Sonoma Chicken Salad
Chicken salad like a pro ~ my Sonoma Chicken Salad with a creamy lemon poppy seed dressing is your power move!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
creamy lemon poppy seed dressing
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise, I use Duke's
- zest of 1 Meyer lemon, you can use a regular lemon as well.
- 1-2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice, you can use a regular lemon as well.
- 1/2 tsp poppy seeds, or more to taste
- 1/2 tsp Dijon or yellow mustard
- salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste
Sonoma chicken salad
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, poached and chilled*
- 1 cup celery, minced
- 1 cup toasted pecans, rough chopped
- 1/2 cup red onion, minced
- 1/2 apple, diced
- 12-16 grapes, halved
- 2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced, if using dried dill, use less
Instructions
- Stir the 1/2 cup mayonnaise, zest of 1 Meyer lemon, 1-2 Tbsp Meyer lemon juice, 1/2 tsp poppy seeds, and 1/2 tsp Dijon or yellow mustard together in a jar. Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste and adjust it to your liking. Cover and refrigerate while you make the salad.
- Use a sharp knife to dice the 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts. I like to dice them into small chunks, maybe 1/3 inch or so.
- Put the 1 cup celery, minced, the 1 cup toasted pecans, rough chopped, the1/2 cup red onion, minced, the1/2 apple, diced, 12-16 grapes, halved, and 2 Tbsp fresh dill, minced into a bowl and toss with enough dressing to coat thoroughly. Give the salad a good taste and add salt and fresh cracked black pepper, or more dill, as you like. I like to garnish with some extra dill.
- Serve right away, or chill for later.
- Your chicken salad will last in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Avoid leaving chicken salad at room temperature for more than two hours.
Notes
*To poach boneless skinless chicken breasts
- Put chicken breasts in a medium pan and add cold water just to cover.
- Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat and let gently simmer for five minutes.
- Cover and turn off the heat. Let the pan sit for 15 minutes.
- Drain and chill the chicken before proceeding with the recipe.
- Clean cuts: Cold chicken is firmer, so it slices neatly without shredding or falling apart.
- Better texture: It helps the pieces stay juicy and tender instead of mushing or drying out as you cut.
- Better mixing: Chilled chicken won’t warm up the dressing or wilt other salad ingredients.
Nutrition
Calories: 527 kcal · Carbohydrates: 12 g · Protein: 27 g · Fat: 42 g · Saturated Fat: 6 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 18 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 16 g · Trans Fat: 0.1 g · Cholesterol: 84 mg · Sodium: 338 mg · Potassium: 682 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 7 g · Vitamin A: 218 IU · Vitamin C: 7 mg · Calcium: 49 mg · Iron: 1 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Did You Make This?We love seeing what you've made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.