Earlier this spring, I rediscovered chicken salad; I’m not actually sure why I had forgotten about it. I used to love chicken salad sandwiches I’d eat from the deli while at grad school (the bread was always a little stale), but I wonder now what exactly was in those sandwiches…
I’ve made this particular chicken salad a half dozen times since May already. It is just so good. The list of ingredients isn’t extensive, which is probably why it works so well for my taste. I’ve made a few adjustments, including making the mayonnaise from scratch.
I used the mayonnaise recipe from Nourishing Traditions and I love it! I didn’t have any whey handy, so this mayo will only last a couple of weeks; I have plans to make lacto-fermented mayo soon. I used a combination of extra virgin olive oil and expeller pressed organic sunflower oil, which are much better fats than the canola and soybean oil you’ll often find in commercial mayo. I once made mayonnaise with all olive oil and didn’t really like it – it was too intense for me and didn’t taste much like mayo.
The mayo is also a wonderful yellow color, thanks to the excellent pastured eggs I have access to.
One of the predominate flavors in this chicken salad is tarragon, an herb I never paid much attention to. I was never a real fan of it, but since I’ve been making this salad, I’ve become its champion. I got a beautiful bunch of it in the first week’s CSA share, and was happy to use it in the chicken salad. In fact, I pumped up the amount of tarragon, I love it so much.
I also switched out the original cranberries for apples. I think the apples are so perfect in this salad, giving a level of sweetness that I think is absolutely delicious. Apples and walnuts are a classic pairing, too.
Chicken breasts work well in this salad (I poach them) but really any leftover chicken will do, be it roasted, grilled, or whatever.
Apple-Walnut Chicken Salad
Adapted from smitten kitchen, who adapted it quite loosely from Gourmet
4 cups cubed (1/2 inch) cooked chicken (about 1 3/4 lb), pastured if possible
1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
1 celery rib, diced into small bits (1 cup)
2 or more tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 apple, cored and cubed (no need to peel it)
2/3 to 3/4 cup mayonnaise (homemade is best)
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Toss together all ingredients in a large bowl until combined well.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
This post is participating in Fight Back Friday hosted by Food Renegade.
