Buying a rotisserie chicken is a quick and easy way to prepare lunch or dinner. At Costco I have noticed that not only do they have good roasted chickens but also tasty chicken salad. Now I understand what they do with all their left-over chickens. This month I am featuring my take on Chicken Salad Wrapped in Bibb Lettuce. This is a gluten free version, but you can also make this into a sandwich.
Bibb lettuce can also be called Butter or Boston lettuce. It is one of my favorites because it is light, sweet and rather buttery. Butterhead lettuce originated in the Mediterranean, and subsequently Bibb and Boston lettuce were cultivated in the United States.
In medieval times, a spit was the common way to roast meat. The spit was usually a wood or metal rod. The meat was skewered on to the spit and then placed on stands so that it could be roasted on all sides while turning the spit. This version of roasting was used primarily for large, whole animals such as pigs or turkeys.
Two 19th century cookbooks are worth noting for their recipes on chicken salad. They are Sarah Rutledge’s “The Carolina Housewife: Or, House and Home” and Abby Fisher’s “What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking.” Sarah Rutledge recommends using any type of cooked, cold meat, fowl, or seafood. Her dressing is just a raw egg yolk, mustard, salt, and vinegar. She mentions that if you are using shrimp or oysters, that a little red pepper “rubbed in is an improvement.” Amy Fisher’s version is similar to modern-day versions where she uses homemade mayonnaise and celery with her chicken.
I hope you are having an enjoyable spring!
From my table to yours,
Your Galley Guide
