This delicious Barefoot Contessa chicken salad is a quick and easy meal perfect for a light lunch or picnic. Creamy and packed with flavour, it combines tender chicken, crunchy nuts, and juicy grapes. With simple ingredients, it’s a flexible dish that you can easily adapt to your taste.
Ingredients Needed
- 2 split (1 whole) chicken breasts, bone in, skin on (680g)
- 30ml good olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 75g pecan halves
- 75g walnut halves
- 120g good mayonnaise
- 120g sour cream
- 15g chopped fresh tarragon leaves, divided
- 150g green grapes, halved
- Lettuce leaves, for serving
How To Make Chicken Salad
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Roast the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking tray. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare the Nuts: Spread the pecans and walnuts on a separate baking tray and toast in the oven for 7-8 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Make the Dressing: In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir in half the chopped tarragon leaves.
- Assemble the Salad: Once the chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Dice the chicken into 2cm pieces. In a large bowl, combine the diced chicken, toasted nuts, and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss well.
- Finish the Salad: Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon on top. Serve the chicken salad on a bed of fresh lettuce leaves.
Recipe Tips
- Cool the Chicken Properly: After roasting the chicken, let it cool before shredding. This makes it easier to handle and prevents the salad from becoming warm.
- Toast the Nuts: Don’t skip toasting the pecans and walnuts. This step enhances the flavor and gives a nice crunch to the salad.
- Use Fresh Tarragon: Fresh tarragon adds a burst of flavour. Make sure to use fresh leaves rather than dried to get the best taste.
- Adjust the Dressing: Feel free to adjust the mayonnaise and sour cream mix based on your preferences. For a lighter version, you can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Chill Before Serving: Allow the salad to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving. This helps the flavours blend together and makes it extra refreshing.
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Place leftover chicken salad in an airtight container and keep it for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: If you want yu can reheat leftover chicken salad by placing it in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, but be careful not to overheat. The salad is best served cold, so you can also enjoy it straight from the fridge!
Nutrition Facts
Serving Size: 1 cup (approximately 150g)
- Calories: 318
- Total Fat: 11.86g
- Saturated Fat: 2.78g
- Trans Fat: 0.01g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.92g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 3.82g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
- Sodium: 459mg
- Potassium: 599mg
- Dietary Fiber: 3g
- Sugars: 3.35g
- Protein: 34.81g
- Calcium: 30mg
- Iron: 2.12mg
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Barefoot Contessa Chicken Salad
Description
This delicious Barefoot Contessa chicken salad is a quick and easy meal perfect for a light lunch or picnic. Creamy and packed with flavour, it combines tender chicken, crunchy nuts, and juicy grapes. With simple ingredients, it’s a flexible dish that you can easily adapt to your taste.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Roast the Chicken: Place the chicken breasts, skin side up, on a baking tray. Rub with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 35-40 minutes until cooked through. Set aside to cool.
- Prepare the Nuts: Spread the pecans and walnuts on a separate baking tray and toast in the oven for 7-8 minutes until golden. Remove and set aside to cool.
- Make the Dressing: In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stir in half the chopped tarragon leaves.
- Assemble the Salad: Once the chicken has cooled, remove the meat from the bones and discard the skin and bones. Dice the chicken into 2cm pieces. In a large bowl, combine the diced chicken, toasted nuts, and grapes. Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and toss well.
- Finish the Salad: Sprinkle the remaining chopped tarragon on top. Serve the chicken salad on a bed of fresh lettuce leaves.
Notes
- Cool the Chicken Properly: After roasting the chicken, let it cool before shredding. This makes it easier to handle and prevents the salad from becoming warm.
- Toast the Nuts: Don’t skip toasting the pecans and walnuts. This step enhances the flavor and gives a nice crunch to the salad.
- Use Fresh Tarragon: Fresh tarragon adds a burst of flavour. Make sure to use fresh leaves rather than dried to get the best taste.
- Adjust the Dressing: Feel free to adjust the mayonnaise and sour cream mix based on your preferences. For a lighter version, you can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream.
- Chill Before Serving: Allow the salad to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before serving. This helps the flavours blend together and makes it extra refreshing.
Barefoot Contessa Chicken Salad