Food & "Friends": Grandma's Chicken Salad

"Friends" makes everything better.

This is one of my (lighthearted) mantras in life. If I'm ever feeling blue, hurt, or in some other negative state of mind, I can pop on a "Friends" DVD and feel better immediately.

Say what you will about this method of self-medication; I figure it's a healthier choice than a pint of Haagen-Dazs or a tumbler of Tanqueray (though in certain extreme circumstances, those would really do the trick).

I've seen every episode at least ten times; though I haven't binge-watched it in a while, there was a time when I could see a still shot of a scene and tell you which episode it came from. A few years ago, I was alternating binges between "Friends" and "Sex and the City" and noticed that Rachel and Charlotte wore the same dress on their respective shows.

When you love "Friends" and happen to also love food, you naturally tend to take note of the latter in the former. Like the one where Rachel mixes up Thanksgiving recipes and makes a dish that's half English trifle and half shepherd's pie. Or when Joey eats all of his date's chocolate dessert and doesn't even regret it. Or this gem:

With the new Whole Foods having a special on rotisserie chickens this weekend, I figured it was finally time to make a chicken salad worthy of Joey's double entendre.

I'm not sure this is a chicken salad that my grandmother would make (she's pretty traditional), but it's darn tasty nonetheless. I learned a variation on this recipe when I was out visiting my aunt in California during the summer after I graduated college; I'd never thought to add grapes to chicken, let alone walnuts or almond extract. But it's a great combination, and I threw in some other goodies that bring all kinds of flavors to the dish.

Plus, it's really easy.

You know, if you can fight off attacks from petite, carnivorous mammals...

...who eventually stop yelling at you and just stand there with their mouths open, hoping and praying for just a smidgeon of chicken to go rogue and jump off the counter into their waiting gullets.

If you can get past that, you end up with a chicken salad that's, well, everything: sweet, savory, tart, crunchy, creamy, decadent, simple.

Very Joey-worthy, if you ask me.

You can go clean and light and serve it over salad greens. Or go rustic and use it to top a slice of toasted whole grain baguette. Or just grab a spoon and dig in.

*****

Grandma's Chicken Salad

Serves 6 - 8

Meat from one rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 4 cups)

2 cups seedless red grapes, quartered

1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped

¾ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup mustard (coarsely ground)

2 Tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped

1 tsp almond extract

1. Mix everything together in a big, big bowl.

2. Congratulate yourself for being so fancy with so little effort.

3. Go watch your favorite episode of "Friends".

Eat well.

P.S. Oh, and on a side note - this is my 500th post.

P.P.S. Whoa.