It’s easy to make this recipe with cooked chicken and a few other delicious ingredients. Enjoy this homemade chicken salad with tarragon on a sandwich, stuffed into a buttery croissant, or with crackers as an easy lunch! A bit of fresh tarragon takes chicken salad to a whole new level! This uncommon herb is a little bit fancy, seen mostly in French food like bearnaise sauce. It turns a regular bowl of creamy chicken salad into a gourmet tarragon chicken salad that is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. This recipe makes enough to serve up to 10 people, so it’s a great choice for a brunch party, baby shower, or luncheon too. Be sure to check out my Chicken Salad with grapes and almonds, Curry Chicken Salad, and my Tuna Salad recipes too. Any of these salads are amazing when stuffed into buttery, flaky croissants!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Ingredients In Tarragon Chicken Salad
Here’s what you need to make this fancy chicken salad with tarragon:
Cooked Chicken: Already cooked chicken, cut into small pieces is the main ingredient in Tarragon Chicken Salad. Use leftovers, or chicken that you’ve cooked just for this occasion. Creamy Dressing: Start with mayo, and then add Dijon mustard, freshly squeezed lemon juice, a bit of honey, salt, and pepper. It’s a simple mixture, but well-balanced. The Best Mix-Ins: Fresh chopped tarragon is the flavor star in this salad. Diced onion and celery add fresh crunch, and dried cranberries and toasted pecans add even more texture and interest.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Tarragon Chicken Salad
Making homemade chicken salad is truly as simple as making the dressing and then stirring everything together! Here’s a quick step-by-step with photos:
Recipe Tips
Any cooked chicken will do. This recipe can be used with leftovers from last night’s dinner, the meat from a grocery store rotisserie chicken, or chicken that you’ve cooked just for this purpose. I prefer breast meat, but dark meat chicken makes a delicious chicken salad as well. Be sure to chop the chicken small enough so that the chicken salad is easy to eat. You can also shred the chicken if you like that texture better. To poach chicken breasts for chicken salad, follow my simple recipe! Adjust the mix-ins if you’d like. Leave out the pecans for a nut-free salad, or replace them with slivered almonds if you prefer. Instead of dried cranberries, use fresh grapes, cut in half. For a really amazing, creamy texture, make your own mayonnaise from scratch. Regular store-bought mayo is fine, but the homemade stuff makes this salad extra special.
Storing Tips
Keep homemade tarragon chicken salad in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It should stay fresh for up to 3 days this way. When you’re ready to eat the salad that’s been stored in the fridge, stir in a little bit of extra mayo so that it’s nice and creamy again. Be sure to keep this mayonnaise-based salad in the fridge, and avoid leaving it out for any length of time.
What To Serve With Tarragon Chicken Salad
I love a delicious sandwich made from this chicken salad and fresh croissants from the bakery! You can also try it on homemade flatbread, or bread machine wheat bread. Want to make your meal even more amazing? Try pairing your tarragon chicken salad with a bowl of soup! Fresh Zucchini Soup would be delicious with chicken salad, as would my simple White Bean Soup.
I hope you enjoy this easy way to make chicken salad super special! Tarragon Chicken Salad is a lunchtime favorite at my house, and It will be at yours too. © Little Sunny Kitchen
