A fresh and tasty chicken salad with vegetables and mayonnaise is just what you need when the summer is sultry and you have no desire to prepare pasta salad or rice salad. Preparation is really quick and the only time at the stove is what you need to boil the water and blanch the chicken.

Once your salad is ready you can keep it in the fridge and then use it for a picnic or to go to the beach or to the office for lunch. The chicken salad is perfect for dinner while watching TV. Serve in a nice colorful salad bowl for the delight of your children and as an excellent party dish with friends in the garden or on the terrace.

The Recipe:

• Boil the chicken breasts for a few minutes in lightly salted boiling water. Then drain and allow them to cool. To speed things up julienne the chicken. As soon as it is lukewarm arrange it on a plate and put in the fridge.
• Clean and peel the celery and then slice it crosswise. Clean the carrots and then cut them into strips or julienne.
• Dice the cheese into cubes or rather small pieces. If you have chosen mozzarella then squeeze it a bit to remove excess milk before adding it to the salad. Chicken would also be good with cheese spreads like robiola or even with medium hard cacciottina.
• Then put the chicken, diced cheese and vegetables in the salad bowl and dress with the sauce made from mayonnaise blended with a teaspoon of wasabi (If you don’t have wasabi you can liven up your salad with finely chopped parsley).
• Mix well and serve with croutons or crisp rolls.