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–+ servings
a large white bowl filled with tarragon chicken salad next to a croissant.
5 from 21 votes

Tarragon Chicken Salad

My favorite Tarragon Chicken Salad is creamy, savory, a bit sweet, and filled with dried cranberries, nuts, and herbs.
Author Diana
Servings 10 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup (180 ml) mayonnaise
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 3 ½ cups cooked chicken breast diced into ½ inch cubes or shredded
  • ½ medium red onion finely diced
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • ½ cup unsweetened dried cranberries
  • ½ cup toasted pecans roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped tarragon

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, combine the dressing ingredients (mayonnaise, dijon mustard, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper) and whisk until well combined.
  • To the same bowl, add the diced chicken, celery, onion, cranberries, pecans, and chopped tarragon.
  • Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to meld. Serve on lettuce, toasted bread, crackers, or use tarragon chicken salad to stuff croissants.

Notes

  • 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.
  • To Store: Keep chicken salad in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Add a bit of mayo if needed to make it creamy again after storing. 

Nutrition

Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 275mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 1mg
Find it online: https://littlesunnykitchen.com/tarragon-chicken-salad/