Lisa's Ultimate Chicken Salad

I love chicken salad. I began making it as a tradition the night before Thanksgiving many moons ago. My Mom always made a delicious, much loved veggie-filled chicken soup with tortellinis as our Thanksgiving dinner starter. She would poach chicken parts in a myriad of vegetables and herbs while we prepared other parts of our Thanksgiving meal, and once the stock was finished, I would shred that chicken meat up and make a big bowl of chicken salad. That was always our night before Thanksgiving dinner. My Mom and I would take a break from cooking and have ours, then Dad would get home from work and have some, my Brother would get home at some point or the following morning when we no longer lived at home, and he would go straight to the fridge knowing his helping was there waiting for him. To us, this was our favorite part of Thanksgiving since none of us are Turkey types.

Over the years, I have perfected a chicken salad that I pride myself on. First things first, I always like to use a quality, rotisserie chicken. A rotisserie chicken is moist and flavorful, and one of those ‘hacks’ or shortcuts that are totally worth it, in my opinion. So, you start with that bird and you remove the skin and proceed to remove all of the meat, this is easiest to do by hand.

Then, I like to get creative with what I add to this chicken salad. I always have it mayo based, and I always use celery. You need the creamy moisture and you need the crisp crunch. I like to do a play on a Waldorf and add a sweet, fruity component like halved grapes, or most of the time I use dried cranberries or cherries, whatever I have on hand. Then I add either walnuts or pecans. The walnut works best, but sometimes I use spiced pecans from Trader Joe’s that gives it a zing. I like to add dill and a little mild onion flavor like chives or green onions. Some lemon juice and zest for acid, and you have all your flavors and textures represented. Salt and pepper of course for taste, and a little olive oil to smooth it out.

All the flavors, all the textures and a moist rotisserie chicken: the ultimate chicken salad!

I’m happy eating chicken salad just over a salad. It’s also great with roasted lemon potatoes if you are avoiding bread. I think they are great on wraps or even tacos. My daughter likes it on a wrap so we do that a lot. There was a place in Astoria where I used to live that made a ridiculous sandwich called The Robin Hood: Waldorf chicken salad, slice of cheddar and some perfectly cooked bacon in a wrap. Holy Moly. I only ate it a few times, but I still think of it more often than I should….

Anyways, there is a lot of freedom to play around with your taste preferences, but this chicken salad is a crowd pleaser. An easy to make, easy to eat, good for potlucks, good for picnics, good for celiacs winner winner chicken dinner!