Chicken Salad
A favorite of our family, my grandmothers chicken salad is a staple at picnics and barbecues, and is a welcome easy meal lunch or dinner. Our chicken salad has pasta, and is easily a main course. To change it up, I use different pastas; shells, twists, or bow ties. Any way you choose, it is a hit.
A favorite of our family, my grandmothers chicken salad is a staple at picnics and barbecues, and is a welcome easy meal lunch or dinner. Our chicken salad has pasta, and is easily a main course. To change it up, I use different pastas; shells, twists, or bow ties. Any way you choose, it is a hit.
- Carbohydrate 67.4864107834925 g
- Cholesterol 219.018773354636 mg
- Fat 34.1715868448711 g
- Fiber 3.09417211039085 g
- Protein 33.3823843403615 g
- Saturated Fat 6.22400675791506 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (289g)
- Sodium 856.631808691739 mg
- Sugar 64.3922386731017 g
- Trans Fat 22.9873292968279 g
- Calories 720 calories
Step-by-step
- Boil eggs until hard boiled.
- Remove from water and refrigerate until cool.
- Cook pasta according to directions.
- Rinse and set aside to cool.
- Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Finely dice onions and celery.
- Peel cooled eggs and chop.
- Add eggs, pasta, onions, celery, chicken in a large bowl.
- Add salt and pepper.
- Take 2 cups of mayonnaise and whisk 1/2 cup milk into it, making it 'pour-able'.
- Add to the bowl with other ingredients, and fold in thoroughly.
- Do the same with the remaining mayo and milk.
- Season to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate until chilled. (best overnight)
- When the salad is chilled throughout, it is possible that it may need to be re-seasoned, Occasionally, the salad absorbs the mayo, so a bit more may need to be added to restore its creaminess.
Mayonnaise functions as the primary structural binder in this dish, coating both the protein and the starch while sealing in moisture during refrigeration. Heavy emulsions demand careful balancing to avoid a greasy mouthfeel. Whisking milk or cream directly into the mayonnaise threnos the fat content into a pourable consistency that penetrates hollow pasta tubes like penne or small shells more evenly than a thick spread.
Pasta absorbs free liquid over time. Prepare to adjust the seasoning and add extra mayonnaise after a twelve-hour rest in the refrigerator to restore the original moisture level. Chilling the hard-boiled eggs immediately in ice water halts the cooking process and prevents a gray sulfur ring from forming around the yolk.
Pair this rich main-course salad with high-acid accompaniments to cut through the fat. Crisp dill pickles, pickled red onions, or a sharp vinegar-based green salad provide necessary contrast. Substitute small shaped pastas such as bow ties or fusilli at a one-to-one volumetric ratio without altering the dressing measurements. Ensure the cooked pasta cools completely to ambient temperature before mixing to prevent the hot starch from breaking the mayonnaise emulsion.
