Picnic Chicken Salad

My whole side of the family was having dinner at the lake, so I found this recipe online and whipped it up just in time for the lake. (Phew!)

It was SOOOO good.  My brothers are generally picky eaters, but no one could get enough of this!

The only downfall I think, is that didn't have mayonnaise, so I replaced it with salad dressing, and also didn't have time to refrigerate it, so I think that played into why it fell apart a bit when slicing it.  Next time, I think I would just serve it on buns.  I love how they used the lettuce to line the bread so it didn't get soggy!

Ingredients: 
1 large round loaf of bread (boule or Calabrese loaf)  I used sourdough.
⅓ cup mayonnaise
½ tsp curry powder
¼ tsp paprika
3 cups cooked chicken, cubed (about 3 breasts)
1 cup green grapes, halved   I used red grapes - just as good!
½ cup celery, chopped
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
1 sweet red pepper, diced   I skipped the peppers - I hate peppers!
Salt and black pepper
Romaine lettuce

Prep and Cook

Slice off the top 2 inches of the loaf in one big piece and set aside.
Hollow out the bread, leaving a shell ½ inch thick.
In a medium bowl, stir together mayonnaise, curry powder and paprika.
Stir in chicken, grapes, celery, almonds, green onion, red pepper and salt and black pepper to taste.
Line the bread bowl with lettuce leaves and spoon chicken mixture into the bread.
Replace the bread top. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until picnic time.
To serve, using a bread knife, slice the boule into wedges, so guests have ready-made sandwiches.

*Good to know: Save time by buying ready-made cooked chicken and make the chicken salad the day before. Toast almonds in a dry frying pan over medium heat and toast the nuts for a few minutes until brown. Cube and save leftover bread to make stuffing, bread crumbs or homemade croutons at a later date.