I’m calling this Fall Chicken Salad but the truth is you can make it anytime of year. Everyone has a favorite chicken salad recipe. My friend Theresa and I thought this one was amazing. We ordered it at a local restaurant. Everything was delicious from the dressing to the fruit and the toasted brioche buns.
Theresa became a little obsessed, to be honest. We spent the next week trying to replicate the flavors at home. The text messages were flying! We managed to come pretty close if I say so myself.
Mix and match to make your own version of fall chicken salad
Once you get the flavors of the dressing to suit your tastes, the rest is a matter of mixing and matching the seasonal fruits and nuts available to you. We were served seedless red grapes and pecans. Other combinations include:
- cherries and almonds
- seedless grapes and walnuts
- apples and pecans
- tangerine or clementine pieces
- poppy, sesame or sunflower seeds instead of nuts
- dried cranberries, raisins or currants instead of fresh fruit
You get the idea. Check out my Brazilian Chicken Salad for more inspiration.
Take your time when cutting and chopping the ingredients. In general you want a small, even dice for the chicken and celery and slightly large pieces for the grapes and nuts. This will not only help keep the fall chicken salad on your bun, but you’ll get a little bit of everything in each bite.
How sweet do you like it?
When replicating the dressing we tried honey, sugar and no sweetener. The dressing without sweetener was kind of bland. Honey added sweetness but also the flavor of the flowers.
We preferred plain sugar.
How much sugar to add will depend on your personal taste and the sweetness of your mayonnaise.
The recipe recommends 2 teaspoons sugar. It was a compromise. Theresa preferred her version with more sugar while I reduced my sugar because the mayo, grapes and brioche buns all contributed to the overall sweetness.
If you use a non caloric sweetener follow the label recommendations for the proper amount to use.
Lemon juice adds brightness to the dressing while onion, garlic, salt and pepper round out the flavors.
About the main ingredient in fall chicken salad…
Two cups of diced cooked chicken will make enough salad for 4 to 6 sandwiches.
You can poach the chicken and dice it up, or take the rotisserie chicken assist. Both methods have their advantages.
If you poach chicken you can season the liquid with lemon, onion, garlic, bay leaf, etc. Properly poached chicken is tender, juicy and flavorful. You can also poach just what you need for the recipe.
Rotisserie chicken is also flavorful but you have less control over the seasoning and tenderness. A whole rotisserie chicken will yield more than enough meat to make fall chicken salad, another meal of roasted chicken plus the carcass can be used to make soup.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 2 cups cooked chicken diced
- ⅓ cup green onion (or diced yellow onion)
- 1 stalk celery diced
- 2/3 cup seedless red grapes sliced
- ½ cup sliced almonds (a handful)
- chopped fresh parsley
For the dressing
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)
- salt, pepper, roasted garlic powder, other seasonings to taste
Instructions
- Mix the dressing ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, add the chicken, green onion and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Pour on the dressing and stir to combine.
- Add the grapes, almonds and chopped parsley. Stir. Cover and refrigerate for at an hour or more. Will keep for at least 5 days in the fridge.
Notes
Nutrition
A rememberance
My friend Theresa died recently. We’d been friends for over 20 years. Social media allowed us to keep in touch despite an ocean between us. It’s been a year or so since we had our inspirational chicken salad sandwiches, which was also the last time I was in her company due to covid and other circumstances. I was moved to write this post when I came across the text messages we’d sent each other after the last time we met.
The grief is still fresh and any words I type seem inadequate, so I’ll leave it with this: I’ll miss her terribly.
So sorry to hear about Theresa. My condolences — I’m sure you’re feeling a huge loss. Anyway, this is a great looking recipe — love chicken salad, and this one is special. Thanks.
This chicken salad is to die for! I a also going to use some of your suggestions for alternate dried fruits and nuts.
I’m glad you liked it, Gerry! Thanks for taking the time to let me know. 🙂