Curried Chicken Salad

To poach the chicken, put it in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by 1 inch. Add the bay leaf and peppercorns. Place on the stove and turn the heat to high. Bring to a boil. Cover with a tight fitting lid and remove from the heat. Let stand for 15 minutes to cook through. Using tongs, transfer the chicken and about 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid to a shallow bowl to cool.

Meanwhile, place a small dry skillet on the stove and add the almonds. Turn the heat to medium. Stir or shake the almonds often in the skillet (so they cook evenly) until lightly toasted and fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Rinse the celery. Slice in half down the middle then slice crosswise into small pieces. For the scallions, cut off the roots then rinse the scallions and peel away any slimy membranes. Slice crosswise into rings. Cut the grapes in half. Add the celery, scallions, and grapes to a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, yogurt, curry, cayenne, salt and lemon juice.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, shred it into bite-size pieces and add to the bowl. Add the almonds and dressing and stir together.