Tarragon Chicken Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries
Overview
When I was pregnant with my daughter many moons ago, I LOVED this one bagel sandwich from Brueggers Bagels.
Their tarragon chicken salad was the bomb to me; it had a crunch from almonds, and a subtle tarragon flavor that just was perfect, and was GREAT on a bagel. Unfortunately, this particular salad is no longer offered near me, so I decided to make my own version, and it’s a great base chicken salad recipe, even if you omit the walnuts or dried cranberries. If you make it, be sure to tag me on instagram @jackiecooksanddrinks!
Serves 3-4 lunch portions on a bed of greens
Hi, I’m Jackie, Founder of Jackie Cooks and Drinks, and a BIG believer that cooking, creating and entertaining should be FUN.
Shopping List
-
3 whole chicken legs, cooked (I season only with coarse sea salt and drizzle with olive oil; bake at 425 for about 40 minutes), skin removed, and chopped into bite sized pieces
-
3 stalks of celery, diced
-
3 large scallions, sliced
-
1/4 cup walnuts
-
1/4 cup dried cranberries
-
2/3 cup good quality mayonnaise
-
juice of 1/2 lemon
-
1-2 tbsp of coarse ground dijon mustard (eye ball it; use more if you like a mustardy taste, use only 1 tbsp otherwise). I like Maille old style
-
2 tsp dried tarragon (or 1.5 tbsp fresh)
-
1 tsp dried parsley (or 1 tbsp fresh)
-
1 tsp kosher salt
-
black pepper to taste
Method
Once chicken is cool, remove skin and chop meat into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, tarragon, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chicken, celery, scallions, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Chill before serving.
While you may be tempted to eat this right away, it’s even better after a couple hours in the fridge to allow the flavors to marry!
Tarragon Chicken Salad with Walnuts and Cranberries
Ingredients
- 3 whole chicken legs, cooked Season w/ coarse sea salt and drizzle with olive oil; bake at 425 for about 40 minutes, skin removed, and chop into bite sized pieces Feel free to use store- bought rotisserie chicken
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 large scallions, sliced
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 2/3 cup good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 2 tbsp coarse ground mustard I love Maille old style for this
- 1.5 tbsp fresh parsley can sub 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Once chicken is cool, remove skin and chop meat into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, tarragon, parsley, salt, and pepper. Stir in the chicken, celery, scallions, walnuts, and dried cranberries. Chill before serving.
TELL US WHAT YOU THINK:
mrs
The printed recipe doesn’t include the tarragon so I almost left it out! Oops!
