Tarragon Chicken Salad

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Fresh, herby, and totally addictive—this tarragon chicken salad is what lunchtime dreams are made of. A great way to use leftover chicken!

When it comes to lunch, I am a huge fan of basically any kind of chicken salad I can get my hands on. And if you’ve been a reader for a while, you probably know that. If you’re new here, Hi! I’m Des and I adore chicken salad.

I’ve made Curry Chicken Salad, Creamy Dill Chicken Salad and Almond Chicken Salad to name a few. It is a fantastic way to use up any leftover chicken that you have on hand (it’s especially great when made with Poached Chicken Breast.) This latest chicken salad creation gets an herby burst of flavor from Tarragon.

If you’re not familiar with tarragon it is an herb that tastes slightly sweet and a little bit like anise (or a licorice flavor). It can be pretty strong and I find that a little bit goes a long way. It does pair exceptionally well with chicken.

Let’s talk about what you need to make this Tarragon Chicken Salad.

Tarragon Chicken Salad Ingredients:

You’ll only need a handful of ingredients to make this chicken salad. And most you might even have on hand already!

• COOKED CHICKEN: This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover chicken, a rotisserie chicken or it could even be made with leftover turkey after the holidays.
• CELERY: I love adding chopped celery to chicken salads because it adds the perfect amount of crunch.
• MAYONNAISE: Mayonnaise it what gives this salad it’s creaminess. I don’t add a lot because I don’t like it overly creamy and I want to taste the other ingredients not just the mayo.
• STONE GROUND MUSTARD: Will give the dressing an intense earthy mustard flavor, as opposed to the more vinegary flavor of yellow mustard. If you don’t have stone ground mustard, you can substitute Dijon in this recipe. It will be a bit of a more mild flavor but still delicious.
• SHERRY VINEGAR: If someone asked me if I had a favorite vinegar (I don’t know why they would but maybe!) I’d say sherry. It’s a perfectly balanced vinegar. It’s not too sweet nor is it too acidic. I love adding it to dressings and even drizzling over cucumbers as a snack.
• TARRAGON: The herby star of the show here! I find that fresh tarragon can be a bit harder to find in grocery stores (my store always seems to be out of it) so I use dried for this recipe. It worked perfectly. Of course you can also use fresh if you have access to some. Remember the golden rule for working with dried herbs vs fresh: 1 teaspoon of dried herb equals about 1 tablespoon of fresh.

Step by Step Photos and Instructions:

Making chicken salad could not be any easier. Simply mix your dressing, pour it over the chicken and celery and stir. While it’s great right after you make it, it’s even better when it’s had a little bit of a chance for the flavors to meld.

STEP #1: Whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.

STEP #2: Place the chicken and celery a bowl, pour the dressing over the top. Toss to coat the chicken and celery completely. Season to taste with salt and pepper. At this point you can eat it or refrigerate it to let the flavors meld a bit.

I love to serve this Tarragon Chicken Salad on some wheat bread as a sandwich or on crackers. If you’re looking for a low-carb option serving it in lettuce cups or on a salad is a great way to enjoy it.

Storage and Leftovers:

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator and use within 3 days.

If you loved the added flavor from tarragon in this recipe, check out these other recipes featuring the herb:

This Salmon with Dijon Tarragon Sauce is going to be your new favorite way to make salmon. Easy enough for a weeknight but decadent enough for date night! 

Tarragon Shrimp Salad is loaded with tender butter lettuce, shrimp, tomatoes and shallots tossed in a tarragon vinaigrette.  It’s a perfect summer lunch! 

Green Goddess Dressing is a creamy dressing great for salads or as a dip for vegetables. Made with fresh tarragon, parsley and chives.