Chicken Salad help

I'm just a novice cook..so forgive me for my simplistic question! I'm supposed to make chicken salad tomorrow for our work lunch. I have chicken, celery, red grapes, and pecans. My question is..what dressings/spices should I use?? I know Mayo..but what else do you put in?

Hey there.... i am not an expert on it... but i think you are missing some celery and onion. I like to use green onions sometimes and it makes a nice change, not as strong as reg onion. Also, i would use Miracle whip/salad dressing as opposed to mayo in a salad. Another thing i started doing is adding a small amount of sour cream to my salads and it adds a nice richness to them.

If you want to you can also add some dill relish or chopped dill pickles. I dont think that is traditional, but my son has to see pickles going into these types of salads, then he eats them.... works for me.

maybe also a fresh herb. which in my house is always cilantro, but my family really likes cilantro and we add it to everything. I am sure it wouldnt go over well for a work lunch, too many varying tastes.

A light touch of tarragon is nice in chicken salad. I usually add chopped hard boiled egg, too.

Megan, this recipe from Whole Foods makes a tasty chicken salad: http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/526

[Robin Garr]

Great advice already. With that particular chicken-fruit-and-nut combo, I love adding just a taste of curry powder, not enough to take over the flavor or make it three-pepper hot and spicy, but just enough to give it a haunting exotic scent. It really brings together the meat, the grapes and the pecans. Multi-grain bread goes particularly well when you do it that way.

I got the idea years ago at the old Fourth Avenue Deli in the Heyburn Building, Fourth Street side - this was back when The Louisville Times was still alive, so there are probably people in the forum who weren't born yet when I was eating this dish there.

Great advice already. With that particular chicken-fruit-and-nut combo, I love adding just a taste of curry powder, not enough to take over the flavor or make it three-pepper hot and spicy, but just enough to give it a haunting exotic scent. It really brings together the meat, the grapes and the pecans. Multi-grain bread goes particularly well when you do it that way.

I got the idea years ago at the old Fourth Avenue Deli in the Heyburn Building, Fourth Street side - this was back when The Louisville Times was still alive, so there are probably people in the forum who weren't born yet when I was eating this dish there.

I am fairly new to chicken salad..... (chicken salad just isnt a staple in many Latino homes ) but when i started trying it out i noticed that a lot of recipes call for curry powder. I admit i have never tried it, it sounds like an odd addition.... .but as i type this i guess my cilantro sounds like an odd addition as well... lol

p.s. i bought that curry powder and havent made an actual curry sauce with it. but i have read that you can season foods with it. I used it on some pork and chicken and both have come out salty. I dont know if its the brand or if you should not use other seasonings when you use curry. But i am having a bit of a hard time getting it right.

I've actually made a chicken salad before that had curry, but also a chutney in it as well, that was good, but my husband wouldn't touch it.
Thanks for the Whole Foods recipe. I actually went with this one since I had almost all the ingredients. The dressing tastes really yummy and I have everything prepared, but will just mix it all up in the morning.
You know what? Chicken salad is a P.I.T.A to prepare. Next time I'll go to Kroger and buy it. Just lots of chopping and all..too much to deal with when I have a very persistent 3 yr old trying to push me where he wants me to be.
Thanks for the great advice though!!

3 yr olds , prepared properly, make a nice addition to any chicken salad recipe!!!

Becky, check out the Curry Chicken Salad at Cheddar Box in Chenoweth...super good! Or Lynn's Paradise Cafe makes a good one as well. It's worth trying a good one before trying to make it at home so you know what to aim for.

Curry is one of the harder spices to get right at first. If the one you have is salty, you may want to try a different brand. I got a decent one from Whole Foods, store brand 365, for pretty cheap.

I'm just a novice cook..so forgive me for my simplistic question! I'm supposed to make chicken salad tomorrow for our work lunch. I have chicken, celery, red grapes, and pecans. My question is..what dressings/spices should I use?? I know Mayo..but what else do you put in?

Probably too late for this time around but Kroger has some awesome "Derby City" Chicken Salad...but it ain't cheap. Around 8 bucks a pound.

I agree Steve, I love their chicken salad, but the price is precisely why I chose to make it. I have to say, the salad I made was proclaimed to be the "best chicken salad" they had ever tasted. I said it was because it was made with love. But it was damn tasty!

I agree Steve, I love their chicken salad, but the price is precisely why I chose to make it. I have to say, the salad I made was proclaimed to be the "best chicken salad" they had ever tasted. I said it was because it was made with love. But it was damn tasty!

Megan everything is made better with love.... as my mom always said.

Glad everyone liked it so much.... care to share what you finally ended up doing?

I'm just a novice cook..so forgive me for my simplistic question! I'm supposed to make chicken salad tomorrow for our work lunch. I have chicken, celery, red grapes, and pecans. My question is..what dressings/spices should I use?? I know Mayo..but what else do you put in?

-prepare and rest chicken, chop roughly
-in a DRY saute pan, toast pecans over med low heat until you can smell them...DONT let them burn
-dice celery
-quarter red grapes
-using 2:1 evoo:mayo... combine in mixing bowl until moist w/ yellow curry powder, s and p, spladh of your fav vinegar, pinch of sugar, and some fresh herbs of your choice. taragon, basil, etc...
-also... minced red onion or shallot is always welcome.

i also do a 'chicken/corn chowder' salad with potato, corn, and bacon that is pretty sweet

I used the recipe for the whole foods sonoma chicken salad. But I boiled the chicken instead of roasting it.
Chicken, toasted pecans, red grapes, celery, green onion. The dressing is Mayonaisse, red wine vinegar, honey, poppy seeds, salt and pepper to taste.