Chicken salad, banana bread requests answered

Recipes that appear in Idea Alley have not been tested by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

We can’t say if these favorite recipes are anything like their restaurant counterparts — curried chicken salad like the old Solar Cafe and banana bread like Trio’s — but they do come highly recommended and in proportions and quantities for the home kitchen.

“I have a curry chicken salad recipe that is a real crowd-pleaser,” writes Peggy Hamm.

Curried Chicken Salad

6 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground

black pepper

½ cup mayonnaise

/3 cup dry white wine

1

¼ cup Major Grey’s chutney 3 tablespoons curry powder 1 cup medium diced celery

(about 2 large sticks)

½ cup chopped green onions

(white and green parts) ¼ cup raisins

1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews (see note)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken breasts on a sheet pan. Rub skin with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes, until chicken is just cooked. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove meat from bones. Discard skin. Dice meat into bite size pieces.

In a food processor fitted with steel blade, combine the mayonnaise, wine, chutney, curry and 1 ½ teaspoon of salt; process until smooth.

In a large bowl, combine the chicken, mayonnaise mixture, celery, green onions, raisins and mix well. Refrigerate for a few hours. Add nuts and serve at room temperature. Makes 6 servings. Note: To roast cashews, place in a dry saute pan over medium-low heat and stir until crisp, about 5 minutes.

A reader wishing to be known as Little Rock Cook shares the following banana bread recipe.

“I’ve never eaten [Trio’s banana bread], but this is my recipe I use when my bananas are overripe,” she writes. “In fact, I baked it a few days ago. Very simple recipe. I love a slice, toasted, with butter.”

Quick Banana Bread

3 medium bananas, mashed

3 tablespoons oil

¾ cup milk

1 egg

2 cups flour

3 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup chopped nuts, toasted

In a large bowl, mix the bananas, oil, milk, and egg; stir well. Stir in rest of ingredients, mixing well.

Pour into greased 9-inch loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees about 60 minutes. Check for doneness with toothpick.

Little Rock Cook also shared this recipe for hot cocoa mix.

“Also, yesterday I was cold and wanted some hot chocolate, but didn’t have any packets. So I pulled out this old recipe which I used to make when I made things from-scratch mostly.”

Cocoa for One

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa

2 tablespoons sugar Dash of salt

1 cup milk Marshmallows, for serving

Combine the unsweetened cocoa, sugar and salt. Add 2 tablespoons water. Stir and boil for one minute. Then add the milk and heat through; do not boil. Serve with marshmallows.

REQUEST

■ Multi-grain seeded bread like that served at Omar’s Uptown in Jonesboro for Debbie Arnold.