I make chicken salad at least once a week, and if I don’t, I head to Modica Market in Seaside to visit my friend and lead cook, Ms. Lisa to buy hers. She does magical things  to her chicken salad involving milk and herbs, and it is heavenly! Since my favorite foods for the most part include tomatoes, chicken and bacon, this salad is the perfect way to combine all three. Enjoy it for lunch, a picnic at the beach, appetizer, light dinner or buffet style when entertaining.

Ingredients:

• 4 slices of good bacon
• 16 mini brioche rolls
• 1/3 cup mayonnaise, Duke’s, Hellman’s or Blue Plate
• 1 celery rib, minced
• 1/2 small shallot, minced
• 2 teaspoons minced flat-leaf parsley, plus 32 large flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 chicken breasts from a rotisserie chicken—skin and bones discarded, chicken cut into 1/3-inch dice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 small plum tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices (16 slices)

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until browned and crisp all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, then cut each slice into 4 pieces.
2. Using a paring knife, cut a 1-2 inch round plug out of the top of each brioche roll. Carefully hollow out the rolls. Set the rolls on a baking sheet and warm them in the oven to refresh them, about 5 minutes.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the the mayonnaise, celery, shallot, minced parsley and lemon juice. Stir in the diced chicken and season the salad with salt and pepper.
4. Spoon  of the chicken salad into each brioche roll, garnish with parsley leaves and cover with a tomato slice. Top each roll with 1 teaspoon of chicken salad, garnish with the bacon and serve.

Note: Add snipped fresh herbs such as tarragon, dill, or chives for a different kick to the already yummy chicken salad.

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