What is the secret to good chicken salad?

Not eating said salad if proffered it.

Remove the feathers.

Dill.

Duke’s mayo

Shred the chicken, don’t chop it

If you're in a rush, you can use one of these for chicken salad. Save lots and lots of time!

What R3 said. And unlike tuna salad, this one contains celery and cucumber.

And raisins!

Tarragon

Grapes

I also like my chicken salad with celery and raisins, and also chopped hardboiled egg. So savory!

The ladies at my local grocery store take the unsold rotisserie chickens and shred the meat, then they add celery, mayo and a touch of honey. It's delicious. They also make killer chicken pot pies and chicken noodle soup.

Don’t use R5, get a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and pick the meat off , shredding it.

Foodies have been known to make a chicken tartare.

Rotisserie chicken is disgusting. I'd prefer the can.

[quote]Do you poach the chicken first or bake it?

You use leftover chicken. So whatever way was used to originally cook it. That's what you do.

Lots of "egg". I use egg in egg salad and potato salad. Sometimes in some tossed salads to top it, but that's pretty much it for egg and salad.

A egg.

NEVER put egg in a chicken salad. Eggs and chicken don't go together at all! Why would anyone think that they do?

I make an "indian" version with curry and raisins. It's really good. Also Ina has a recipe that has green grapes in it that is also good. I think she calls it chicken salad veronique or some shit like that.

[quote] I make an "indian" version

Dot or feather?

dot, duh

Chopped boiled egg is excellent in chicken salad, what is R18 going on about?

I can't stomach eating chicken and an egg together in any dish. It's too gross, biologically speaking.

I would say mayo, thinly-cut celery and onion, and salt and pepper.

Has to be his first time.

All ingredients in Chicken Salad must be white! Breast meat chicken, mayonnaise, white grapes, slivered almonds, white pepper, polar bear spunk, toothpaste, titanium dioxide, and spackling compound.

White grapes are green, silly R26.

Oh yeah, little mister?!

[quote]I would say mayo, thinly-cut celery and onion, and salt and pepper.

I'm assuming you mean green onion, because raw onion would be too jarring to the palate.

Don't forget to drain any pasta in it.

This looks delicious!

My key ingredients include dill, tarragon, thyme, a little mustard, generous salt and pepper, hard boiled eggs, mayo, a pinch or two of sugar. The meat must be breast meat only, and I poach it in the oven.

All of the ingredients are of course adjusted to taste, I measure nothing. Do not overdo the mayo.

Never do I add: celery, onion, grapes, cukes. Nothing should be crunchy in it (that’s just my taste). It is delightful on a brioche bun or a hearty oat nut loaf too. The sandwich must have one slice of fresh romaine and a slice of American or cheddar or jack cheese. If you’re feeling truly Americana-esque, have a side of kettle cooked potato chips, and a high-quality midget dill spear (Milwaukee’s) too. Dessert must be homemade chocolate chip cookies with a small glass of milk.

Bits of bacon (not just bacon bits) and pecans. Salted peanuts are also a wonderful addition. A little bit of Marmite is wonderful, and a few dashes of Tabasco elevates the whole dish. And a bit of fresh lemon or lime juice (especially lime juice) offset any possible heaviness.

If I have a roast or rotisserie chicken, I save the breast meat for chicken salad. If I'm cooking from scratch, I poach a few chicken breasts.

I like the suggestion for curry powder, but when I use it, I like to add a few other things, too. Fresh grated ginger, a bit of chopped fresh chili pepper, and one waxy potato, steamed and cut into little cubes reminds me a bit of a korma. The potatoes and other spices offset each other.

One other ingredient, that I love, but I know is sort of dated: finely chopped green peppercorns. I first had them in a bit of tinned pate, and they were tiny little, unexpected flavor explosions. The flavor of pepper varies from green to white to black pepper (red peppercorns are slightly different). Green and white peppercorns have a certain earthiness to them that black pepper lacks, sort of like truffles.

apple cider vinegar (the cloudy kind) and a dollop of real whipped cream

Our restaurant in Boston served an "Oriental" chicken salad.

Diced white chicken, mayonnaise, raisins, mandarin oranges and coconut. Splash of O.J. and a little curry powder.

We served it on crispy noodles. I still make it. Sounds strange but it's delicious.

R35, who is “our”?

I bake it with the skin on, heavily seasoned. I find poaching is tricky and can make the chicken rubbery and/or weepy.

So I bake it and tear it up with my fingers for texture (as opposed to cubes) and add pickle juice (this is also excellent for potato salad). Then add finely chopped pickle, celery and purple onion and Hellman’s mayonnaise, salt and pepper.

That’s how I do it.

Or I make it curried. Equal parts plain full-fat Greek yogurt and Hellman’s. Then raisins or cranberries, Granny Smith apples, celery and onion. Oh and madras curry powder. Delicious!

R35, momma like. R38, super interesting!!! I never thought about Granny Smith’s, but I would toy with breaking my “no crunchy bits” rule to taste that!

Are you from Boston r35?

oops. I meant r36.

As someone mentioned, this is the only recipe you need

I said I don't like square chicken pieces, r42!

I’m sorry, but the grapes are icky-ka-ka

Pioneer Woman's Recipe and I use rotisserie chicken, so very good. The dressing is delicious: mayo, sour cream, half n half, brown sugar, lemon juice and more...

How do you poach chicken in the oven R32? I believe it's called baking or roasting.

Rotisserie chicken is fine, but poached chicken prepared correctly can add really great flavor. Don’t boil your chicken breast to death! Cover it in water, maybe some wine, some crushed garlic cloves, herbs, whatever aromatics you like, bring to a boil then turn heat all the way down immediately, cover for 8-10 minutes. Yields delicious and juicy chicken breast base to whatever type of chicken salad you like.

When I was a kid, my mom would make a chicken salad from left over chicken. It would include chunk pineapple, toasted slivered almonds, finally diced celery and a little bit of onion. The dressing was just mayo. Grapes can also be used instead of the pineapple.

Mayonnaise is disgusting in my opinion.

R49 Have you tried Duke’s mayonnaise?

Whole Foods' Sonoma Chicken Salad is tasty. I like the grapes and pecans.

Cooks Illustrated magazine (aka America's test kitchen) is always the first place to go for these things: I believe you want to slow roast the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. . . . rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper. But you'd have to do some research into that step.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

4 (6- to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts , no more than 1 inch thick, trimmed

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 celery ribs, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon

Oh look - they have a whole video on how to do the chicken breasts themselves.....

Be sure to use mini marshmallows and two cans of condensed milk.

Sage.

Sage is the secret to good chicken salad.

Isn't all chicken salad keto? It's just chicken, mayo, and some celery.

This queen claims hers is the BEST chicken salad recipe:

I make Ina Garten's curried chicken salad.

3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on

Olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 1/2 cups good mayonnaise (recommended: Hellman's)

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chutney (recommended: Major Grey's)

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 cup medium-diced celery (2 large stalks)

1/4 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts (2 scallions)

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup whole roasted, salted cashews

Roast the chicken, remove the meat, mix everything (minus the cashews) together. Delicious.

Trick Question. Turkey salad beats chicken salad every day of the week.

Not making it is the best secret.

Anyone who puts fucking raisins, fruit, or nuts in chicken salad should be fucking shot.

GODDAMMIT, NO.

Wait to ruin chicken salad.

NO FUCKING GRAPES OR PINEAPPLE OR RAISINS OR ALMONDS OR WALNUTS OR CACHES YOU FUCKING MORONS

STOP IT.

It’s not known in the US, but in the UK there’s a type of chicken salad known as Coronation Chicken. It was created in 1953 in honor of Her Majesty’s coronation.

It’s quite delightful.

R61, Let it all out hon. Tell those whores how it's done.

Pitiful is the person who has a full-on, caps lock meltdown over what others are putting in their chicken salads.

No, pitiful is the person who thinks putting grapes or raisins or nuts in chicken salad in any way makes it better.

It does not. At best it's pretentious, at worst it totally ruins an otherwise perfectly fine chicken salad.

I wonder what James Ingram put in his chicken salad?

Yup, this is headed in that direction.

R46, I am quite certain I’m not technically using the term “poach” correctly. But it looks like poaching! What I do is put breasts in a shallow baking pan in about an inch of water.. I salt both sides of the breasts and cover it. 350, maybe forty minutes.

I call it poaching because when they are done, there is a usually a layer of some fat/scum around the breasts, similar to the edges of an egg when it’s poached. Of course, being in the oven is a form of roasting, but because I have the chicken sitting in liquid and it’s covered too (which keeps the steam inside) I call it poaching. It’s extrenely important that I not over cook them, if you time it perfectly, they are moist, flavorful, but *not* spongy.

I’m awaiting the pros to eviscerate me for the wrong terminology — go ahead, I have thick skin. 🤡

I would ask Chris Watts how he likes his chicken salad prepared and then I would do it exactly like that.

^^^^^^^^lmao

Keep the faith, r23.

Definition of poaching: cook by simmering in a small amount of liquid.

Right r71. So isn’t my method poaching? The liquid simmers in the oven, hence my choice of the word.

R61 was rather indiscreet but I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment.

A restaurant called "Chicken Salad Chick" is opening in my town in the fall. It features different types of chicken salad, plain, Asian, Cajun, Mexican, etc...

It started at Auburn University and has grown in the south from there.

Should I be eager to try it? I sometimes get a craving for chicken salad. The local places make it with no consistency, depending on the parts of the chicken they have leftover. I want a taste I can depend on.

No tuna.

Sometimes I wipe my ass with a wet wipe and shred it into the mixture. Shred it, don't cut it. Guests seem to love it, it's a real treat for them and for you. Use the good wet wipes.

Is this another GeorgeGlass thread?

Another vote for tarragon. It improves virtually everything.

Peruvian or Ecuadorian roast chicken makes great chicken salad.

Chicken salad internationally: sliced grilled chicken on green leaves with oil and vinegar.

Chicken salad in America: canned meat mixed with raisins, hard boiled eggs and mayonnaise.

R18 Chicken and egg together is called mother and child reunion. That's where Paul Simon got his song from, an item he saw in a Chinese restaurant menu in NYC Chinatown.

LOL R77 you bitch!

Is the queen using boiled eggs the same one who puts that in her lasagne?

i like my chicken salad with a little bit of a curry flavor

My aunt does a slightly sweeter chicken salad that has Miracle Whip, dried cranberries, chopped candied pecans, halved grapes and a bit of curry powder plus she sprinkles the top of the finished dish with paprika. It's divine!

r67 Sounds similar to this linked way of making chicken breasts. This is my staple method and it never fails to produce juicy and fully-cooked chicken breasts every time--and is extremely forgiving with respect to the timing. You might want to try it out, might cut your cook time in half. (The link won't go through, but it's from "the kitchn dot com" and it's called "cook moist and tender chicken breasts every time")

Does anyone else steam-cook their eggs to hard-boil them? I have for a while and it's so much better than boiling them in water. Like the chicken, it's more forgiving on the timing than traditional water boils (I am often scatter-brained so that's big) but most importantly it makes peeling the eggshells SO EASY. They just fall off, its honestly ridiculous.

r61 W/W Passionately berating people putting fruits and or nuts in their chicken salads is what the DL is all about!

Boiled.

Go to the 4:37 mark.

A good chicken salad must have delicious chicken.

Thanks R53 for the video clip. I'll have to try it since I am guilty of boiling chicken breasts until they have the consistency of a Birkenstock.

You're welcome. Cook's Illustrated magazine has a series of cookbooks called THE BEST RECIPE. Everything I make out of them are really good, and they break processes down into what they've found to be the best and easiest approaches, through a lot of test batches. They kind of explain the [italic]science[/italic] that's in the art of cooking.

The only confusing thing is remembering that Cook's Illustrated, America's Test Kitchen and the Best Recipe book series are all the same thing.

[quote]"The folks at Cook's Illustrated magazine have compiled a fine collection of recipes that have been tested not once, not twice, but many more times, to find the absolutely best version....This is a great choice for cooks who want to know the 'whys' of cooking: why you should roast beef at a low temperature, why you should use high heat for eggs, and so forth." -- The New York Daily News

Those smug bitches from the Silver Palate (and its cookbooks) swear their version sold out every day.

It's made with creme fraiche, sour cream and mayo. And tarragon.

No fucking HBEs in chicken salad. What kind of trash are you people?

The British occasionally eat "American style" turkey salad (they seem to eat more turkey than chicken) and the recipes for it are funny. They talk about making the mayo and describe it as a "dressing" -- as if no one over there has ever eaten it before.

Meanwhile isn't mayo in fact French?

[quote]r92 No fucking HBEs in chicken salad. What kind of trash are you people?

Hemoglobin?

R94 Hard Boiled Eggs

I also make 'curried' chicken salad although I tend to use garam masala instead of curry powder. I also add just a touch of 'pumpkin pie spice' to give it some warmth. I love to use craisins in it, too, and also Miracle Whip instead of Mayo.

Recently, I also added lentils, 50/50 with the chicken to make a salad to serve over Boston lettuce leaf cups rather than make a sandwich. I got rave reviews.

R93, what on earth are you going on about? The British eat probably 50 times more chicken than turkey. Chicken is an ‘everyday’ item, turkey is Christmas and possibly Easter. Mayonnaise is called mayonnaise, not ‘dressing’, and you'll find it in more or less every home. Probably Hellman’s, possibly Heinz. And I’ve never seen on a menu, or been offered in a home, anything called “American style” turkey salad. In fact, the nearest you’d probably find is cold leftover turkey served with salad on Boxing Day.

R93, what on earth are you going on about? The British eat probably 50 times more chicken than turkey. Chicken is an ‘everyday’ item, turkey is Christmas and possibly Easter. Mayonnaise is called mayonnaise, not ‘dressing’, and you'll find it in more or less every home. Probably Hellman’s, possibly Heinz. And I’ve never seen on a menu, or been offered in a home, anything called “American style” turkey salad. In fact, the nearest you’d probably find is cold leftover turkey served with salad on Boxing Day.

R93, what on earth are you going on about? The British eat probably 50 times more chicken than turkey. Chicken is an ‘everyday’ item, turkey is Christmas and possibly Easter. Mayonnaise is called mayonnaise, not ‘dressing’, and you'll find it in more or less every home. Probably Hellman’s, possibly Heinz. And I’ve never seen on a menu, or been offered in a home, anything called “American style” turkey salad. In fact, the nearest you’d probably find is cold leftover turkey served with salad on Boxing Day.

Is Jaclyn Smith posting again?

When I was in Merry Olde England, I saw chicken salad on a lot of menus at restaurants. Except they called it Chicken Mayonnaise and every single time it had dried currants in it.

Not a frau but Instant Pot is the very best for chicken salad and you can cook the breasts right out of the freezer. Crazy simple and excellent, I promise....

4 frozen skinless boneless chicken breasts 1 1/2 cups of liquid of your choice - broth, wine, pineapple juice, orange juice, apple juice, soy sauce, lemon, lime, etc. Herbs to compliment your recipe

10 minutes at high pressure. 10 minutes natural release. 10 minutes to rest before slicing or shredding. Use in your favorite chick salad recipe.

It's really delicious and I was a skeptic about cooking frozen chicken in an Instant Pot but it's actually way better than defrosting. The pressurization cooks, tenderizes and infuses the breast with flavor without overwhelming the meat.

Mexican chicken salad. Shred rotisserie chicken; use mayo, 1 small bag of defrosted frozen mixed vegetables, sour cream, yellow mustard, diced pickled jalapenos, and Mexican hot sauce like Tapatio, Cholula or Valentino. Serve on store bought corn tostadas or bolillo rolls.

Not to change the subject, but if I make a batch using mayo and cooked chicken breasts (avoiding things like hard boiled eggs), how long will it safely keep in the refrigerator?

^^^ fresh chicken, cooked well and properly cooled then mixed with cold mayo and promptly refrigerated will be fresh for three days. After that, discard. While it may remain technically safe for 5 days or more, it's quality will deteriorate and bacteria at 37 - 40 degrees will multiply readily. The acid in the mayo will actually inhibit bacterial growth for the first 48 - 72 hours.

^^^ Additionally, rotisserie chicken is, for many, a great convenience food but be aware that supermarkets use chickens that are nearing or past the "sell by" date. It doesn't mean they're bad or rancid by any means. As their expiration date approached they were pulled from the case, heavily seasoned with a generic salt based rub, skewered, and shoved in the rotisserie for an indeterminate time only to drip out their natural juices resulting in a dry, tough meat. If mixing with mayo, the lack of moisture and tough texture is somewhat masked but I don't recommend it.

I get grossed out by the “jelly” found in the supermarket rotisserie chickens, so I don’t get them often

Yep, supermarket rotisserie chickens are - and I know this from personal experience in the industry - always the lowest-quality birds that the chain can buy, and they are typically a little less fresh. Also, they're always pretty overcooked (see previous note about not being so fresh) to kill bacteria. Using fresh chicken is gonna be so much better.

R105 here, Oh Dear to my own "it's" which should be "its" before I get read to filth. I blame iPad autocorrect.

R107 I dislike rotisseries but every whole chicken should, regardless of cooking method, exude a collagen jelly. It's not gross at all. It's fat, marrow and proteins. Properly prepared, it is a base component of a rich stock, broth, or consommé.

FRIED chicken salad, skin-on, bitchez! With Duke’s, hard boiled eggs and a little mustard. Come at me.

r61 has stated her boundaries!

I always poach my chicken breasts in chicken broth [with herbs and other seasonings), then use the resulting super-chickeny broth to make soup afterward.

Good grief.

A package of Perdue Chicken Breast, cut into small pieces and cooked in the oven.

Seven tablespoons of miracle whip

One stalk of celery chopped

Mix and add salt and pepper

Ready to serve. Toss on a role for a sandwich.

Don't make things more complicated then they need to be.

I use ranch dressing instead of mayonnaise

Ranch dressing is disgusting, R115. It's a fact!

Oh, and adding a half of package of mixed cheese to the mix and heating it up on the stove for two minutes is a great addition for the winter.

R85, that sounds utterly vile, committing so many grievous sins that she should be barred from ever making chicken salad ever again.

AND she deserves a violent face-slapping.

Putting Miracle Whip into Chicken Salad (or anything else, to be honest) is a capital offense.

Even as a kid I hated Miracle Whip. It gave everything such an off taste. Glad fewer people are using it now.

R114 Perdue breast in the oven = dried up flavorless filth

Do you have any other helpful hints, Heloise? 🙄

^^^ and the exactly 7 tablespoons of Miracle Whip in that chicken saw dust shit recipe is just precious. Disgusting, but so precious.

Miracle Whip is the devils cum.

Miracle Whip is to Mayo as margarine is to butter.

Miracle Whip is to Mayo as vomit is to chocolate icing.

Aldi had boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale for 99 cents/lb. so I will be poaching up a storm this weekend! (I freeze the poached breasts and use them later for salad, sandwiches, or just eating by themselves or with a dipping sauce.) I'll probably grill a few as well.

No one ever answered me if my poaching in the oven technically makes it not poaching? The water simmers of course, but it is different than being on an open flame.

This thread has made me crave chicken salad, so I’m poaching chicken breasts as I type.

Using the America’s Test Kitchen chicken salad recipe, which seems to mirror many of the ones posted here (uses tarragon, lemon juice, mayo, parsley). I can’t post a link because I have their book.

America's Test Kitchen's recipe calls for Miracle Whip.

R129 no it doesn’t, troll

R126 Freezing cooked chicken is not recommended. Freeze the breasts raw and defrost and cook as needed. If you must freeze cooked meats, put it them in a container and completely immerse in broth or stock then freeze. This will somewhat preserve the molecular structure thereby maintaining a more natural texture. Additionally, the cold, dry air of a freezer robs cooked meats of what little moisture remains after the cooking process. Vacuum sealing helps but does not stop the rapid structural tissue breakdown of frozen cooked meat.

Good thing you're only paying 99 cents/lb. seeing you're ruining it. Do you also poach it in the microwave? And freezing grilled chicken breast is a sin.

Well, the recipe from ATK was boring. Not much flavor, really. What a waste.

U need to drown it Tabasco, r132.

[quote]r129 America's Test Kitchen's recipe calls for Miracle Whip.

Oh no she DID'N ! !

Why make it yourself? Just order it at your local diner.

The secret to good chicken salad is the chopped prunes.

Now you're just trolling, R136

[quote] America's Test Kitchen's recipe calls for Miracle Whip

trump needs to build a wall to keep people like this out

We had to stock wonder bread and miracle whip in the house when my paternal grandfather visited.

We were never really close to that side of the family ... for obvious reasons.

This is a great chicken salad recipe, I made it last week.

John is wonderful.

Oh you poach if you can. You can grill it, too.

The key is the preparation.

Must have: mayo, chopped onion and celery, salt and pepper. I like grapes or chopped apples, and nuts; almond, walnut, etc.

No, R140. Just... fucking no.

No fucking almonds. No fucking grapes. No fucking apples.

Yes, we are in agreement R144, please hold the fruit, fruits! Better to save for dessert and serve with cheese. When I use Tarragon, I do not add other spice except white pepper and salt. (Sadly I find so often, my American friends/guests detest Taragon, fresh or dried...even used sparingly.) Fresh Parsley, dried Sage, dried Rosemary, and fresh thyme are quite nice and in my usual recipe along with mayo. If only dried spice is on hand, Thyme and Marjoram are lovely together in chicken salad too.

I dislike Mayo/Salad Dressing of any sort, but why do people dislike Miracle Whip so much? It seems so much lighter and less greasy than regular mayo, plus it is spicier. If I have to eat one or the other, I'd choose Miracle Whip, but really both just seem like a large amount of congealed cum.

Because Miracle Whip tastes VILE. It's gross and disgusting. Mayo is the condiment of the gods.

Only people with really shitty, low-class taste prefer Miracle Whip.

Spicier? Is sugar now a spice?

[quote] If only dried spice is on hand, Thyme and Marjoram are lovely together in chicken salad too.

Thyme and marjoram are HERBS, not spices.

R148 It has garlic and paprika

"Miracle Whip is made from water, soybean oil, high-fructose corn syrup, vinegar, modified corn starch, eggs, salt, natural flavor, mustard flour, potassium sorbate, spice, and dried garlic."

Miracle Whip is truly the devils cum.

It ruins everything it touches.

I once went out to eat with some friends, and ordered the soup and sandwich for lunch. The sandwich was a BLT. They used Miracle Whip. I had no idea... took one bite, and spat it out. It's just inedible. Mayo is so good, why the fuck would anyone use Miracle Whip?!?

Honestly, I prefer horseradish sauce in place of MW or Mayo, I hate the taste of eggs and oil and the horseradish covers it up.

R149 Right. We refer to the dried varieties as the same... One has a spice rack in which he keeps dried herbs too. NEVER a seperate HERB RACK! The spice aisle in the market has signage that reads "SPICES" , never "DRIED HERBS". One does find dried herbs in his spice aisle though, funnily enough! Nevertheless, you go right along pointing up the obvious. Posts such as yours expose how clever and truly special some of you consider yourselves. Oh so eager to correct and best everyone here. Run along now and make the fucking chicken salad!

Dried tarragon, like dried basil, should simply not be sold, it is so vile.

Miracle whip in a restaurant, R155? I would’ve caused a scene and sent it back. WTF kind of restaurant serves a BLT with Miracle Whip?

Miracle Whip has one acceptable use, which I'm sure everyone here is aware of. On Thanksgiving evening, you make a sandwich with toasted white bread, thinly sliced onion, leftover stuffing, cranberry sauce, sliced turkey, and a smear of Miracle Whip on the bread.

It's the only acceptable use, honestly!

Thinly sliced onion? Ewwww! You just ruined a good sandwich.

[quote]Honestly, I prefer horseradish sauce in place of MW or Mayo

I've never made a horseradish sauce that didn't include mayo (among other ingredients).

R157, even THAT use is not acceptable. Sorry.

The only winning move is to never purchase it, ever.

Fuck mayonnaise. Add squid ink for the much sought after Black Chicken Salad. Your guests will call it 'unforgettable!'

There is no use for Miracle Whip.

And a raw onion does not belong on a chicken salad sandwich.

Eww, R161.

And chopped onion is an ingredient in chicken salad, so why not on it?

[quote]chopped onion is an ingredient in chicken salad

Not in my chicken salad. Ewww...

"natural flavors" is code for MSG.

season with salt and pepper very well, and roast. Let cool, remove skin, save dark meat for another use, and chop the breast. It’s remarkable how much more flavorful it is, poaching it leaves it so tasteless. Unless you poach it with MSG, which is stupid. Why use MSG when you can utilize the actual chicken flavor.

MSG is code for natural flavor? News to me.

"Natural Flavor" is well known to be apple juice. Sweetens. Adds some acid. Both enhance flavor. It is also the bane of the existence of many people with food allergies. Every list of ingredients has to be read carefully. If you are allergic to apples, then anything including 'natural flavor' must be avoided.

I'd always heard "natural flavor" was the softer, kinder thing to call MSG. That's what migraine specialists insist on when they tell you to BOLO for it in your food. I hadn't heard of the name being applied to apple juice, but I suppose it could for sweets.

R166, but remember, “some of us” here are doing the hybrid poach method in the oven. STILL not a single in-house DL Chef-Majesty has told me if using water, wine, or stock in a covered pan/dish in the oven is technically poaching or roasting.

I agree with you, classical poaching on the stove diminishes the flavor and texture of chicken breast, hence my nouveau “oven poach.”

Roasting uses dry heat, r169. If you add enough water or other liquid that you're poaching something, well, you're poaching it.

Exactly. Cooking the meat in a pan with liquid is poaching. The heat source is not part of the definition.

Yes r170. But what I really want you to do is christen my method. Right here, right now. It will turn me on, so please name it.

And r171, what you say is true, but doing it in the oven captures more of the flavor of roasting — so it actually is slightly different, though I appreciate that you’re give me the accurate definition, thank you.

How much liquid do you use, r172? Does it cover the chicken completely?

Make sure the chicken is completely dead.

FUCK no r174, what do you think I am??? A PHILISTINE???

I do maybe a quarter to half inch tops. When I do this, I always think of it as steaming because I keep it covered.

Mayo, cream cheese, dill, red grapes and chopped walnuts. Salt and pepper of course.

Go away r177. Hisssssssss.

If it's covered, r176, then steaming is what you're doing.

Yes, yes, yes. YES, r179. I *know* that, but “steaming chicken” is deplorable. Can’t one of you trilingual culinary whizzes come up with some French or Italian? Or how about we get radical and give me method a name in LATIN.

Poulet poché parisien pédant.

I forgot to mention this. Look at the juggernaut industry that has blown up that the Millenials have gobbled up, what I used to call “boiling frozen food that is prepped to look like it was cooked in a different method” or “boil in a bag” is now called “Sous Vide.” It even has magazines.

True Story: when I was 18 I worked as a “chef” in a Courtyard Marriott where I would cook say grilled salmon or London broil using Sous Vide in an open kitchen, staging fake cooking scenes for patrons to view as they grabbed from the salad bar, but I actually Sous Vide’d most of the menu. Additionally, I was stoned out of my gourd constantly while I worked,, and the entire hotel staff was a drug operation, and my dealers worked there, When diners had questions on their food, the manager would drag me out of the kitchen when I was high as a kite, and we would recite an 8 sentence paragraph to dinners that was a word salad intended to make our methods sound complex and lofty and contemporary so that diners would never know that their lemon chicken was “boil in a bag.” So I struggle with legitimizing Sous Vide.

And yet words have power, non?

Rr181 you are making me ugly cry with joy!!!

[quote] But what I really want you to do is christen my method. Right here, right now. It will turn me on, so please name it.

"Poasting?" It certainly works better than the opposite, which would be "roaching."

Paddy, perhaps you're in fact braising if the temp is low, and you are oven-poaching longer than in a pot on a hob/cooktop... Just an idea.

Don't confuse her!

Maybe you're BRAISING it

R184 I do it at 350. Marry me r183. R185, I take great, great, great offense, though I do believe in throwing oneself onto the funeral pyre for the sake of unholy laughter.

R184, but it has liquid. Broaching? Praising?

Gentlemen, gather around. Let's all praise Paddy's meat.

R177 is vile and foul and should never be let around the kitchen for any reason.

Braising (from the French word braiser) is a combination-cooking method that uses both wet and dry heats: typically, the food is first sautéed or seared at a high temperature, then finished in a covered pot at a lower temperature while sitting in some (variable) amount of liquid (which may also add flavor).

Yes r190, thank you for posting that. I have braised, but I don’t for my chicken breasts as it seems like searing breasts would be a gigantic misfire.

Paddy, braising is always done in liquid, (moist heat) yet not quite submerged, as in stew... Whatever the hell you are doing (technically) sounds just fine by me. I usually use leftover chicken, either from a roasted bird, or whenever I make Chicken soup and Matzoh balls; I save the breast and some bits for salads. So long as you are not adding fruit or the dreaded Miracle Whip, I believe you are going about it the right way.

Paddy, where do you come down on sous vide?

My best friend who worked and drugged with me at the Courtyard by Marriott so long ago and I still lose our shit cackling like hens whenever we hear the term. However, I do of course recognize that technology, methods, and knowledge have expanded tremendously since my ne’er do well youth, and it may be the best thing since unraisined, unnutted, in-Miracle Whipped chicken salad.

So, you're a fan of The Whip Paddy? I'm not political or militant about it actually, just prefer mayo. Personally I'd use salad cream before the Whip, but must admit I devoured devilled eggs at a cocktail party, and to my chagrin, hostess told me the secret was the Whip and Frank's red-hot! I think if many were given it in a dish that was well balanced with sweet, sour, and salty, they might like.

No no no, that was a typo, it was meant to be UN- not IN- so sorry rofl! But appreciate your delightful post r195.

Cheers Paddy. What I like about you is that you truly care about what you're cooking, and open to thoughts/suggestions, but you don't seem even a bit smug about it. You're funny too!

[quote]r166 season with salt and pepper very well, and roast. Let cool, remove skin, save dark meat for another use, and chop the breast.

This is the way to get the best flavored chicken soup as well. But you can't let the chicken dry out and turn tough. I would rub generously with olive oil as well as the salt and pepper.

Buy tuna that's packing in water, not oil.

Paddy, try making coq-au-vin and get back to us as to how it compares to what you're doing.

Seems like the Top Chef judges are over sous vide too. I find more often than not they criticize the proteins prepared that way. I think Padma even compared a dish to luncheon meat or mystery meat. She was asked about food trends on the show in an interview and she cited sous vide as a bad one.

why do sous vide when you have a crock pot?

Polar bear spunk?

[quote]Buy tuna that's packing in water, not oil.

I want my men to be packing, not my tuna.

Choke your chicken first.

R127 : When you poach something the water / liquid has to be at the cooking temperature before the ingredient that you're poaching is added. It must also be completely submerged.

The people whining about Miracle Whip are about as i sufferable as the weirdos that obsess over Coke vs Pepsi (which are the same).

I like Miracle Whip!

The secret is to put a fried green tomato on the bread with the chicken salad.

Coke and Pepsi are not the same.

And Miracle Whip is disgusting garbage.

There's nothing insufferable about speaking the truth.

A fried green tomato??!???!!??? I am shocking myself, but that sounds GOOD on this sandwich. R209, would it be hot, cold, or room temp? Your answer will determine if I adore you or tenderize you.

Is a green tomato unripe, or a totally different type?

I have always wondered this.

It's unripe.

Coke and Pepsi are cola flavoured, carbonated (actually disgusting) beverages. Same shit, different label.

And using mayonnaise in place of miracle whip im some recipes tastes "off".

Wait a minute — are you certain r213? I’ve grown green tomatoes, that’s why I ask.

You grew one of them tomatillos.

For fried green tomatoes, you have to use the ones that haven't ripened fully, so they are still green.

No, R214, anyone who uses that chemical-tasting crap Miracle Whip ends up with things that taste 'off'.

[quote]cook the breasts right out of the freezer

Frozen chicken breast from a bag is not really just chicken breast. If you read the label it likely states "chicken breast with rib meat" with as much a 15-20% saline solution or "broth" injected into the meat. Even fresh, name brand chicken can be as much as 8-15% "solution". I have recently started buying air chilled chicken with no retained water. The improvement in flavor and texture is really remarkable - even when slow cooking thighs. Plus it's cooled with cold air after butchering, not a bath of heavily chlorinated cold water like most commercial chicken. As an added bonus it's almost always cage free at minimum and usually raised on small, independent farms.

I find a little curry powder makes a really good chicken salad even better.

An older lady friend (VERY old) of mine uses chicken bouillon powder out of a spice shaker container... I know it seems a bit odd, but her chicken salad is excellent. (I never knew it existed, or was sold that way, and personally prefer demi glace or Better Than Bouillon) She cooks the chicken to make traditional Jewish chicken soup & matzoh balls, and uses all the white meat for salad, as I do. I've learned her other secret ingredient was white pepper. Lately I've come to appreciate the subtle nuance of white pepper more and more... either on its own, or mixed with black. If you try it, use the bouillon powder in lieu of salt. I've used this recently in refried beans with great results too.

[quote]No, [R214], anyone who uses that chemical-tasting crap Miracle Whip ends up with things that taste 'off'.

Anything packaged as "mayonnaise" is going to taste like chemicals or preservatives. Unless you're making it from scratch it won't taste real.

R222 I prefer fresh as well, but Sir Kensington's does not taste off or chemical at all to me. I think Heinz is fine too.

Neither does Helman's or Duke's.

Of course, mayo is so easy to make, everyone should make it from scratch.