Tarragon Chicken Salad
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Here’s to having plenty of summer days that are too hot to want to cook. Tarragon Chicken Salad is perfect for just such days. No need to cook when tender chicken pairs up with mustard and creamy mayo for a wonderful salad that’s amazing on a crusty roll, croissant, lettuce wrap or cracker.
Start with cooked chicken, preferably leftovers or even a pre-cooked roaster chicken for convenience. While I’m all for making as much homemade as possible, it’s hard to deny the lure of a plump, juicy roast chicken that’s ready when you need it. Whatever chicken you use, chop it chunky and avoid over mixing it after adding the other ingredients. Overmixing tends to break down the fibres of the chicken a little too much for my liking, so be gentle.
Along with the crisp chopped celery, I also like to add a few of the celery leaves for a bit of freshness. I have left out adding any onions to this chicken salad, however, thinly sliced scallions would be a nice additional touch if desired.
The tarragon is a wonderful flavour to go with chicken and mustard. You’ll find that the longer it sits in the salad the stronger the flavour will be. It does take a little time for it to meld with everything. By all means use fresh tarragon if you can, using about 3 times the amount of the dry, so in this case, I’d use a tablespoon of fresh. The fresh won’t require the same amount of melding time, simply mix and enjoy!!
Author:Â Compelled to Cook
- 2 cups cold, diced cooked chicken 1/2" dice about 10-11 ounces
- 1/3-1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup diced celery 1/4" dice
- 1 tbsp chopped celery leaves optional
- 1 tbsp whole grain mustard
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- to taste kosher salt
- to taste pepper
- squeeze fresh lemon juice
- Add all ingredients to a medium size bowl starting with 1/3 cup of mayonnaise. Stir gently until combined adjusting creaminess with additional mayonnaise and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes and up to several hours to allow flavours to meld.
-The tarragon flavour will become more pronounced the longer the chicken salad sits.
-A precooked roaster chicken that has been chilled works wonderfully.
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