Classic Creamy Chicken Salad – Easy Recipe

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Our cat is going crazy because the whole place smells like simmering chicken stock.
Confession: I used to buy frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts. They were dry and they had almost no taste, but the media had me convinced they were a healthy “lean protein” option. I can’t believe I missed out on all the flavor and goodness of the rest of the chicken.

Four quarts of chicken stock ready to freeze

Now, when we do eat chicken, I find a local source and I buy the whole bird.  (Try Local Harvest to find a farmer near you.) We eat the meat for dinner. Then I boil the carcass, pick the little bits of leftover chicken out for future soups or salad, strain the liquid and reduce it to make some of the most beautiful, rich stock you have ever seen. I even skim the fat off the top to use for bread making or sautéing veggies. Nothing goes to waste.

To make Classic Creamy Chicken Salad I start with this simple recipe and then I add things like apples and walnuts or some corn relish I made last summer to keep things interesting. The basic chicken salad recipe is creamy mayonnaise with acidic lemon juice, crunchy carrots and pungent onions. That’s all you need to get the right balance of flavors and textures.


Some fresh bread and a homemade garlic dill pickle doesn’t hurt either. Scale this recipe to however much chicken you have left.  If you are feeling a little adventurous mix in some of the bonus ingredients in the last step.  In the picture above I added 1/4 cup corn relish and a diced tart apple. 

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Classic Cream Chicken Salad
1 pound leftover chicken meat
2 medium carrots, diced very small
1 small onion, grated
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice (you could also use dill pickle juice)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Shred the chicken meat by cutting it into one inch chunks and then using your hands to pull apart the meat into shreds.
    
2. In a bowl combine the chicken meat with the carrots, onion, mayo, and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    
3. Now get creative and throw in some pickle relish, chutney, walnuts, apple, herbs or even raisins and curry powder. I love fresh tarragon minced in with dried apricot. Taste as you go to create a unique dish every time.

How do you spice up your chicken salad?