ITALIAN CHICKEN SALAD

"What's so special about chicken salad?" you're thinking. Well, this Italian Chicken Salad will knock your socks off! It starts with a roasted chicken (to save time, you can even cheat and buy it already cooked). Poached chicken breasts can't compare to the taste of roasted whole chicken with the flavor combination of white and dark meat!

            One 2lb. roasted chicken
            1 fennel bulb, cored and thinly sliced
            1 small red onion, thinly sliced
            3 celery stalks, thinly sliced on a bias
            ½ cup Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil
            3 cloves garlic, chopped
            Juice of 2 lemons
            ½ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
            ½ cup mayonnaise
            Zest of 1 lemon
            Salt to taste
            Freshly ground black pepper to taste
            1 bunch arugula, about 8 ounces, washed and dried

Serves 6

Remove the meat from the chicken and shred it into bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, fennel, red onion, and celery and toss. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat the Colavita Extra Virgin Olive Oil over moderate heat, add the garlic and sauté until golden. As soon as the garlic has colored, add the lemon juice all at once. Remove from heat and set aside to cool; then add to the chicken mixture. Add the parsley, mayonnaise, zest, salt and pepper. Serve on a bed of arugula.