Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Mayonnaise is an unexpected delight — everybody is going to beg for the recipe for this fun twist on a lunchtime classic, and the mayo is made completely from scratch!
This Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Mayonnaise will become your go-to recipe when you’ve got company coming and you want to impress with very little effort. I served it on top of lettuce —but it would also make a killer sandwich on some fabulous thick sliced bread. Why not spoon it into a scooped out tomato, or half an avocado, the possibilities are endless.
The poppy seed mayo is made entirely from scratch, and it’s another one of my 30-second dressings that I make quick and easy with my immersion blender and a mason jar. Two eggs, a cup of olive oil, a touch of lemon juice, mustard, and good dose of poppy seeds get blended up instantly into a creamy thick mayonnaise. This will be the star of all kinds of salads, (think baby shrimp!) sandwiches, and dressings, but I think it makes an especially luxurious chicken salad.
It’s no secret that I love poppy seeds. Poppy seeds are extremely nutritious (really!) and they’ve been used in cooking for thousands of years, all over the world. They have a crazy crunch, and they look beautiful, too.
TIP: The rumor is true — eating poppy seeds can create a false-positive drug test result, but poppy seeds in food will not get you high, the concentration of opiates in them is far, far, too low.
Your mayo will vary in taste according to the type of oil you use. I like the richness of an extra virgin olive oil, but you can use a lighter oil like safflower, canola, or even a nut oil like almond or walnut.
TIP:ย The mayo method should work with just one egg, so you can start with that. If your mixture doesn’t thicken, just add the second egg and re-blend, it will thicken up like magic.
Once you’ve got your mayo made, the chicken salad comes together quickly. I like freshly poached chicken, along with the inner ribs of celery, (don’t forget those leaves!) for flavor and crunch. I like red onion for its color and bite, and dried fruit for some sweetness, I used golden raisins and cranberries. And finally, toasted pecans.
TIP:ย I freshly poach boneless skinless breasts for chicken salad because I think the meat is super tender when it’s cooked that way. Cover the breasts in a few inches of cold water, and bring it to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer the chicken for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and refrigerate until chilled. Then chop. You’ll get moist chicken that cuts in perfectly clean cubes.
Chicken Salad with Poppy Seed Mayonnaise
Ingredients
poppy seed mayonnaise
- 2 large pasteurized eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup vegetable oil, any type you like
- 1 Tbsp mustard
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp poppy seeds
- 1/2 tsp salt
chicken salad
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, poached, cooled, and chopped.
- 1/3 cup chopped celery stalks, plus leaves
- 1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup dried raisins, cranberries, or a combination
- 1/3 cup toasted pecan pieces
- salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To make the mayo, put everything in the bottom of a wide mouthed mason jar or other similarly shaped jar, just wide enough to fit the blade of your immersion blender.
- Put the blender blade at the bottom of the jar and blend, moving the blade up and down gently until the mixture emulsifies. This should happen almost instantaneously. When the mayo is thick enough, give it a stir and taste to adjust the seasonings.
- Put all the chicken salad ingredients in a large mixing bowl and add enough mayo to coat but not drown the salad. Mix well and season to taste with salt and pepper. You will have mayo leftover, so store in the refrigerator and use within 10 days.
Nutrition
notes:
- Use pasteurized eggs for recipes that involve uncooked eggs. Pasteurized eggs are eggs that have been briefly heated to destroy any potential harmful bacteria. Find them next to the regular eggs in large supermarkets.
- Homemade mayo does not contain any preservatives, so use with 10 days.
- Almonds or walnuts can be used in place of the pecans, but be sure to toast them.
Delish! I think poppy seeds make everything taste better – and prettier too. Love the combination of ingredients you’ve got in here, sweet, savory, crunchy, creamy – YUMMY!
Oh man, that poppy seed dressing is gorgeous! Dressings that you can make at home completely from scratch are my favorite. And I love your tip about poaching the chicken. I will have to try that!
Oh this mayo sounds super interesting! I love poppy seed flavour!
Chicken salad is fall favorite of mine and this looks like a good one. Great idea with the poppy seeds! They add some fun color and crunch to the salad.
Looks absolutely divine! Looking forward tossing this one together. Thanks.
I just made basil-garlic mayo this morning and would love to try your version with poppy seeds! I’ve had chicken salad on my mind for a while, so this is perfect timing. I don’t have pasteurized eggs, so I microwave the yolk for a bit before using it.
Hi Andrea! I haven’t done it myself, but I think you can pasteurize your own eggs in the micro or on the stove, and the stove method seems easier to me: put your eggs in a pan and cover with water, heat, and once the pan reaches 140ยฐ to 150ยฐ F, remove from heat and allow the eggs to rest in the water for 3 minutes.
Oh I love this! Great salad and love the addition of poppy seed ๐ Perfect for this time of year.
The color is beautiful Sue! I need to try this mayo – it looks so creamy and the addition of poppy seeds is brilliant. Those tender chunks of chicken are calling to me!
That color comes from the olive oil, it is pretty!
I love that you make your own mayo, Sue, ad this looks delicious. You have so many great dressings!
I’m a lover of poppy seeds as well and this salad is heavenly!
I love making mayo, Robyn, we always have waaay too much around because I’m always whipping up another variation ๐
So delicious! The dressing sounds great with poppy, Sue.