Meggen’s Southern Chicken Salad
A little bit Southern, a whole lot of flavor and 30 years in the making, equals one great chicken salad.
I’ve been perfecting this Southern Chicken Salad recipe for 30 years:
I have been making chicken salad- forever.
Here are just a few of the recipes I tried over the years:
All mayo dressing, a poached chicken recipe, Hidden Valley Ranch chicken salad (too salty), Polynesian Chicken salad- add in pineapple tidbits, coconut and mango) and Texas chicken salad-(just add a can of chilies and cayenne pepper) but this recipe is by far my favorite.
This recipe adds in three types of dressing- mayonnaise, greek yogurt and mustard.
Stir in sweet crunchy grapes, a little heat from purple onions, crisp celery, warm nutty pecans and a whole lot of love.
Ingredients in Meggen’s Southern Chicken Salad:
- Bone in- skin on chicken breasts
- celery
- grapes
- golden raisins
- purple onion
- pecans
- mayonaise
- greek yogurt
- dijon mustard
- dry mustard
- salt, pepper
- herbs de Provence
Why this Southern Chicken Salad Recipe reigns supreme:
- Greek yogurt– it adds creaminess without that claggines from too much mayo. Be sure to use real greek yogurt and it has to be thick. I like Fage– it’s holds up best and doesn’t get “weepy”.
- Dijon Mustard– it’s fancy. I know. But that’s why you’re here. Don’t skip and use yellow mustard- that’ll just make your chicken salad salty.
- Add in the mayo slowly. Start with 1/4 cup and add it in as you like- it’s your chicken salad. I like Good & Gather (Target) Duke’s or Blue Plate. Trader Joe’s doesn’t bring much tang.
- Roast your chicken breasts. I know- it’s hard to find bone in- skin on chicken breasts… but it is worth the trouble to look. You can find higher quality chicken and then save the bones and skin for chicken stock.
- Pecans– it can’t be Southern Chicken Salad without pecans- toast them up first so they stay crunchy and do not get soggy in the dressing.
- Chill overnight– just like lasagna, this recipe is best made a day ahead.
How to make Meggen’s Southern Chicken Salad even better:
- Serve in a pineapple sliced in half and carved out. the pineapple makes a great add in
- Serve in a hollowed out mango shell
- Add in chopped apple, mangos, or toasted coconut
- Bibb lettuce cups make for a great presentation
What to Serve with Meggen’s Chicken Salad:
- John Daly Cocktail
- a bowl of fresh berries
- Firecracker saltines
- Baked pineapple gratin
- Tropical salad
- Blueberry Broccoli salad
Meggen’s Southern Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 5 large chicken breasts bone in- skin on
- 2 cups red or green seedless grapes washed and halved
- 2 stalks celery chopped with leaves
- 1 cup mayonnaise See notes about mayo
- ¼ cup Dijon mustard
- ½ cup 0% fat plain Greek yogurt I prefer the thickness of Fage
- 1 ½ cups toasted pecans chopped
- ½ cup purple onion chopped fine
- 1 cup golden raisins
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp Herbs de Provence
- ¼ tsp dry mustard
Instructions
- On a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, drizzle olive oil over chicken breasts. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees until done or the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. this typically takes 30-40 minutes. Let cool. Remove the skin and bones. Tear or chop the chicken into small 1-2 inch pieces, so that the dressing will have little pockets to soak into. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine chopped nuts, grapes, raisins, celery and onion. Mix well. Stir in chicken.
- In add mayo- 1/4 cup at a time, all the yogurt, all the mustard, salt and pepper herbs and dry mustard to chicken mixture. Add in 1/4 cup of mayo and test to see if you need to add more. Add more mayo if needed- often the chicken can be very moist and it does not need a full cup of mayo. Let cool at least 1 hour. Overnight is best. Serve over a bed of fresh bibb lettuce.
- Taste the salad for saltiness and if you have enough dressing. I do not like “wet” chicken salad, so I add my mayo in 1/4 cup portions at a time.
Ideas for a Brunch for Mom:
Here are a few ideas on how to turn my chicken salad into the star of a Mother’s Day Brunch:
Dream Mother’s Day-
Start off the day by letting mom have a nice quiet walk- alone. While she’s out, make her a cup of her favorite tea or coffee, make the bed for her, pop a small vase of fresh flowers on her bedside table. Put other flowers around the house for her- maybe in the powder room, the kitchen table, next to the kitchen sink. Then whip up my KETO pancakes with strawberry sauce and fresh berries and leftover yogurt (from the chicken salad recipe) drizzled with strawberry sauce. It tastes decadent but is super healthy. Serve with a tall glass of sparkling water topped with thin slices of lemons and juice. So elegant.
The let mom have a nice long shower while you tidy up and make her a loaf of banana bread. Don’t have time to bake, do curbside pick up at a local bakery of fresh croissant or muffins. Support local! Then let mom have a quiet place to binge watch her favorite show- season finale of Outlander is this Sunday! If mom wants to read, set up a clean, quiet place for her to read or pick up the latest magazines she loves- Vogue, Veranda, Elle Decor, Hound & Horse- whatever mom likes.
While mom is having quiet time maybe wash her car, the dog or knock out the laundry as a family. Was there a big chore mom’s been putting off- maybe take care it out for her.
Let her have restful time.
No questions.
No ” hey mom, where is my backpack? “
Then in the afternoon- instead of a fancy gift , (I’m at that wonderful place in my life where I really prefer not receiving gifts, but rather time spent with beloved friends and family) perhaps do a potting project with mom. Load up the car and run to the local garden shop and get a few herbs and create a large pot of herbs for the kitchen. Maybe mom would like a rose bush or a potted palm for her reading corner. Think about just getting a simple packet of seeds and planting lettuces. They are super simple and grow fast.
Finally, serve mom up a wonderful dinner of my chicken salad recipe- posted above, more fruit, and some sweet rolls, crackers and a wedge or two of brie or a round of goat cheese. Be sure to celebrate mom with a bottle of her favorite wine or champagne. Set the table with her best china, silver and linens. Put out the good stuff for mom- no paper plates or napkins- mom deserves the best! Fill a glass pitcher with water and more thin lemon slices, and pour mom a big glass of wine. After dinner, the family could go for a drive- drive by her best friend’s house, take a look at a house you used to own, mom’s dream house, drive by grandma’s house and drop off extra flowers or banana bread.
Have a wonderful day celebrating all the women in your life.
