Tart Cherry Farmer's Chicken Salad
Nature is a generous giver. Due to a shorter growing season in northern Illinois, communities eagerly anticipate the farmers market openings later this month. These past years, there has been a cultural shift, a return back to a gentler pace, of building relationships with land and nourishment, a search for ways to restore health, and return back to simpler local living. A shared meal of seasonal local whole foods is a beautiful way to honor health and a vibrant living experience. A diverse colorful market, and a loving ritual around community supported agriculture, can be the perfect way to inspire creativity for a simple, light, and satisfying meal.
Ingredients:
Whole chicken
2 carrots
4 sticks celery
1 onion
Fresh parsley
1.5 T sea salt
Mayonnaise
Dried tart cherries
Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste
Belgian endive or market greens
Berries
Fresh sugar peas
Directions:
If making chicken from scratch, you can roast or poach it.
1. For poaching, place in a large pot with carrots, 2 celery sticks, onion quartered, 1 cup parsley, and 1.5 T sea salt. Cover with water, bring to boil.
2. Reduce to a gentle simmer for 15 minutes per pound (60-90 minutes).
3. Strain stock into another pot to reserve for another recipe and allow bird to cool for 30 minutes before shredding meat.
4. Mix 2 cups of shredded chicken, ¼ cup cherries, 2 stalks celery chopped, ¼ mayo, season to taste, and fill the endive or greens.
5. Enjoy nibble-style on a blanket, in a sunny or shady nook in the grass, over casual conversation with someone you love.
A shared meal of seasonal foods is a beautiful way to honor a vibrant living experience.