A Guide To Making The Best Chicken Salad You Will Ever Put In Your Mouth

Ingredients
2 lbs Thighs, Chicken, Smoked, boned, hacked
2 c. Mayonnaise, Obviously a good idea to use the good stuff like Hellmans, Duke, Bama or the king of Mayo: Blue Plate
2 each Shallots, minced
1 each Lemon, juiced
1 each Parsley, bunch, Italian, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Method
* Place chicken meat in large bowl
* Add parsley and shallot, combine, lightly salt and pepper
* Pour lemon juice over chicken, toss and let sit for ten minutes
* Drain juice off chicken
* Fold in mayo, it seems like a lot of mayo but the meat will "drink" the mayo i.e soak it in
* Refrigerate for one hour
* Chicken salad is now ready to eat
 
http://www.scrumptiousche...Put-In-Your-Mouth#more
 
Hit the link for notes on the recipe's origin, my fear as a chef and facing Junior Leaguers at their own game
 
 
 
 

My mother always told me that I should never eat chicken salad because I might die from it. And so in all my 42 years I've never touched it.

I love it, but would like some celery and Kraft mayo, no parsley.  I know to each his/her own.

I suppose everyone has their own ideal of what the best chicken salad is and what you grew up with. Mine has always been NY deli style. My kids wouldn't touch a chicken salad that doesn't contain mustard, raisin,apple,and cubed potatoes in it. My spouse will only eat one made from canned chicken that's full of tarragon and slivered almonds. I have to cringe on what passes as CS nowadays, but it seems like it has to contain grapes, chalky white meat, and some form of "healthy" binder like yogurt or low fat/fat free dressing. To each his own.

To the recipe I would add Golden raisens, bacon, and chopped walnuts

Nuts in food? YUCK!

Michael Hoffman


My mother always told me that I should never eat chicken salad because I might die from it. And so in all my 42 years I've never touched it.

 
Sounds to me like your mother was right because apparently you ain't dead.  Best I recall, you don't do chicken of any kind?  How about turkey?
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Michael Hoffman


My mother always told me that I should never eat chicken salad because I might die from it. And so in all my 42 years I've never touched it.

I've watched that TV show "1000 Ways to Die" and I never saw anyone dying from eating Chicken Salad so here's your chance at stardom!

My Favorite:
Chicken Waldorf Salad
 
Ingredients
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
2 cups diced cooked chicken
2 red apples, cored & diced
 2/3 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup chopped walnuts Directions
 
In a bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Add the chicken, apples and celery.
Toss to coat.
Cover and chill.
Sprinkle with walnuts just before serving.

There is a lot of ways to make chicken salad and I like many of them but I certainly prefer rotisserie chicken because it is so moist.  I am sorta like Michael as nuts are not my favorite but celery, grapes, raisins and many other things work. Some folks have even used eggs but I never do.
 
I use the white and dark meat when I prepare chicken salad.   I let it chill overnight or several hours in the frige.  I guess tuna preparation is similar.  I never use chicken from the can but with tuna, I do although I have made tuna from fresh tuna although it can get a bit pricey.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I make chicken salad several ways depending on my mood. Some batches have cashews.But my go to base is chicken( never canned) celery, onion, mayo, salt, pepper. I like to add red grapes, and sometimes even frozen( defrosted) peas.

Sundancer7

Michael Hoffman


My mother always told me that I should never eat chicken salad because I might die from it. And so in all my 42 years I've never touched it.

Sounds to me like your mother was right because apparently you ain't dead.  Best I recall, you don't do chicken of any kind?  How about turkey?

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Oh, I love turkey and chicken. I just don't like fried chicken or chicken wings.

The Dutch Oven in Clarksdale MS makes the BEST chicken salad ever - always the same every time - they bake their own breads and that chicken salad on a fresh Butterhorn is fantastic.
I wouldn't even begin to guess the recipe -
 

I went through an "I love chicken salad" phase.  When traveling to Texas on I10 I stopped at the only restaurant to be found, somewhere in New Mexico.
 
I ordered the chicken salad sandwich.  The only reason I know it was actually chicken salad that I received was from the bones found within.  Definitely chicken.

Probably rattlesnake.

I pretty much just always make chicken salad using the left over chicken from my rotisserie chicken. I always get good praise from family on its flavor.
 
If it's a sandwich, no fruit or nuts. I use fruit and sometimes nuts and other items if I'm putting a scoop on greens and eating as a salad. 

It's not the chicken that will kill ya, it's the mayo that was left out in the sun.

I love chicken salad and one of the more intriguing recipes for such (and which I have yet to make myself) which I've saved is from NYC food bon vivant Arthur Schwartz (whom I've previously touted on this site) who said such hails from none other than the...
 

 
 
 ...and is the diner's Chinese Chicken Salad whose recipe is as follows:
 
Brooklyn Diner's Chinese Chicken Salad  
The Dressing
Makes about 1 quart,
Enough for at least 8 to 12 servings of salad
2 cups mayonnaise
3 tablespoons tahini paste
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons duck sauce
2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce (or 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar dissolved in 2 tablespoons additional soy sauce)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons finely grated ginger root (use the fine side of a box grater)
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Colman's powdered mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cold water, if necessary
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and tahini until smooth, then add all the remaining ingredients except the powdered mustard and salt. Whisk again, then sprinkle the mustard and salt over the surface of the dressing and whisk again to blend. If the tahini was the very thick kind, you may want to whisk in as much as ¼ cup water to thin the consistency to that of heavy cream.
Refrigerate for at least several hours; 24 hours is even better. The dressing may be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.
 
 
The Salad
Serves 4 to 6
1½ pounds Napa cabbage (1/2 3-pound head)
1½ pounds roasted chicken, off the bone (Brooklyn Diner uses
only white meat; you'll need 2 chickens to provide this much)
1 11-ounce can Mandarin oranges in light syrup, drained (or use 4 peeled,
fresh Mandarins, broken into segments and pitted)
½ cup sliced scallions, using all the white and some green
1½ to 2 cups Brooklyn Diner Chinese Chicken Salad dressing (recipe follows)
¼ cup or more fresh cilantro, in whole leaves
Cut the cabbage in half the long way. Cut out the small core at the base. Cut each half in half again the long way. Slice the cabbage crosswise into fine shreds. You should have about 8 cups. Wash and dry very well. Place in a large salad bowl.
With your hands, pull the chicken into smaller pieces. You should have about 4 cups pulled chicken. Add to the bowl with the cabbage. Add the orange segments, and the sliced scallions. Pour on the dressing and toss well to mix.
Spread the salad on a large platter, serve in a large bowl, or divide between 4 to 6 dinner plates.
Garnish with whole cilantro leaves and serve. (You can also coarsely chop the cilantro and toss some in with the salad, and use some as garnish.)

 
 

FYI.
 

scrumptiouschef - looks like a great recipe, was surprised to see you mention Blue Plate mayo, and agree totally that it's the best, you can find it in Austin? 

My fav. chicken salad:
 
Chopped up cooked chicken breast
Finely diced celery
Diced green apples
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
Mayo to taste
Tablespoon honey mustard
Salt/pepper

Sounds like an awesome waldorf version of chicken salad, sassygritsal- will be making that!

I really like the step of soaking the chicken in lemon juice, shallots, parsley.  I will try that this week.
I like chicken salad with only chicken breasts,but not boneless breasts.  I roast bone-in skin-on breasts,rub on a little olive oil,salt, pepper at 350 for 45 minutes/1 hours(depending on the size of the breasts).  It makes such a difference in the flavor of the chicken.  I remove the tenderloins of the chicken,dice into small pieces, process the rest(a few pulses in the processor),  then I add mayo, finely diced celery, 1-2 teaspons of juice from a jar of sweet pickles.  It is also important to chill the chicken salad at least 3-4 hours.

I have to agree with you, claracamille-I never use boneless chicken breasts in my chicken salad.

I thought that the proper way to cook the chicken in most deli salads is to boil it.

DawnT


I thought that the proper way to cook the chicken in most deli salads is to boil it.

I'd agree with you there.

I'm doing a 6# Beer Butt Chicken on the Grill tomorrow and willl make a Chicken salad with the leftovers. Here's my Favorite Recipe:
Neiman Marcus Chicken Salad
Makes about 6 cups
 1 lb. cooked chicken breasts, cut into ½″ cubes
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup thinly sliced celery
1 cup halved purple grapes
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted
1 tbsp. finely chopped parsley
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
½ cup whipped cream
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
 Directions:
Combine chicken, mayonnaise, celery, grapes, almonds, parsley, and salt in a bowl. Add whipped cream and pepper; fold to combine.

 
 
 

 

Dawn,
I have always roasted skin-on bone-in breasts for chicken breasts so I was happy to see that the Barefoot Contessa also roasts her chicken breasts.  She made a good comment, when you boil chicken breast, the chicken flavor goes into the water & does not not stay in the chicken.  Try roasting, I think you will like it.