lemon chicken salad on toast points

This has been long overdue, yes, I know. I've been having trouble finding the right ingredients in my fridge to relate to a recipe from the book. But after a good motivating complaint from A., I made adjustments to this recipe to accommodate my food supply. I defrosted a two pack Foster Farms chicken breast to start, and trimmed off a couple of ounces as a dinner treat for my dog.

Like I said, I made substitutions, and they ranged from carbohydrate to garnish. For such a small amount of chervil, I didn't want to drive out to the supermarket and waste money on a bunch that will most likely go bad in my refrigerator hopelessly waiting for another recipe. I did a bit of research online and found that chervil shares a similar flavor profile as parsley, so I snipped some from my herb garden. Since parsley has a more assertive taste, I reduced the amount to compensate.





After tasting the chicken salad, I would suggest adding some lemon zest, perhaps a teaspoon or two, to enhance the lemon flavor. The lemon that I used was neither particularly sour nor potent, therefore I always taste as I season. As for the amount of mayonnaise, I drastically decreased it, since I'm not a big fan of the emulsion. There was just enough added to moisten the chicken and give it that "chicken salad" look.

The wheat bread definitely gave it more of an open sandwich feel, which I don't mind, considering I love sandwiches. But if you're really looking to serve this for a fancier affair, the original poppy seed tartlet would be a better serving platform. As for the garnish, again, I did not want to buy a bag of grapes, only to use a few. Although the rest would have been a nice snack. However, I had some apples, and since apples pair well with chicken, I figured it would make a fine substitution. The thin slices added a nice slightly sweet crisp to the supple chicken breast. Hope you all enjoy the changes I've made to the original recipe!

Lemon Chicken Salad on Toast Points adapted from Martha Stewart

makes 32

2 cups low-sodium canned chicken broth
2 7-oz skinless, boneless chicken breast
3-4 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp chopped fresh Italian parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
8 slices of whole wheat sandwich bread
1/2 Fuji apple, thinly sliced and trimmed to wedges
1-2 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Place the chicken stock in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add chicken breast, reduce heat to low, and poach until breast is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove chicken breast and let cool. Remaining broth can be reserved for another application.

Shred the chicken into small pieces and place in a medium-sized bowl. Stir in lemon juice and zest, mayonnaise, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. Can be made one day ahead.

Cut each slice of bread into four wedges. Toast in a 300F oven, about 6 minutes on each side, until dry and slightly toasted. Cool on wire rack.

Spoon a generous amount of the chicken salad onto each toast point. Garnish with a slice of apple.