The Best Chicken Salad, I Swear
Served alongside dill pickle chips
Served alongside dill pickle chips
Putting chicken salad behind a paywall might seem like an insane thing to do, but I promise you this recipe will change your mind about chicken salad if it’s not something you gravitate toward, and will only deepen your love for it if you’re already a fan.
I’m married to a man who eats literally everything besides celery, which I respect. For that reason, I started making chicken salad without it and opting for cucumbers, scallions, and pepperoncini instead…and it turns out that I like it a lot more this way. This is a bit of a labor of love, though well worth it, and mostly consists of taking every last jar out of your fridge to make. It’s incredibly herby and bright and delightful and only made better by consuming on top of buttery, griddled toast and served alongside dill pickle-flavored chips.
Ingredients:
2x canned chicken
1/2 small bunch dill, roughly chopped, plus more for serving
2 small Persian cucumbers
2-3 Tbsp Greek pepperoncini, roughly chopped
8 cornichons, roughly chopped
1 heaping Tbsp. drained capers, roughly chopped
1 scallion, thinly sliced
2 tsp dill relish or sweet relish
3 tsp whole-grain mustard
1/3 cup + 3 Tbsp mayo
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp champagne vinegar
1 tsp pickle juice, from the cornichons
1 tsp kosher salt
As much freshly ground black pepper as you’d like, I do like 10+ twists
A few drops of your fav hot sauce, I go for Crystal or a hot sauce that only has peppers, distilled vinegar and salt in it
Pinch of ground paprika
Lil glug of olive oil
For The Toast
Crusty bread, like sourdough or country bread
2-3 Tbsp butter or olive oil, for the skillet
For Serving
Dill pickle-flavored chips
A few cornichons
Another pinch of paprika
Flaky salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Start by dicing both of the Persian cucumbers into 1/8 inch pieces (essentially as small as you can comfortably get them), then add to a colander with a pinch of kosher salt to drain, occasionally giving the colander a shake right up until you’re ready to combine with the chicken salad and serve.
Add all of your ingredients to a large mixing bowl: 2x canned chicken, 1/2 bunch chopped dill, 2 Tbsp Greek pepperoncini, 8 cornichons, 1 heaping Tbsp. capers, 1 scallion, 2 tsp dill relish or sweet relish, 3 tsp whole-grain mustard, 1/3 cup + 2 Tbsp mayo, juice of half a lemon, 1 tsp champagne vinegar, 1 tsp pickle juice, 1 tsp kosher salt, as much freshly ground black pepper as you’d like, a few drops of your fav hot sauce, a pinch of paprika, a lil glug of olive oil—and use a fork to mash the chicken down into the bowl. Fold everything together until fully combined, finally adding the cucumbers as you’re ready to serve.
To make your toast, add a couple of tablespoons of butter or olive oil to a large cast iron over medium heat, once warmed through (4-5 min), add the bread to the pan and add pressure to the top to get it nice and crispy (I use a grill press here but you can also press down with a spatula). Flip after 1-2 minutes and repeat.
Top the toast with the chicken salad, more dill, a pinch of paprika, and serve alongside a large sum of dill pickle flavored-chips and some more cornichons. 🥒
Enjoy!