Chicken Salad Veronique

I'm a sucker for chicken salads and love trying different variations upon the basic chicken, chopped fruit, sliced celery, and mayonnaise combination. One addition that is Joe's favorite is adding toasted pecans to the mixture. And although I'm not a huge pecan lover (which is a sin in the Kendrick family since they're Georgians), I must admit it really enhances the taste.

So I saw an episode of Barefoot Contessa on FoodNetwork (this show it TiVo-worthy) and she added tarragon to her chicken salad and gave it a cool French name. I had never had tarragon before so I thought this one would be fun to try! Just a warning though, if you despise the flavor of black licorice, don't make this dish. Joe hated it for that reason, but my grandparents and I loved it, so I deemed this recipe a keeper!

CHICKEN SALAD VERONIQUE

• 2 whole chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on (I used boneless and skinless....I'm lazy that way)
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  
• 1/2 cup good mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves, chopped
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup green grapes, halved (I used apples because I had that on hand on not grapes)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Set aside until cool.

When the chicken is cool, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Cut the chicken into a 3/4-inch dice. Place the chicken in a bowl; add the mayonnaise, tarragon leaves, celery, grapes, 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and toss well.