APRIL/MAY 2019 • COOK’S COUNTRY 7Illu
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CHICKEN SALAD IS one of the
world’s most versatile—and to me,
most perfect—foods. While there are
plenty of lousy versions out there (I’m
looking at you, convenience-store
sandwiches), the best versions are
satisfying yet light, featuring plenty of
tender chicken, a creamy and cool-
ing mayonnaise-based dressing, and
crunchy bursts of crisp, refreshing
celery—just right for lunch on a warm
day. A bonus is that chicken salad is
endlessly customizable with ingredi-
ents such as herbs, pickles, spices, and
hot sauce.
My favorite kind of chicken salad is
often called California-style: It features
cubed—not shredded—chicken breast
bathed in a creamy, herby dress-
ing. Most recipes call for poaching
the chicken in a covered pan on the
stovetop to cook it gently and letting it
cool before chopping and dressing it.
But the problem with poached chicken
is that it’s hard to get consistent results;
everyone’s burners are different, and
thus it can be a challenge to explain
how to keep the water at a proper
simmer. Could I use the oven—which
performs more consistently—to gently
cook the chicken?
There was only one way to find
out. I started with boneless, skinless
chicken breasts because they cook
faster and are easier to chop up than
the bone-in variety. We’ve learned from
past recipes that chicken cooked in lots
of water can lose flavor, so I wanted
to minimize the liquid here. I placed
four seasoned breasts in a 13 by 9-inch
baking dish, poured in ½ cup of water,
covered the dish with foil, and baked
the chicken in a moderate 350-degree
oven until it registered 160 degrees on
an instant-read thermometer.
The results were decent but not as
good as when I cooked the chicken
with no added water; the chicken
released enough liquid to create a
steamy, moist cooking environment
that resulted in tender, juicy meat.
Pounding the breasts to an even thick-
ness before cooking ensured that they
all came up to temperature at the same
rate. The results were just as good as
perfectly poached chicken but much
more foolproof.
Once the chicken had cooled, I
mixed several versions of creamy dress-
ings for my tasters to try. Though sour
cream was a common addition, welanded on the simple, classic flavor of
mayonnaise brightened up with lemon
juice. A handful of crunchy chopped
celery was a must, and a trio of fresh
herbs—chives, tarragon, and dill—
brought a wealth of fresh flavor that
practically screamed springtime.
This salad was so good that I made
a more adventurous version featur-
ing tart dried apricots, warm curry
powder, scallions, and toasted slivered
almonds. In another variation inspired
by Waldorf salad, I used tangy Dijon
mustard in place of the lemon juice for
more complexity and added toasted
walnuts, refreshing parsley, and crisp
red grapes for bursts of sweetness and
textural pop.CHICKEN SALAD
WITH FRESH HERBS Serves 6
We pound the chicken breasts to an
even thickness to ensure that they all
cook at the same rate. This salad can
be served in a sandwich or over lettuce.2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken
breasts, trimmed
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
¾ teaspoon table salt, divided
½ teaspoon pepper, divided
2⁄3 cup mayonnaise
¼ cup finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
4 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon lemon juice- Adjust oven rack to middle position
and heat oven to 350 degrees. Cover
chicken with plastic wrap. Using meat
pounder, gently pound thickest part of
each breast to ¾-inch thickness. - Toss chicken, oil, ¼ teaspoon salt,
and ¼ teaspoon pepper together in
13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange
chicken in single layer in dish and cover
tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until
chicken registers 160 degrees, 28 to
32 minutes. (When checking tem-
perature, carefully open foil so that
steam escapes away from you.) Transfer
chicken to large plate and let cool for
15 minutes; discard any accumulated
juices. Refrigerate chicken until com-
pletely cooled, about 30 minutes. - Cut chicken into ½-inch pieces.
Combine chicken, mayonnaise, celery,
chives, tarragon, dill, lemon juice, re-
maining ½ teaspoon salt, and remaining
¼ teaspoon pepper in bowl. Cover with
plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours
to allow flavors to meld. Serve. (Salad
can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
CHICKEN SALAD
WITH CURRY AND DRIED APRICOTS
Omit chives, tarragon, and dill. Add
½ cup finely chopped dried apricots,
6 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds,
4 thinly sliced scallions, and 2 teaspoons
curry powder to bowl in step 3.CHICKEN SALAD
WITH GRAPES AND WALNUTS
Omit tarragon and dill. Add 1 cup
halved seedless red grapes; 6 table-
spoons walnuts, toasted and chopped;
and 3 tablespoons chopped fresh pars-
ley to bowl in step 3. Substitute Dijon
mustard for lemon juice.California-Style Chicken Salad
For the juiciest, most tender meat for chicken salad, turn on your oven. by Cecelia Jenkins
An Easy Way to Poach
Toss lightly pounded chicken breasts with
oil, salt, and pepper and arrange them
in a single layer in a baking dish. Cover
the dish with aluminum foil and cook for
about 30 minutes; the foil traps steam to
create a moist cooking environment that
helps the chicken stay juicy.Chopped chives, tarragon,
and dill provide a range
of fresh, herby flavors.