Lemon Chicken Salad {Secret Ingredient!}

Fry That Chicken!

Confession: I have always boiled chicken to make chicken salad.

The result? Super bland.

Even when I added salt and chicken bouillon to the water, the chicken just wasn’t flavorful, and the salad I made with it was just as sad.

I don’t know why it took me so long to try frying the chicken instead of boiling it.

Game changer.

But what was even more game-changing for my chicken salad habits was the addition of citrus.

Chicken Salad with Citrus

Have you ever tasted mandarin orange slices in a chicken salad? If you have, you might have strong opinions now about whether citrus belongs in a mayonnaise-based salad.

However, when I talk about citrus in a chicken salad, I am mainly thinking of one particular citrus: lemon.

The inspiration for trying lemon in recipes for chicken salad came when I got to enjoy a serving of lemon chicken salad at a local restaurant. The flavor was everything I had ever hoped for in my homemade chicken salad but had never known I wanted.

When I experimented with my own copycat versions of this restaurant’s salad, I quickly realized that I needed to try something special…something extra-specially unexpected.

How to Add Lemon Flavor to Chicken Salad

Several options for adding a lemon tang to food dishes come easily to mind:

1. lemon juice
2. lemon zest

But what doesn’t come to mind so readily is lemongrass.

Yep. An herb.

It’s green. It’s a grass. And it looks nothing like a lemon.

But it tastes and smells amazingly tangy.

And it’s the secret ingredient in this recipe for Lemon Chicken Salad.

Trust me, friends. Give this spice a chance to transform your chicken salad. I think you will find it amazing!

Ingredients for Lemon Chicken Salad

• 2 large chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. lemongrass powder
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. ginger powder
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 Tbsp. dried oregano
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I recommend 1/2 tsp.)
• 1 tsp. salt (plus more, to taste)
• 1/3 cup minced yellow onion
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (plus more, to taste)
• 1 cup cream cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup minced celery
• 1/2 cup diced tomato
• For the flatbread sandwich: flatbread, slices of Gouda cheese, lettuce

How to Make Chicken Salad with Lemon (Step-by-Step)

Step One: Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil to a large frying pan.

Step Two: Put the chicken breast strips into the pan.

Step Three: Season the chicken with the lemon juice, lemongrass powder, garlic powder, ginger powder, paprika, oregano, black pepper, and salt. Mix well.

Step Four: Fry the chicken over medium heat until cooked through, chopping the chicken strips into smaller pieces as you go along. There is no need for the chicken to be golden brown, just cooked through.

Step Five: When the chicken is completely cooked, remove from the heat. Do not drain.

Step Six: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the chicken on medium speed until it is completely shredded, with no large chunks remaining.

Step Seven: Add the cream cheese, mayonnaise, yellow onion, and celery until thoroughly combined.

Step Eight: Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight to allow the chicken to soak up the flavors.

Step Nine: For each serving of chicken salad, lay two slices of Gouda cheese on a piece of flatbread. Stir 1/2 cup of diced tomatoes into the chicken salad just before adding the chicken salad to the flatbread.

Step Ten: Heat in a cast iron skillet or on a griddle until the bread is toasted and the cheese has melted. Remove from the heat.Top with several leaves of lettuce.

Step Eleven: Enjoy!

Storage

Immediately place any leftover chicken salad in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator.

How Long Does Lemon Chicken Salad Keep in the Fridge?

Because it’s main ingredient (chicken) is highly perishable, chicken salad should not be kept for more than a few days (at most) in the refrigerator.

Can You Freeze Chicken Salad?

While you technically can freeze chicken salad, it isn’t the best. The freezing process can alter the texture of the mayonnaise. Instead of freezing the chicken salad, then, I recommend freezing the cooked chicken and then thawing it and adding the remaining ingredients for the salad (mayonnaise, tomato, celery, red onion) right before serving.

Lemon Chicken Salad Add-In Variations

Try adding any of these fun ingredients to your chicken salad to spice it up:

• dried cranberries or raisins
• toasted slivered almonds
• chopped cashews
• shredded carrot
• Greek yogurt
• lemon pepper
• hard-boiled egg
• sliced grapes
• smashed potato chips
• diced cucumber
• mustard
• garlic salt

Closing Thoughts

Chicken is one of our go-to ingredients for family meals. (I mean, where would we be without Brazilian Chicken Coxinha?)

The thing I love about chicken salad in particular is that it is so wonderfully adaptable. We’ve enjoyed adding sliced grapes, crushed potato chips, and all manner of condiments to our chicken salad sandwiches over the years. But Lemon Chicken Salad is by far my favorite of all the possibilities.

As you chow down on this yummy goodness in your own home, don’t forget to share your joy with us by tagging #thesantoscookbook on social media. We look forward to hearing from you!