Tarragon Chicken Salad with Toasted Pecans

Published on in Recipes

Bonus Tarragon Chicken Salad with Toasted Pecans

Chicken salad is a staple of any summer get together and there are so many ways to put your own spin on it! Shredded chicken vs. cubed chicken, fruit vs. no fruit, tarragon vs. dill…This list goes on and on!


So here’s the way I like to do it, with a few twists and turns (see: sautéd onions instead of raw and a dollop of sour cream to mellow it out!)

Warning up front – this recipe is a crowd pleaser and #NSNG AND makes enough for the whole party or weekly meal prep!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds cooked chicken breast, shredded or cubed
  •  1 1/2 cup keto-friendly mayonnaise (or make your own with a recipe like this)
  •  1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish (optional)
  • 6 oz onion, diced, sautéed
  • 4 stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 2 cups shredded carrot
  • 6 oz pecans, toasted (whole or chopped)
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon tarragon
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  1. Poach, boil or sous vide seasoned (s/p) chicken breast. (Or you can use pre-cooked or rotisserie if that’s easier for ya!)
  2. While chicken is cooking, sauté onions until soft and translucent (or caramelized if you prefer). Once done, set aside.
  3. Next, toast pecans in pan, moving around so they don’t burn. Once they become fragrant, remove from heat and set aside.
  4. Mix together all wet and dry dressing ingredients in small bowl.
  5. Once chicken is cooked (165 internal temp), shred with fork or in mixer.
  6. Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl or pot.
  7. Refrigerate for a 30-60 minutes and serve.
  8. Store leftovers in airtight container for 3-4 days!

 

Notes:

Some people love pickles in their chicken salad and some think it makes it taste too briny – more like tuna salad. If that’s the case with you, feel free to cut the relish down by half or leave it out completely!

Other nuts work great too like almonds, walnuts and even cashews! However, I find that pecans – especially toasted – bring out the best flavor in a chicken salad.

I know it might seem weird to sauté the onions for a chicken salad instead of throw them in raw, but I truly love the taste that a cooked, slightly caramelized onion brings out in this dish. But if you prefer raw, feel free to just throw them in!

 

10 Comments

  1. Kim
    June 4, 2019 at 3:33 pm

    So happy you reminded me of this awesome keto summer staple! Chicken salad was one of those things that made me realize keto could be sustainable for me for the long term. July will be my 4-year ketoversary so I am so excited for all of your current and upcoming recipes!

  2. Phil
    June 4, 2019 at 10:57 pm

    Listened to the podcast about a good substitute for potatoes. Try turnips! (Low carb – 8g per serving) Good texture and absorbs favors well in stews. Curious to know how well they would do in Loaded No-tato Salad.

  3. Steven Smith
    June 7, 2019 at 3:28 pm

    Thanks for sharing this, brought back fond memories for me…I used to work at a restaurant and made this close to daily. (We did use raw onion and golden raisins)

    We always used to mix a little dark meat in to balance the white meat and as a result, less mayo was needed for a good bound chicken salad.

    Great recipe.

  4. Shannon
    June 10, 2019 at 1:39 am

    I just made this for meal prep this week! Delicious! Can’t wait to share it with my friends. Thank you.

  5. Amie
    June 14, 2019 at 5:28 am

    Fantastic recipe! I wouldn’t change a thing. The pecans are such a great flavor in this salad.
    And next time I will try it with a few raw green onions to see how I like it but it’s AMAZING as is! Thanks for sharing!