Next Food Network Star 4th of July challenge

Dzintra Dzenis

This recipe is perfect for the summer. It integrates beautiful ripe vine tomatoes that are just now in season, celery, chilies and spring onions. The layering creates interesting eye appeal, lots of crunch and texture, and it allows us to have a perfect bit with every spoonful!

Prepare the chicken salad a day in advance (or purchase it), and assemble the layers in the ring mold the morning of your party. The corn chips and tomatoes can be chopped early in the day as well, just keep them sealed in an airtight container before assembling the dip.

 

Substitute tuna, whitefish
or salmon for another twist!

Red, White & Blue 4th of July Party Dip

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cups (1 quart) vegetable stock
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• 4 stalks celery, cut into small cubes
• 3 bulbS spring onions (white part only), chopped very fine
• 2-3 Thai chilies, diced very fine, seeds removed
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)1 lb. cherry tomatoes (about 30), diced
• 1 9 ½ ounce bag Blue Corn Chips
• 1 large ring mold for a group serving*
• 6 small ring molds for individual servings
• If you don’t have a ring mold, use a deep pyrex dish to assemble the dip

Directions:

Chicken Salad:

1. Pour vegetable broth into a deep saucepan and immerse chicken breasts
2. Turn on heat and poach chicken over medium until it is thoroughly cooked (approximately 30 minutes)
3. Remove chicken from the broth and chill until ready to use
4. Once chilled, cut chicken into small cubes and combine in a bowl with mayonnaise, celery, onion, chilies, pepper and salt

Reserve the vegetable/chicken broth, and eat it as soup!

Tomatoes:

1. Rinse, dice, and set aside

Blue corn chips:

1. In a food processor, using the “pulse” function, chop corn chips until they form a coarse crumb mixture. Do not pulverize!

To assemble:

1. Set ring mold (s) on a platter or individual serving dish (es)
2. On the bottom layer arrange diced tomatoes
3. On top of the tomatoes, arrange an even layer of chicken salad, pressing down gently
4. On top of the chicken, press crumbled corn chips
5. Chill in the refrigerator (ring mold and all) until serving

When ready to serve, gently remove ring mold, pushing down gently on top to make sure everything stays together! If some tomato juice weeps onto the plate, just wipe it off with a paper towel. Serve this lovely Red, White & Blue Dip with the remainder of the Blue Corn Chips. Enjoy, and have a fabulous Fourth of July!

Next: Brianna Jenkins’ Grilled Strawberry Blueberry Shortcake