in addition to making chicken salad for my honey, i also made her cantaloupe agua fresca! after consuming, she says she would prefer mint instead of basil and lime instead of lemon. i had no idea that agua fresca, at least this one, could be this sweet without adding sugar.

Ingredients
15 cups chopped cantaloupe (about two 3 1/2-pound melons)
3/4 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

Preparation
Working in batches, purée cantaloupe in a blender until smooth.
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl; line sieve with cheesecloth. Strain purée into bowl; gather cheesecloth into a bundle and squeeze any remaining juice into bowl. Repeat process with fresh cheesecloth, straining into a large pitcher (you should have about 5 cups juice).
Add lemon juice, basil, and 2 cups cold water to pitcher. Let steep at room temperature for 1–2 hours. Fill glasses with ice. Divide agua fresca among glasses.

8 servings

4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts , no more than 1 inch thick, trimmed
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 celery ribs, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

1. Dissolve 2 tablespoons salt in 6 cups cold water in Dutch oven. Submerge chicken in water. Heat pot over medium heat until water registers 170 degrees. Turn off heat, cover pot, and let stand until chicken registers 165 degrees, 15 to 17 minutes.
2. Transfer chicken to paper towel–lined tray. Refrigerate until chicken is cool, about 30 minutes. While chicken cools, whisk mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in large bowl.
3. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into ½-inch pieces. Transfer chicken to bowl with mayonnaise mixture. Add celery, shallot, parsley, and tarragon; toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (Salad can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)

N.B., i usually use one package of costco chicken breasts and therefore add a little extra bit of some celery and tarragon to match the larger amount of protein. m likes extra tarragon, so instead of 1.5 tsp (halving the recipe), i use 2-2.5. i also use 2 celery ribs as long as they’re not too big. don’t overdo the parsley, because it makes the salad too earthy (personal experience).

serves 4-6