Recipe: Michael Chiarello's Chicken Salad with Fennel Spice

This is a chicken salad that The Husband is very fond of, and for good reason: it's super tasty and contains no mayonnaise (he hates -- and I mean HATES -- mayonnaise, as well as roasted bell peppers and mushrooms). On the downside, it's slightly complicated. On the other upside, it yields about 9 cups of chicken stock. (Click here to buy the source cookbook, which is, hands-down, the most dogged-eared cookbook we own.)

Boiled Chicken:
1 chicken, about 3 and 1/2 pounds (use a good chicken; it makes a difference)
1 large celery rib, halved
1 large carrot, halved
1 large yellow onion, quartered
2 bay leaves

Fennel Spice:
1 cup fennel seed
3 tablespoons coriander seed
2 tablespoons white peppercorn
3 tablespoons kosher salt

(EDITOR'S NOTE: This fennel spice stuff is an all-purpose magic substance. Sprinkle liberally on popcorn! Use as a dry rub on steaks and pork chops, and probably chicken, too! Eat with a spoon! This last one is a joke, fyi... )

For the chicken salad:
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery heart
1/4 red onion, thinly sliced (lengthwise through a half onion)
6 to 7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons Fennel Spice, or more to taste
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil

MAKE THE FENNEL SPICE:
Put the fennel seed, coriander seed, and peppercorns in a small heavy skillet over moderate heat. Watching carefully, toss the seeds frequently so they toast evenly. When they are light brown and fragrant, pour them onto a plate to cool. (They must be cool before grinding, or they will gum up the blender blades.) Pour the cooled seeds into a blender and add the salt. Blend to a powder, shaking the blender occasionally to redistribute the seeds. Store in an airtight container away from the light and heat for up to 4 months, or freeze for up to 1 year. (If you have a spice mill, you may cut the recipe in half. A cup is the minimum for grinding in the blender.)
Makes about 1 1/4 cups.

PREPARE THE CHICKEN:
Put the chicken, celery rib, carrot, yellow onion, and bay leaves in a pot just large enough to hold them comfortably. Add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, skimming any foam. Adjust the heat to a bare simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour. Remove from the heat and let cool in the liquid. Lift out the cooled chicken and strain the stock, discarding the solids. Refrigerate or freeze the stock for another use.

ASSEMBLE THE SALAD:
Remove the skin and bones from the chicken. Shred the meat by hand into rough bite-size pieces. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, celery heart, red onion, 6 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons fennel spice (The Husband says, "Double the amount of fennel spice.") Add the basil and serve.

The kids say: YUMMY. We promise, you'll never go back to regular chicken salad.