This summer, I had the most awesome chicken salad recipe ever. That says a lot coming from a person who hates chicken salad. I’ll give you the recipe, but first I’m going to share with you photos from that fateful day where I *gasp* might have been converted to a chicken salad lover.
A few weeks ago, the meat CSA that I belong to, Clark Summit Farm, held a farm tour where we met and mingled with other members (and future entrées). I invited my good friend Kirstin Jackson to come along, and we spent a gorgeous sunny day up in Tomales, breathing in the fresh air and photographing farm animals.
CSA maven Bonnie Azab Powell planned a huge lunch spread that included goodies from CSA members and sandwiches made with a Clark Farm-raised ham. There were cookies, salads, cheese, wine – everything you could possibly think of to make the day absolutely perfect.
Here are a few photos I snapped. And, keep scrolling down for the most fabulous chicken salad recipe you’ll ever make.
Chickens hiding from the summer heat
Lovely homemade ham, made from Clark Summit pork
Our hostess, the lovely Miss Liz
Kirstin being cute in the sun
This dog was the friendliest creature I've ever met
Pastoral star thistle
Folks enjoying the sunny weather
It took everything I had to not joyride this baby down the hill
Chicken coops against a dreamy backdrop
A heart-shaped strawberry, just seconds before it was snatched up and eaten
A very, very contented canine
Babies love farms, too!
Future ham sandwich
This guy kept trying to escape his pen. Yay, goats.
Sweet face, just a few weeks old
Newborn, less than a day old
The view from my future kitchen window
Too #*$&*@ cute for words
Little Miss Attitude, showing us where to put it
Now that you’ve made it this far, I’ll reward you with the incredibly tasty chicken salad recipe that I mentioned above.
As a rule, I hate chicken salad or any other cold dish that has mayonnaise in it. My mom spent years trying to stuff potato salad down my gullet, only to be met with staunch resolve in the form of hot tears and a solidly locked jaw. Try as she might, I would not let that stuff anywhere near my taste buds. Ugh.
But desperation breeds courage, and as I sniffed around the picnic table at the farm, looking for something sans-gluten, my eyes settled on a big, glistening bowl of chicken salad. I was starving, and with little choice other than an overly-admirable helping of ham and cheese, I was forced to dish up a bit of the evil mayo-based demon before me. Kirstin looked on as I portioned out a tiny bite, passed it through my teeth, and with a wrinkled nose, tasted the offending dish.
I have to say, I was shocked at how much I loved this chicken salad recipe. Turns out it was Bonnie who made the salad, which contained crunchy nuts, crisp granny smith apples, and just a hint of citrus and yogurt to round out the mayo-ness that I dreaded. I loved it so much I ran home and emailed her right away, and she was nice enough to share the recipe. Here’s what she sent me:
I made this recipe up a while ago and vary it according to what’s around. Basically, I roast a chicken with just olive oil, salt and pepper, and shred it/chop it. I chop up green onions, celery, and some kind of fruit (apple this time, often tangerine or orange) and a toasted nut (sometimes walnuts; slivered almonds this time). I make the dressing thusly: make my own mayonnaise (with a whole egg and all canola oil, not olive) and use about half that and half plain yogurt, mixed with about 2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1 tablespoon lemon or orange zest, parsley or whatever herb I have, salt, and pepper. Toss everything together except the nuts, leave them last or they get mushy. Adjust for salt and pepper, often add more lemon juice.
From this, I created a step-by-step recipe, which you’ll find below. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Recipe by Bonnie Azab Powell
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
- 2 green onions, chopped finely
- 2 celery stalks, chopped finely
- 1 tart apple, peeled and chopped
- More salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste
Method for how to make chicken salad recipe
- Preheat your oven to 300 F. Spread olive oil around the surface an oven-proof baking dish, such as a cast iron skillet. Lay down chicken thighs and sprinkle with half of the salt and pepper. Turn thighs over, spreading them out and laying them flat, and sprinkle with the rest of the salt and pepper. Move them around in the pan to make sure they are evenly oiled. Bake chicken thighs for 25 minutes. Once they are done, turns thighs out onto a plate and allow to cool completely.
- Bake chicken thighs for 25 minutes. Once they are done, turns thighs out onto a plate and allow to cool completely.
- While thighs are baking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the nuts and roast until they become fragrant and begin to darken, about two minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool fully.
- In a large bowl, mix mayonnaise and yogurt until fully combined. Add lemon juice, lemon zest and parsley, mixing well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Dice or shred chicken into small chunks and mix into mayonnaise and yogurt. Add in chopped onion, celery and apple, mixing until completely incorporated. Season with more salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste. Chill until ready to serve.
- Just before serving, add nuts to salad – if you add them and allow them to sit, the nuts will get soggy.
Variations on this chicken salad recipe:
- This salad is very flexible, according to Bonnie. Feel free to use your favorite fruits in substitute for the apple, such as orange, tangerine, mango or yellow peach.
- Your choice of nuts is also open to experimentation. The first time I had this salad Bonnie used slivered almonds, but it’s also excellent with pecans or pine nuts.
- This recipes makes for a killer chicken salad sandwich. Like, incendiary. Seriously.
- Feel free to swap the lemon juice and zest for orange or lime. Anything will do, as long as it’s fresh.
If you like this chicken salad recipe, then here are some other posts you might like:
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“…where we met and mingled with other members (and future entrées).”
LOL, beautifully put.
Oooo! I’ve been looking for a meat CSA for my poor fiance who puts up so well with my pescatarianism. Thanks for the recommendation!
I am definitely making this. I remember a chicken salad that I never forgot, something like this one, only it had green grapes, halved. A memorable evening in 1966 …. haven’t ever tasted a chicken salad as good, but I get this one will be. Thanks!
What gorgeous photos. And, if you’re phobic about chicken salad (as I am), I’m taking your word and will try the recipe.
I love chicken salad myself and this variation to my usual recipe sounds really good.
The farm you visited sounds really good. My hubby and I raise organic beef and chicken and have thought about doing something like this ourselves.
That does look like a great recipe. But the photos really steal this show!
First of all, love the photos. REally nice!
And second, excited to try this chicken salad recipe – it looks terrific. I always seem to have leftover chicken laying around, and I much prefer making it into chicken salad than eating it the next day the same way.
I love chicken salad…sadly, no one has every had to make me eat anything mayo-based. So you had me at “chicken-salad”.
Usually I skip past the photo captions but you had me laughing out loud at the future ham sandwich. Love the chicken salad recipe–so the darker meat didn’t bother you? I usually use breast meat.
I’ve been more interested in mayo based dishes since I learned how easy it is to make your own. This one sounds like a real winner.
Looks like you had an amazing time! We just took baby girl up to Stone Barns, famous home of Blue Hill restaurant. They have amazing tours and activities. Baby girl got to collect eggs and dig potatoes. She’s learning how food works and where it comes from. I love it.
I love chicken salad and will be trying this recipe for sure. Great photos, Kristen, especially the piglets. Does the farm offer tours for the general public? I’m thinking that this would be a fun off-the-beaten-path travel experience.
That recipe looks fantastic, I’ll definitely have to give it a try. Can’t wait to see you at IFBC!
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