When you're in the market for some quick, yet somewhat fancy feeling fare, tarragon chicken salad is hard to top. French tarragon is the secret to this fabulously easy dish. With its distinctly anise seed fragrance, this elegant herb is both delicate and strong at the same time...and if you enjoy that sort of paradox, it is also utterly irresistible. Tarragon imparts a mysteriously complex and aromatic flavor when used fresh, and it pairs especially well with chicken. When combined with the brightness of lemon, earthy bitterness of celery, sharp sweetness of red onion, and salty richness of mayonnaise, the result is simply divine. Spoon this salad onto a crisp bed of lettuce or spread it onto a sturdy slice of bread for an open-faced sandwich. Either way, tarragon chicken salad makes for a thoroughly crave worthy dish that you may just want to eat on repeat all spring and summer long.
Ingredients for Tarragon Chicken Salad
- cooked chicken breast
- mayonnaise
- fresh French tarragon
- celery
- red onion
- lemon
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
Finely chop the celery, red onion, and tarragon.
Zest and then juice the lemon.
Place the mayonnaise, celery, red onion, lemon juice, lemon zest, and tarragon in a large bowl. Stir to blend.
Add the cooked (and shredded or cubed) chicken to the mayonnaise mixture.
Stir until the chicken is thoroughly coated with the mayonnaise mixture. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the tarragon chicken salad on a bed of lettuce or spread onto a sturdy slice of good bread (or both).
Hint: If you are serving this tarragon chicken salad as a sandwich, I suggest preparing it open-faced. (Otherwise, the filling just tends to fall out each time you take a bite.) And be sure to choose a variety of bread that can hold up to the weight of a substantial topping.
Serving suggestions
Wondering what sort of bread would make for the best tarragon chicken salad sandwich? Or perhaps which variety of lettuce to choose as a bed for this salad? Here are a few recommendations...
- For the bread - A good dark rye is my all time favorite here, since its earthy flavor profile provides a lovely contrast to the robust components of this salad. But any variety of dense, crusty bread will do...try wheat, multigrain, sourdough, or any other substantial type of loaf that you enjoy.
- For the lettuce - Many varieties, such as red leaf, green leaf, little gem, romaine, or butter lettuce, will work nicely with this salad.
Storage
Tarragon chicken salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Once refrigerated, just be sure to give it another quick stir before serving.
Top tip
This recipe is a great vehicle for leftover roasted chicken (or conveniently packaged rotisserie chicken from your favorite local grocery store). But if you don't happen to have any cooked chicken readily at your fingertips, the quickest solution is to simply poach a couple of chicken breasts in some water or broth in a saucepan on the stove.
📖 Recipe
Tarragon Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound cooked chicken breast (shredded or cubed)
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup celery finely chopped
- ¼ cup red onion finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh French tarragon finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the mayonnaise, celery, red onion, lemon juice, lemon zest, and tarragon in a large bowl. Stir to blend.
- Add the chicken to the mayonnaise mixture and stir until it is thoroughly coated. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve the tarragon chicken salad on a bed of lettuce or spread it on a sturdy slice of good bread (or both).
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