Southern Style Chicken Salad

My mom made chicken salad when I was growing up and I remember that it smelled so good that I had to try it even though at the time I was very anti-mayonnaise.  It was love at first bite and this recipe is very close to the one she still uses today.  I like chicken, boiled eggs, onion, celery, sweet pickle relish and gobs and gobs of mayo in my chicken salad.  If thats your idea of a good chicken salad, you will like this recipe. 😉  We serve it on toasted bread or ritz crackers…..or straight out of the bowl with a serving spoon 😉

Southern Style Chicken Salad 
Ingredients
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I like to use a combo of white and dark meat)
1 stalk celery (very finely diced)
1 onion finely chopped (half kept raw and half to sauté with the celery)
1 TBSP butter
3 hard boiled eggs, finely chopped
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 TBSP brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Directions
I like to use leftover roasted chicken or in a pinch, a store bought rotisserie.  Hard boil the eggs, allow to cool.  Sauté the celery with half the onion for 5 minutes over medium heat, let cool.  Combine shredded chicken with the cooled onion and celery mixture, the raw onion, the chopped hard boiled eggs, pickle relish, mayonnaise, lemon juice, brown sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.  Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.  Enjoy!