It’s been a really hot summer here in Georgia. Hot temperatures and high humidity, too. It seems like I haven’t been cooking as much as usual, either. I just realized that I’ve only posted one actual recipe since the end of July! That must change and quickly! This is a food blog after all.
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about this blog and ways I can improve it. I’ve realized that I need to re-focus on what I know and do best – southern food. The problem, I think, is that I really like to try all kinds of foods and then I get excited and want to share those with my readers. I tend to let my focus wander a bit. I’ll do a little Italian something, then I’ll do a little Mexican something, but I need to get back to our wonderful southern cuisine. Starting right now!
Chicken salad is such a staple of southern cuisine. You see it on practically every menu in every southern restaurant. It’s present at nearly every celebratory occasion, wedding shower, and baby shower. It makes a great sandwich for a picnic, or stands on its own for the salad course.
Here’s the thing about chicken salad – there really is no recipe for it. Everybody makes it a little differently and you have to use your cook’s judgment when adding the ingredients because the measurements are different every time. Two things that make my chicken salad different are the roasting of the chicken and the addition of toasted pecans. Roasting the chicken gives a richer flavor than the traditional poached chicken meat and the pecans lend an additional texture and taste that is quite good.
Here’s what you’ll need to make my Toasted Pecan Chicken Salad:
4 skin-on, bone-in chicken breasts
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 tsp. butter
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3/4 to 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350.
Line a roasting tray or cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drizzle the chicken on both sides with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place breasts skin side up in preheated oven and cook until chicken is done all the way through. It will take anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts. Remove the chicken from the oven and allow it to sit until it’s cool enough to handle.
After removing the chicken from the oven, put the butter into a small baking pan and place the pan in the oven until the butter melts. Remove the pan from the oven and add the pecans, stirring to coat them well with the butter. Cook until the pecans are toasted – about 5-6 minutes. Remove pecans from the oven and set aside.
When the chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the skin and bones, shredding it some with your fingers as you go. Discard the skin and bones. Chop the chicken into small pieces. I like the chicken chopped pretty fine, but not so fine that you would think it was ground. Just a nice small dice.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the chopped chicken, toasted pecans and celery.
Add the mayonnaise starting with 3/4 cup and adding more as you feel the mixture needs. The chicken breasts I used this time were really large. The four of them made about 8 cups of chopped chicken. I started with 3/4 cup mayonnaise but by the time I was finished I had added at least that much more. You just have to use your judgment as to the amount you need. Keep mixing and tasting until you think it’s right. You may also need to add more celery. It just depends on your personal preference. Be sure to give it a taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
Optional: 1 cup of halved red grapes may be added. If I had been making this for just myself or for a party, I would have added the grapes. But since BeeBop doesn’t like fruit in his chicken salad I left them out. It’s great either way!
My favorite way to have chicken salad is mounded on a lettuce leaf accompanied with fruit (my favorites are red grapes and cantaloupe – just a great taste combination with the chicken salad), sliced ripe tomatoes sprinkled with salt and pepper, and crackers. For a party, make chicken salad finger sandwiches. Remove the crusts from your bread, add the salad and cut into four pieces. For a tea or luncheon, serve the chicken salad in puff pastry shells. So many options!
Enjoy!
Download a copy of Toasted Pecan Chicken Salad.
Other chicken salad recipes you might enjoy:
- Dill Chicken Salad with Grapes and Almonds from Sweet Basil Kitchen
- Chicken Salad from the Food Network Kitchens
- Simply Recipes’ Chicken Salad
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Kind of ironic, I am blogging about chicken salad today also. I cheated though and picked up a rotisserie chicken because of time restraints! I enjoyed your post and love your red bowl!
Nothing wrong with taking a shortcut like using a rotisserie chicken. I’m all for making cooking easier so more people will be encouraged to get in the kitchen!
You slacker :)
It suddenly turned autumn here. Freaky weather. That looks really good. I’m thinking I might add a few raisins or some dried cranberries.
Those would be great additions! I like a little something sweet mixed in or on the side with chicken salad, but BeeBop doesn’t so I left it out this time. I’ll have it my way next time with some halved red grapes thrown into the mix!
Perfect summer salad!!!! Or filling for a sandwich.
It does make good sandwiches, Jenn. I especially like it on toasted sourdough.
looks amazing! I think people seriously underestimate the greatness of a well made chicken salad.
I’m with you and love grapes in my chicken salad – or craisins, currents, golden raisins. Good tip about roasting the chicken instead of boiling it!
Wish I had some right now. Looks yummy.
This salad looks really good,now I am hungry for chicken salad!
Just a thought ,instead of discarding the bones boil them with some chunks of carrot,onion,and celery and you have a wonderful chicken stock. Or if no time to boil put bones in a zip lock bag and toss in freezer untill you have time to make the stock. I freeze the stock in 1 cup portions to use in recipes.
Good frugal idea, Judy.
Ohhhh sounds good to me! I haven’t had chicken salad in a while either. LOVE the plate!
Amanda, that was a $1.00 antiquing find. Only one like it in the place so I grabbed it to use for photo props!
what a nice chicken salad, like how you roasted it in the oven for depth of flavor …. momma always said add toasted pecans if company was coming….this must be ‘an important’ salad….
I agree with your momma, Drick. Always add a little something special if company is coming, right?
Lana – I’ve never thought of roasting the chicken. Brilliant! I love the grapes in chicken salad. And, there’s a restaurant in town that puts in pineapple tidbits and mandarin oranges. BTW – we made my spinach blueberry salad tonight and started talking about our top salads and yours was in the top five -ever. Thanks again, Kate
Roast chicken is the ONLY way to go with chicken salad! I love the simplicity and I am SOOOOOO envious of the plate in the first pic! Beautiful presentation!
Your recipes always speak load and clear to me, and I hang on every word. Chicken and toasted pecans (and, to be honest, mayonnaise)? Heaven! I’m looking forward to tucking this salad between slices of toasted, good quality French bread with a sprinkling of raw spinach on top. Yum!
Please pass me some bread and a big scoop of that chicken!
I began making my chicken salad by roasting split breasts on the bone “with” the skin like you do. In the past I had always used boneless/skinless breasts, but it was Barefoot Contessa that I learned to use the “on the bone” for a juicier piece of chicken. And it worked. I’m a nut freak, so this is calling to me. I make my chicken salad similar to yours but I’ve not added the nuts to it. That’s a must try.
Thanks for another great recipe, Lana!
I go absolutely crazy for a good chicken salad!! And this one with pecans sounds extra awesome. I love love love red grapes in my chix salad too. Yum!
Oh my goodness- I have this same plate! What a sweet little platter for your chicken salad. I love the pecans in it. I’m a Southern girl, too, so these are a must. Also, the bone-in chicken is a must. I agree about the grapes, too. I always try to sneak them in and most people seem to love them.
Kim, I love that little plate, too. It was a $1 find while shopping for photo props.
This looks amazing. I love chicken salad. I make it similar to my tuna salad. I buy this falafel seasoning powder at Kalustyan’s and it has just the right taste to me. I have added it to tuna salad since I worked in the Little India area of NYC. I don’t know why really. Now it just doesn’t taste the same without it. So I add it to chicken salad too. I add some onion and sometimes celery. I like something crunchy in it. The pecans look so good.
This sounds and looks delicious. Thanks for posting it.
This salad sounds delicious. What temperature should the chicken be roasted at??
350 degrees.
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