Simply The BEST Chicken Salad

Tips For Making a Great Chicken Salad:

• Use freshly cooked or leftover cooked chicken.  I prefer to use a rotiserrie chicken or a chicken that I roast myself at home.  Roasted chicken is so much more juicy and full of flavor!
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the choicest pieces to use.  Use one breast for every 2 people.
• Once cooked, allow the chicken to cool.  Then cut the chicken into ½” chunks or you can even tear the meat if you prefer.  Place in a large mixing bowl.
• Add the crunchiest veggies!  Celery is always used in chicken salad, but you can also add crunch from carrots and cucumbers.
• Add finely chopped onions.  Red onions work well in chicken salads served in autumn and winter.  Don’t add too much onion, it packs a big punch and goes a long way for that tart flavor.
• Add some sweet fruit!  My favorite ingredients in a great chicken salad are grapes, dried cranberries, apples and even raisins!
• Extra crunch makes a more exciting salad!  So add chopped nuts such as slivered almonds, pecans, walnuts or even cashews!  Add some crumbled bacon too!  How about some water chestnuts?  Mmmmm!
• Go for the green by adding some freshly cut herbs, whether mixed in the salad itself or as garnish.
• A creamy dressing is a must.  Use mayo, sour cream, whipped cream, Greek yogurt, or a combination of these to act as the glue to hold the chicken salad together.
• Use freshly-made mayonnaise if you have the time.  The fresher the better in any ingredient is always the way to achieve the best results.
• Season nicely with herbs and spices.  Adding a tiny bit of curry to the creamy dressing gives a nice kick to the salad — but just a little bit of cury!  I use fresh dill and Italian parsley to take chicken salad over the top in flavor.  Those and GARLIC too!  Paprika is also a colorful last-minute garnish.
• Chill for several hours or overnight for all of the flavors to marry.
• Serve on beds of vivid green lettuce in assorted varieties or serve in a carved out tomato.  And for the classic sammie, serve in fresh croissants.  Just be creative!

The BEST Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Grapes

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• Author: Roz | La Bella Vita Cucina
• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Additional Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours
• Total Time: 0 hours
• Yield: 6 cups 1x
• Category: Salads
• Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2–1/2 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• dried cranberries

dried cranberries

• 1 cup thinly sliced celery
• 1 cup halved green grapes (red would be even prettier for the season)
• 1/4 cup chopped red onion
• 1 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip salad dressing
• 1/2 cup heavy whipped cream (whipped until soft peaks form)
• 1 tablespoon freshly diced Italian parsley
• (use any or all of the following seasonings to your taste preference)
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon or dill
• 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. onion powder
• 1/8 tsp. poultry seasoning
• 1/8 tsp. curry powder (if desired, optional)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• paprika
• Italian parsley
• large tomatoes
• lettuce varieties of choice

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Instructions

1. Combine the first dry ingredients in one large bowl.
2. In another medium-sized bowl, blend the mayonnaise, whipped cream, and spices.
3. Add the mayonnaise mixture to the chicken and other ingredients.
4. Mix well.
5. Adjust seasonings as desired.
6. Cut out large tomatoes.
7. Lay tomatoes on a bed of lettuce, or inside a half head of iceberg lettuce.
8. Place the chicken salad inside the tomatoes and around the lettuce.
9. Sprinkle with paprika.
10. Garnish with sprigs of Italian parsley.

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We hope that you enjoy this Chicken Salad with Dried Cranberries and Grapes 

If you try this recipe and take a photo as Larry did above, I promise to share it with everyone here on the blog!