Chicken Salad

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
water to cover chicken
1 tsp. poultry seasoning
½ tsp. rubbed sage
1 whole medium onion
1 rib celery, cut into two or three pieces
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 lb. red seedless grapes, halved
1 cup pecans, broken into large pieces
1 (20oz.) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup sliced celery
½ cup mayonnaise, or more to moisten the salad or you may want to use a bit of the pineapple juice to moisten it a bit more.

Boil the chicken in the water, onion, celery, and seasonings until the chicken is completely cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Save broth for a later use by either refrigerating it or freezing it. Cool chicken and cut into bite-size pieces. Mix with remaining ingredients and refrigerate.

Serve on lettuce leaves  Serves 4-6, depending upon size of serving.

Lillian: I have been making this salad for many years and I never use a recipe or true measurements so I had to really think about how much I used of each ingredient. You can use more of anything here and even add things such as miniature marshmallows, diced apple, or use a mixture of green and red grapes. I never discard the broth that is left from cooking chicken as it is so handy for casseroles or gravy for a later meal. I just freeze mine in glass jars or plastic containers with tight fitting covers.

Martha:  Another dish that I was unsure about.  Again I love chicken salad and have had it with grapes and nuts but never the pineapple and never seasoned with the poultry seasoning, sage and onions.  But again, I gave it a try and am glad I did.  My food testers fell in love with it and all wanted more.  This is a great dish for a light lunch/dinner and perfect to take to a potluck outing.  I'll be making this one quite often.  

Food Tester Carol:  This chicken salad is composed of generous chunks of chicken breast accompanied by grapes, pecans, pineapple and other fruit—all held together by a little mayonnaise.  The delightful mixing of mayonnaise and pineapple results a completely new flavor in the sauce—light, tangy and satisfying.    This salad makes me think of the kind of lilting melodies musicians play to celebrate spring. 

Tip:  Unsure about the capacity of your baking pan? Measure water and pour it in the pan to check.