Chef notes
This is the best chicken salad you’ve ever tasted! It’s different and delicious and the perfect meal for any time of the day — whether it's for lunch in a sandwich, on top of greens as a salad or as a dip with crackers or crudités, you can’t go wrong. Plus, it's a great way to use up leftover roast chicken.
When I was little, my mom made small finger sandwiches for my tea parties, and as we grew up, no picnic or boat ride was complete without her beloved tarragon chicken salad sandwiches. I've always loved the recipe, and it's very meaningful to me, but it has been amazing to watch thousands of customers fall in love with it over the past almost 12 years of serving it at BIRD bakery.
Swap options: Personally, I love mayonnaise, but if you're not a huge fan of mayo, you can alter the amount or even swap the mayonnaise for Greek yogurt with a squeeze of lemon.
I roast my own chicken, but you can also bake chicken breasts or thighs with a bit of salt, pepper and olive oil in the oven or even purchase a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for simple and shorter prep time. Not a fan of chicken? Try the recipe with turkey!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds baked chicken, shredded
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 2½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1/4 ounce fresh tarragon, finely chopped
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1¾ cups toasted pecans, chopped
Preparation
In a large mixing bowl, incorporate shredded chicken, mayonnaise and mustard. Slowly add celery, cherries, tarragon, salt and pepper. Once all is well-incorporated, slowly fold in toasted pecans.
