Chicken Salad, Linderhof Way

Linderhof's Chicken Salad is a classic. It's an updated version of the one that first my Grandmother made, and then my mother. Three generations of chicken salad.

My grandmother always shredded her chicken with two forks, added chopped onion, chopped celery and homemade mayonnaise and to "brighten" the flavor, a squeeze from half a lemon. It was as good on a lettuce leaf for a ladies luncheon as it was on bread for a sandwich.

Mother, too, shredded the chicken for her salad but she preferred to use red onion and to make the dressing lighter, she used half Hellman's mayonnaise and half sour cream. She, too, brightened the flavor with the juice of half a lemon. Chicken salad was the entree of choice for her bridge club. Served on a lettuce leaf with a pickled peach nestled beside it and a hot roll filled out the plate.

I'm a more modern woman and although I prefer shredded chicken for salad rather than chunk, I shred mine in the food processor. Like my mother, my onion is red. Unlike my grandmother and mother, I don't poach the chicken but rather roast it. We like the flavor better. I've lightened the dressing even more, however, using equal amounts of Hellman's, sour cream and yogurt. A squeeze of lemon, of course!

It's a lunch favorite -- whether on good whole wheat bread with a leaf of lettuce or served atop spring greens.

Linderhof Chicken Salad

3 chicken breasts, roasted
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery

Dressing:
1/4 cup Hellman's mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plain yogurt
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Put chicken breasts in food processor and pulse until finely minced. Add onion and celery. Mix mayonnaise, sour cream and yogurt in a bowl, add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Mix chicken mixture with dressing mixture. Chill