Chicken Salad = Happy People!
Whenever I want to make everyone at the table happy, chicken salad always comes to mind. The funny thing about chicken salad is that there are as many varieties as there are people at the table. I do not think that I have ever met anyone who doesn’t love chicken salad. Whether it is plain and simple, or includes everything but the kitchen sink, it is always delicious. Which ever way you decide to go, they all start with the chicken part. Roasting your seasoned chicken breasts in the oven is one option, but lately I have been picking up a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store.
gorgeous green chicken salad
Why is this chicken salad gorgeous and green???
Sure we were happy for years with the grape and apple variety, by why not try some new ideas? I usually try to pack as many colors as I can get away with in my recipes. Maybe that is the interior designer in me. This chicken salad recipe is purposely all crunchy and GORGEOUS green. It all starts with a great big mound of freshly chopped tarragon. The tarragon combines beautifully with the creamy sauce. I like a lot of tarragon in my chicken salad, but you may choose to dial it back if you wish. I like to start the recipe with making the creamy sauce in the bottom of my big bowl. It is much easier to combine all of the chopped veggies and chicken together this way.
gorgeous green garlic scapes
Let me introduce you to garlic scapes !!!
Next comes the crunchy sugar snap peas, celery, English cucumber, and garlic scapes. Garlic scapes are one of those very special ingredients that put so many recipes over the top! I start buying them by the bagful when they first appear at our local farmers market. I have discovered that they last a long time in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. The garlic scapes add a milder version of the regular minced garlic. I like to chop them up very fine so they do not overwhelm the other flavors of your recipe. It is so easy to quickly grab a few, give them a quick chop, and add them to your favorite sauce, dip, salad, or marinade. Give them a try if you are lucky enough to see them at your local market!
gorgeous green hostas
chicken salad (with a red pepper garnish!)
Gorgeous Green Chicken Salad
You will happily crunch your way through this gorgeous green chicken salad chock full of sugar snap peas, English cucumber, celery, and garlic scapes
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: only if cooking chicken
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 servings 1x
- Category: salad
- Method: chop and mix
Ingredients
3 cooked chicken breasts (or alternatively the white meat from a rotisserie chicken)
3 cups chopped sugar snap peas
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped English cucumber
3 garlic scapes finely chopped or alternatively add 1 medium clove of minced garlic
Creamy Sauce:
1 cup mayonaise
1 1/2 cups sour cream
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1 TB white balsamic
3 heavy TB chopped tarragon
salt and white pepper to taste
Instructions
Whisk the creamy sauce ingredients together in the bottom of a large bowl
Add the chopped vegetables and mix the sauce with the vegetables
Add the chopped chicken and stir together until all of the ingredients are covered in the creamy sauce
Salt and white pepper to taste
If desired garnish with a red or orange pepper
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