The 4 Dimensions of Chicken Salad

I'm not sure if there's a consensus on chicken salad, but when it's right, it's sooo right. Keeping these 4 things in mind has helped me make truly more-ish chicken (and white fish) salads.

There are two factors when it comes to chicken salad—its format and, of course, its flavor. Firstly, I like to eat chicken salad on a bed of greens or as a sort of dip for crackers or plain salted ruffle chips. For this recipe, I’ve combined both ideas to create one extremely satisfying lunch.

Next, consider flavor. Thanks to the cultural zeitgeist, you might have an image of what chicken salad looks like (mounds of white, creamy matter) and tastes like (mayonnaise, celery, onion, god-forbid grapes, hard boiled egg). There’s nothing wrong with this (except the grapes…and hard-boiled egg)—what I consider a more “traditional” style of chicken salad. But I believe it can support almost any flavor profile desired. It’s also a perfect template (or accompaniment) for fridge clean-out which is what phase of the week I’m currently in.

Template

When devising chicken salad (and white fish salad, for that matter), I break it down into the following dimensions:

• Base or “Sauce” - The thing(s) that will make it not dry. Typically the base is creamy, but going with a citrus juice or vinegar is equally nice.

• Texture - The degree to which the chicken is broken down either by shredding or mincing is totally up to how you prefer the overall texture of the salad.

• Crunch - Yes, technically could be categorized under texture, but aside from other textural elements, I think chicken salad requires crunch. I think something that can turn people off to any sort of “[meat] salad” is that it can be one-dimensional, soft, or texturally uninteresting. How can we add more textural interest?

• Je ne sais quoi - What’s the underlying “theme” or style that serves as the flavor backdrop?

The chicken salad I present you with today is:

• Base - creamy & citrusy

• Texture - shredded & minced, but not ground to a paste

• Crunch - very crunchy with the help of sliced snap peas

• Je ne sais quoi - lots of pickle-yyyy peppers

Composing the plate

Base: I put the salad on top of crispy green leaf lettuce (but, if I had it, I would have used arugula to make it even more peppery).

Accessories: I’ve noticed that some people have strong opinions about bell peppers. I do not. I’m neither mad when they’re present nor do I miss them in their absence. However, I YEARN for these pickled bell peppers. I’ve been making them in larger batches and adding them to lazy dishes that need a fun, tangy accessory (like this one).

Delivery System: I’m someone who needs a cracker, french fry, crouton, or chip component with a salad. For this, I had the Back to Nature Pink Himalayan Salt crackers which are so, so good.

• 2 Poached Chicken Breasts

• 2 handfuls of sugar snap peas

• zest of 1 lemon

• lemon juice (.5 lemon)

• .25-.5 jar of pickled pepperoncinis + 2 tsp of the pickle juice

• .25 cup of greek yogurt (I use full fat)

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• pinch of salt

• 2 tsp pepper

Other ideas using the chicken salad template:

• Curry w/ Orange Juice-Soaked Raisins

  • Base - fresh orange & lemon juice, greek yogurt

  • Texture - shredded, on the softer side

  • Crunch - orange juice-soaked raisins, unsweetened toasted coconut flakes & cooked split peas

  • Je ne sais quoi - curry powder, turmeric, light cumin, paprika

• Loaded Potato

  • Base - sour cream or greek yogurt

  • Texture - shredded, on the chunkier side

  • Crunch - green onion or chives, raw green beans

  • Je ne sais quoi - bacon