW worthy of being shown off at a neighborhood BYODish (Bring Your Own Dish) Party, a Family special occasion dinner, Any Big Holiday Gathering or of course that glorious day when you bring a dish to share with your Church family...

Ages ago, literally almost a half century ago I was listening to our pastor talking about a PotLuck Dinner. It happened to be scheduled around a church work day when we were expected to weed, polish and do general cleaning and maintenance around the church (you know, back in the day when there were no no-wax floors and church pews smelled of Old English furniture polish). I am of course paraphrasing, but as I recall the pastor said,

"A potluck, like a church requires work. At a potluck everyone is expected to contribute.. At a church no one should come empty handed and no one should leave unfed".

I will confess that in my youth I brought more store bought plastic spoons and forks than I ever brought covered dishes and crock pots of fresh made love and caring delights. But now that I have become a hobbyist cook, I occasionally am reminded of those days and people from my youth. I reminded and I do wish that I could drop a dish of some new creation on those old tables at my fondly remembered Liberty Baptist Church.  Tables covered with newspapers and loaded with God's bounty prepared with love and caring... Enjoy

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