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I made a really good chicken salad tonight (which I've never been able to do) and not using a recipe! The only thing was, it's missing some "zing" it had a "flat" flavor. I used sour cream and granny smith apples but it still needed some kind of tartness. Any suggestions? Thanks

What about a squeeze of lemon juice?

Martha

Try adding some lemon juice!

I agree - lemon juice.
Mayo used instead of Miracle Whip you might want to add lemon juice.
I also think celery, celery seed or celery salt adds much to chicken salad.

I add a squirt of plain yellow mustard.

A friend makes the best chicken salad ever! Instead of apples, she halves seedless grapes. For serving, she tops it with slivered almonds. So good!

My chickens salad dressing is mostly mayo with a shot of lemon juice. I also add chicken bouillon granules, but you might not want to do that with the apples and grapes.

Also, a little secret. When you cook the chicken, make sure the broth is well seasoned with salt, pepper (optional), bay leaves, poultry seasoning, sage maybe and perhaps some tarragon. Makes a world of difference to the salad.

Yep, a little squirt of yellow mustard (I use French's - ) plus one of lemon juice will do the trick!

My vote is for the lemon juice and real mayo.

Just sampled a chicken salad made with a few dashes of lemon pepper, mayo, onions and celery that was delish.

The lemon pepper spice gave it the edge!

quote:

Originally posted by Beau's Rose:
Just sampled a chicken salad made with a few dashes of lemon pepper, mayo, onions and celery that was delish.

The lemon pepper spice gave it the edge!

I make chicken salad with these exact ingredients, except that I use fresh ground white or black pepper and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. (Even though the bottled lemon-pepper spice does sound yummy.)

It's the bite of the pepper and the tang of the lemon that makes all the difference. Oh, and don't be stingy with the salt: I use kosher or sea salt.

When I make any kind of 'salad', I add a delicate sprinkle of celery salt and/or seasoned salt.

Each June I make a chicken salad with fresh bing cherries & toasted almonds in it. The dressing does have sour cream, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Different from alot of chicken salads, this has green pepper which I think makes this one oh so special.
Now I'm impatient to wait for the bings to arrive.

Oh, gracious, that chicken salad with the fresh cherries and the almonds would be divine!!!!

I like to add just a little bit of pineapple to my chicken salad. I make it with mayo, a teeny bit of french's mustard, celery, onion powder, and fine pineapple bits, not crushed.

Time to make a batch..mmm

I like to bake my skin on, bone in chicken breasts in the oven until done for chicken salad. I season the chicken with kosher salt, pepper, and basil. I place some under the skin so as to flavor the chicken nicely. I love the way the basil flavors the chicken for the salad and adds that extra something to the salad that will leave others guessing what you've done to take your chicken salad over the top! When the chicken is cooked and cooled completely, I take it apart with my hands to shred not too fine though....leave some substance there! I like to control the fineness and texture and that is why I use my hands to prepare my chicken for the salad. I use green grapes and toasted pecans in my chicken salad. The dressing I prefer to make is made with mayonnaise, lemon juice, touch of Splenda, poultry seasoning, celery salt, onion powder, and fresh ground pepper. I do things to taste so it's difficult for me to say the measurements exactly. This is a wonderful dressing because it's not so bland and drab as some chicken salad can tend to be. I don't like using real onion in my chicken salad. This is a personal preference because I feel the onion overwhelms the flavor of the chicken salad which I don't like. I just made a batch of chicken salad this morning to take to our lakehouse later this afternoon to snack on.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: paintlady,

Try adding a tablespoon of horseradish for some tang.

I always add dried cherries and pecans (or walnut)pcs. to my chix salad along w/ mayo, celery, and a bit of onion. Simple and deeeeelish! BTW, the cherries not only add color/texture but a bit of tartness.

Made chicken salad last night and lemon pepper brought it to life, but I forgot to put the celery in it

I made a batch to take with us last week on an RV trip. I added chipotle powder to it. 'Twas wonderful.

love the idea of the cherries...yum...

I roast my chicken, stuff it with fresh herbs, sage, rosemary, thyme...whatever's on hand, and an apple orange and onion cut into wedges...then shred or cube and add to a bowl with fresh halved seedless red and green grapes, celery, and either toasted pecans or almonds, whichever I have on hand...if I'm serving it for brunch with friends I'll serve it in lettuce cups, or hulled out tomatoes, along with a variety of cheeses and crackers or croissants on the side. I make my dressing from mayo, and thickened cream and salt and white pepper.

In the pic below, I have actually just tossed the cheese chunks in and stirred through the chicken salad.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kentucky_Sunshine,

Looks delicious! I love roasted chicken meat in salads -- so much better than blanched chicken!

Martha

Staying a few days with my mother following one of her surgeries, I sauteed some chicken breasts for supper. The next morning, I chopped the leftover breasts for chicken salad. Later I heard her on the phone telling a friend how much more flavor the chicken salad had than her chicken salad made with boiled chicken.

Made chicken salad for dinner last night - I always roast my skin on chicken breasts in the oven with celery leaves and onion skins and coarsely cracked pepper.

Then diced the cooled chicken breast half and tossed with:
3/4 cup seedless grapes
other fresh fruit can be added such as pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, strawberries
2 ribs sliced celery
1/2 cup Vidalia onions,coarsely chopped
1/3 cup slivered almonds or broken pecans, toasted

For the dressing:
2/3 cup Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 teaspoon Beau Monde seasoning
1/2 teaspoon curry
2 tbsp sugar

Serves four ladies at lunch or 2 - 3 for dinner.
Offer crusty bread or crackers and cheese alongside.
Sherbet and sugar cookies for dessert.

Our's is similar to Lurah's....

exceptions:

We cooked our chicken with garlic and butter. Haven't used curry...that might be something we should try. Not sure what Beau Monde seasoning is....we'll have to look for that one.

We used dried cranberries, cut in halves.

Pickle juice....especially canned from home.(This is tricky for those who don't can their own pickles.)

Honestly, we came up with this recipe for our wedding dinner. Family members were impressed and surprised by the cranberries. DH has taken it to work and his coworkers still comment about it.

From the Spice Island website:
Beau Monde Seasoning
A perfect balance of celery, onion and salt with a touch of sweetness, Spice Islands® Beau Monde® seasoning enhances the flavor of virtually any savory dish and is great as a rub for roasted meats.

Through the years, many have attempted to replicate its flavor. But the original is still the best. Use this all-purpose seasoning anywhere from the kitchen to the dinner table.

The name beau monde is French for “beautiful world.”

I also use it when I make cucumber sandwiches blended with cream cheese and mayo, plus a bit of garlic powder. Enjoy, Lurah

Like chicken salad, but don't order it out!?! Unless it's get seal of approval from SIL... "gaurantee" that I won't end up with anything unpleasant in it?!?

She's one of only 2 people I know that make great chicken salad that I trust 100% NEVER to have any icky tendon stuff. She makes an intersting one when she has left-over chicken strips. She buys them pre-breaded and frozen and usually bakes them till crispy. Any left-overs get chopped up... onion, celery, etc, and mayo. Have made it with home-made, breaded, shallow-fried strips... tasty!

Only other person I "trust" is my Beautiful Aunt Peggy. She also makes the best chicken ala king... and trustworthy for the same reason!

the best chicken salad sandwhich I've ever eaten contained
chopped chicken, pistachios & dates with a little finely chopped celery, seasoned with basic curry powder. it was piled on whole wheat crossaint topped with a leaf of fresh red lettuce. YUM!
dunno if the "salad" mix contained mayonnaise or yogurt

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tessa89,

those pistachios sound delish! yum...yum...may have to try that combo tessa