Despite its oft association with the South, the first known American chicken salad was concocted by Liam Gay, proprietor of Town Meats in Wakefield, R.I. in 1863. Gray mixed leftover chicken with mayonnaise, tarragon and grapes. It was so enthusiastically received that Grey was soon running a delicatessen rather than a meat market.
In 2007 Stacy Brown, a struggling divorced mother of three small children, successfully perfected her grandmother’s recipe for chicken salad in the kitchen of her Auburn, A.L. home and then started hawking it at hair salons and teachers’ lounges to support her brood. In 2022, the most recent year for which statistics are available, Brown’s Chicken Salad Chick (CSC) brand reported $255 million in systemwide sales. That’s a mother of a success story! CSC’s biggest day of the year? Mother’s Day. Unfortunately, we have yet to acquire a CSC franchise in Orleans Parish, the closest one being in Mandeville. So, take a drive or make your own.
Perfect Chicken Salad
Adapted from The New York Times, Serves 4
4 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts (NOTE: You can skip the poaching process and buy a pre-pulled rotisserie chicken breast from Costo. It will not be as good, but you can have time, or you can have money…)
2 green onions, cut into thirds
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 lemon, halved
2/3 cup Blue Plate or homemade mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream or crème fraîche, more to taste
1 teaspoon tarragon vinegar or brine from a jar of pickles
3 pale green celery ribs, diced small
1/2 cup minced shallots
1/2 cup toasted pecan halves, broken into bite-size pieces
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon, cilantro, parsley, mint, or chives, plus extra for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Fill a Dutch oven just large enough to hold the chicken two-thirds full with cold water. Fill a teakettle with more water and set it to boil. Add the green onions and the peppercorns to the Dutch oven. Bring the water in the Dutch oven to a rolling boil. Extinguish the heat. Slip the chicken breasts into the hot water. If the chicken is not covered by 2 inches of water add more from the teakettle. Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and leave undisturbed for 2 hours. Remove one chicken breast and cut it near the bone with a sharp knife. If the meat is pink return the chicken to the water, set the pot over low heat, bring the water to a simmer, and cook for an added 10 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the water. Remove and discard the bones, skin and fat. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Cut or shred into small bite-size pieces and transfer to a bowl. Meanwhile, simmer the cooking liquid until flavorful, then strain and refrigerate or freeze to use as chicken stock.
In a bowl whisk together the lemon juice, mayonnaise and sour cream. Add the vinegar or brine. Whisk. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Pour over the chicken, scraping the bowl clean with a rubber spatula.
Add the celery, shallots, nuts, herbs and salt and pepper. Toss gently but thoroughly. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours. Sprinkle with more herbs. Serve chilled.
What to Drink with Chicken Salad
Sauvignon Blanc, such as a Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé is the way to go here.
The 2022 Regis Minet Pouilly-Fume ‘Vieilles Vignes’ Loire Valley would be an excellent choice. The freshness and minerality of the wine will cut through the richness of the chicken. Available at NOLA Wine Merchant, 5601C Magazine St., 504-227-3888, nolawinemerchant.com.
