Do you know you can transform plain cooked chicken into a fresh and lively salad ideal for lunch or dinner? Chicken salad in the U.S. dates back from the 19th century although this traditional dish was a common recipe in Asia a long time ago. In fact, it is believed that the Chinese were the first one to prepare chicken with oils and spices.

Herbed Chicken Salad Recipe
Herbed Chicken Salad Recipe. Shutterstock Image

Typically, American chicken salad consists of chicken mixed with mayonnaise or other herbs, plus a sweet crunch of grapes, onions, or celery. Reports indicate that this delicious dish was first marketed in the United States in 1863 at Town Meats, located in Rhode Island. To woo customers, the owner combined leftover chicken with grapes, mayonnaise, and tarragon.

So if you are planning to prepare a delicious and healthy lunch or dinner, consider the herbed chicken recipe with the following instructions, and don’t forget to explore for other tips on how to make the meal even more delightful.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound of cooked organic shredded chicken
  • ¼ cup of basil leaves
  • ¼ cup of parsley leaves
  • ½ cup of fresh dill sprigs
  • 1 medium-sized garlic clove
  • 8 cups of mixed salad greens
  • 2 chopped red peppers
  • 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  • Fresh ground black pepper
  • ½ pound of chopped tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup of raw sour cream
  • 2 oil-packed of well-drained anchovies
  • 1/3 cup of homemade mayonnaise form avocado or olive oil and egg
  • 3 inner thinly sliced celery ribs with leaves

    • Preparation

    Step 1: Preparing the Chicken

  • Take 1 pound of cooked organic shredded chicken and place it in a large mixing bowl. You can cook the chicken by boiling, using a pressure cooker, or roasting it.

    • Step 2: Adding Herbs and Garlic

  • Finely basil leaves, parsley leaves, and fresh dill sprigs.
  • Crush 1 medium-sized garlic clove into a paste.
  • Combine the herbs and garlic with the shredded chicken, mixing gently.

    • Step 3: Adding Salad Greens and Red Peppers

  • Toss in with mixed salad greens and red peppers to the chicken mixture.
  • Add thinly sliced celery ribs with leaves.
  • Ensure the ingredients are evenly distributed.

    • Step 4: Seasoning with Lemon Juice and Black Pepper

  • Sprinkle in lemon juice and a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper to taste.
  • Stir the ingredients to coat them in the acidic brightness of the lemon.

    • Step 5: Making the Creamy Dressing

  • Combine chopped tomatoes, raw sour cream, anchovies (well-drained), and homemade mayonnaise made from avocado or olive oil and egg in a blender or food processor.
  • Blend until smooth to create a creamy and indulgent dressing.

    • Step 6: Pour the dressing over the salad.

  • Toss everything carefully until the salad is well coated with the dressing.

    • Step 7: Serving

  • Serve immediately for the freshest taste.
  • Enjoy your beautifully herbed and nutritious chicken salad!

    • Additional Tips:

  • Don’t go for the typical confined animal feeding operations (CAFO) chicken but instead obtain an organic pastured chicken from your local farm.
  • To make the salad ideal and healthier, use homemade mayonnaise instead of the commercial variety.
  • Herbed chicken when served with greens makes a filling and delicious meal for lunch or dinner.

    • Chicken Source

    Chicken Source

    Chicken Source. Shutterstock Image

    The chicken somehow contributes significantly to the quality taste of your salad. You may lose your appetite if you obtain a chicken from an industrial farm or CAFO. This is because some have oversized breasts, which distort their body proportions, and some can hardly walk.

    Surprisingly, nearly all American chickens are obtained from CAFOs or industrial farms. They are mostly fed on genetically engineered meals from corn and soybeans, which is far from their natural diet consisting of seeds, worms, insects, and green plants. 

    Due to the addition of byproducts including chicken feathers and animal parts in feeds fed to industrial chickens, there is an increase in the spread of diseases. As a result, they are constantly fed on antibiotics. Additionally, these animals hardly see the light of day and thus suffer from vitamin D deficiencies. Worse still, they can’t avoid stress and the spread of diseases due to artificial diet and overcrowding.

    Effects of Antibiotics

    Excessive use of antibiotics is a potential threat to human health and the environment, especially if they run into rivers, lakes, or other water bodies.

    According to the 2019 AR Threats Report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), antibiotic-resistant bacteria and fungi are responsible for causing a minimum of 2,868,700 infections and 35,900 deaths each year.[1]

    Poultry-associated foodborne outbreaks in the United States pose significant food safety concerns, given the country's substantial role in global poultry exports. Analyzing outbreaks from 1998 to 2012, the research found that poultry was implicated in the highest number of outbreaks, illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths.[2] This costs Americans a total of $2.4 billion in illnesses every year. 

    Salmonella enterica and Clostridium perfringens were the most common pathogens. Restaurants were the primary location of food preparation, and food-handling errors and inadequate cooking were the main contributing factors.

    Implementing effective measures to reduce poultry contamination and promote safe food handling practices can help mitigate these outbreaks and associated illnesses.

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    2 Sources

    We review published medical research in respected scientific journals to arrive at our conclusions about a product or health topic. This ensures the highest standard of scientific accuracy.

    [1] CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance Threats Report, 2019: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/michael-craig-cdc-talk-thursday-am-508.pdf
    [2] Poultry: the most common food in outbreaks with known pathogens: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27780481/
    Author
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    Allison Lansman, RDN, LD

    Allison has been practicing dietetics since 2017 and has worked in many settings, including hospitals, clinics, & foodservice industry.