The Best Chicken Salad
The Chicken Salad That Will Change Your Life
The Best Chicken Salad is finely minced flavorful chicken breast, celery, and onion mixed with classic mayo, and a hint of cayenne with simple salt and pepper. Eat this heavenly, spreadable chicken salad on a cracker with some pickled peppers or on a buttery croissant.
I follow a few reality TV stars on social media and this past week one of them has been hyper focused on chicken salad. One of her followers sent her some chicken salad from a famous family owned grocery store in Baton Rouge, LA called Calvin’s Bocage Market.
The chicken salad looked divine and the creator who shared it loved it.
I did some online sleuthing and found out the basic ingredients of this famous salad so I decided to give it a whirl. Now having never been to Baton Rouge, I have no idea if this recipe compares to what Calvin’s is putting out there.
What I do know is that this chicken salad will change your life!
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There is a full, printable recipe card at the end of this post for the Chicken Salad. You can also hit the print button for the recipe to come up on one screen and from there you can screenshot this to save it to your phone.
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The Mayo
First things first, let’s talk mayo. Mayo is personal and regional so let’s not get into a dispute.
I love using Hellmann’s mayo because I love the flavor.
Some of the articles I read about the Calvin’s chicken salad said that they also use Hellmann’s. I do not know if this is true.
If you prefer another mayo, you can go ahead and swap the mayo for the one that you like the most. This recipe will still be delicious.
Measuring The Mayo
I include measurements for the mayo on the recipe card. This does not mean you have to stick to the measurements I used.
I suggest you add the mayo a little at a time until you get the texture you prefer. The measurement I included creates a texture for the chicken salad that makes it spreadable and flavorful, but not too wet.
The Bouillon
I love this chicken bouillon. I use it in lots of recipes including my World’s Best Stuffing.
Bouillon is used in this recipe twice. First it’s added to the chicken while it poaches and then added to the chicken salad itself.
I think it creates a great depth of flavor and a subtle saltiness.
The measurements for the bouillon are also a suggestion. You can add more or less to your liking.
I buy a big container of this at Aldi. I also use this in my Spanish Rice Recipe.
The Vegetables
Mincing is the key to the texture of this chicken salad. I make sure to get the vegetables minced very small.
You can also do this in your food processor.
I like to season the veggies before adding them to the chicken. I think this helps make the celery and onion juicy and gives the salad the great natural flavors of the vegetables.
The Food Processor
I made use my food processor to get the correct texture for the chicken salad. If you do not have one, you can really just work at mincing everything, including the chicken, really fine.
I have also seen people use a hand mixer to shred the chicken. Remember that you want the chicken to have an almost paste-like texture.
Whether you mix this chicken salad with greens or make a delicious croissant sandwich like the one pictured above, I know you’re gonna love it.
The Best Chicken Salad Recipe
This is The Best Chicken Salad. Finely minced flavorful chicken breast, with onion, classic mayo, and the hint of cayenne with simple salt and pepper makes for a texture that is is spreadable, juicy, and delicious. It will be your new favorite recipe.
Ingredients
- 4 to 6 thinly sliced boneless, skinless Chicken Breasts
- 4 cups of Water
- 2 heaping tablespoons of Chicken Bouillon + 1 teaspoon (divided) *or to taste
- 4 stalks of Celery
- 1 small to medium sized Yellow Onion
- 1.5 cups of Hellmann’s Mayo (approximately) *or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon of Cayenne
- 1/4 teaspoon of Celery Seed
- Black Pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
- You will need a food processor or blender of some sort. If you do not have one, you will have to do some mincing and dicing.
- Add your chicken to a skillet with the water and the two tablespoons of chicken bouillon, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer, covered, until the chicken is tender and cooked.
- Let the chicken cool.
- Very, very finely dice your celery and onion.
- Season the celery and onion with the remaining chicken bouillon, the celery seed, the cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Taste the celery mixture and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
- Add the cooked and cooled chicken to your food processor and pulse until the chicken is VERY fine, it should almost be a pate texture.
- Add the mayo a 1/4 cup at a time to the food processor and pulse. The texture of the chicken salad is almost dry but not quite.
- You can add as much or as little mayo as you like, the spread when it was done was spreadable but not overly mayonnaise texture.
- Add the onion and celery mix to the processor, pulse, and taste and then adjust the seasoning and the mayo to get the exact texture and flavor you want. Mine was perfect for me with the measurements listed above.
- Chill in the fridge a minimum of four hours or overnight.
- We ate this two ways: on saltines with pickled, spicy peppers and cheddar cheese and we also ate this as a sandwich on a fresh croissant. Both are great, feel free to experiment!
Looking to elevate another sandwich staple? Learn the secrets to the Ultimate Egg Salad.