Pretty sure I owe the feelings of nostalgia I have toward chicken salad to the many, many times I watched Anne of Green Gables with my sister and one of our closest friends growing up. Every time I see the dish I think of Diana and Anne discussing riches:
Diana: I wish I were rich, and I could spend the whole summer at a hotel, eating ice cream and chicken salad.
Anne: You know something, Diana? We are rich. We have sixteen years to our credit, and we both have wonderful imaginations. We should be as happy as queens.
Lovely sentiment Anne, BUT, you must admit that chicken salad adds a beautiful shine to all the riches of being sixteen with a wonderful imagination.
This version is my favorite. Bright with lemon and bursting with flavor and crunch from fennel, celery and apple. Tarragon and parsley add freshness and a touch of sweetness comes from grapes and cranberries. Mix all this with mayonnaise (homemade or not) and you’ve got the picture of summer time comfort food.
Feel free to adjust here. If you are a huge fan of fennel but don’t care for celery, add more fennel then celery. Or use raisins instead of cranberries. You get the picture.
Just make this. And then go find a kindred spirit to eat it with and count all the ways (apart from money) that you are indeed, very rich.
Lemon Poppy Seed Chicken Salad (Whole 30)
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 60 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 5 cups 1x
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: American
Description
A bright and lemony chicken salad with crunch from celery, apple, fennel and poppy seeds and just enough sweetness from dried cranberries and grapes.Creamy mayonnaise ties this all together!
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast
- 1/3 cup red onion, diced
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup celery, diced (about 2 stalks)
- 1 medium apple, diced (honeycrisp or pink lady are my favorites!)
- 3/4 cup fennel (core removed), diced (about 1/2 bulb fennel)
- 1 cup grapes, quartered
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 1 cup mayonnaise (homemade or store bought)
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard (or yellow mustard)
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- 1/2 cup roasted pecans (optional)
- Sea Salt
- Black Pepper
Instructions
- Put chicken breasts in large pot and fill with water two inches above chicken. Bring to boil then turn to gentle simmer until done (Internal temp 165) about 10-15 minutes. (Do not over cook!) Set aside to rest for 10 minutes while you prep the other ingredients.
- Put red onion and red wine vinegar in small bowl and let macerate (takes the sharp bit out!) while you prep the other ingredients.
- Toss together the celery, apple, fennel, grapes, cranberries, and poppy seeds and stir with the juice from one lemon and 1/8 teaspoon sea salt.
- Stir mayonnaise with lemon zest, onion powder, garlic powder, and dijon mustard.
- Cut the chicken into cubes and toss with 3/4 teaspoon sea salt, parsley and tarragon.
- Toss the veg, chicken and mayonnaise with the herbs and strained red onion (save the vinegar!)
- Test for salt if needed. Add a little more of the red wine vinegar from the onion to taste. Add black pepper to taste and chill until cold, at least an hour. Serve with lettuce or favorite bread or crackers.
Notes
To make this Whole 30 compliant, make sure to use whole 30 approved ingredients. Check the labels for the sneaky places sugar creeps in (mayonnaise, mustard, cranberries) and use mustard without wine. Swap where necessary (raisins instead of cranberries for example). This will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days.
YUM!!! Can’t wait to try this one!! Great for when large group comes over!!
Yay! Totally a great group meal!