New Orleans Chicken Salad

New Orleans Chicken salad

I love chicken salad. It’s the perfect option for a casual lunch on the back porch. It can be made hours ahead or even the day before you plan to serve it. This New Orleans chicken salad has a nice kick to it because of the Creole mustard vinaigrette. This savory chicken salad combines chunks of freshly cooked chicken, crumbled bacon, green onions, and tender new potatoes. My cousin, Tish, introduced me to this easy-to-make, full-flavored chicken salad. You may have tried my other version of a creole-style chicken salad that has completely different ingredients. My Sur le Plat Jan’s Creole chicken salad combines chicken, red grapes, and pecans. Different flavors, but both versions of this chicken salad will ignite your palate and rouse your appetite.

If you wish to take a shortcut, you may purchase a pre-baked chicken at your local grocery. I prefer to boil the chicken with onions, garlic, parsley, and other vegetables and herbs. The good news is that if you choose this route you will have homemade chicken stock that you can either use for cooking and flavoring other recipes or you can freeze containers of the stock for future use. If you boil the chicken, the result is more tender and moist chicken pieces for your salad. See my tips for how to make chicken stock in the Sur le Plat Basics on my website.

Creole mustard is the main ingredient in this spicy mustard vinaigrette. I like to use Zatarians but any creole mustard will suffice. You can also use dijon mustard if you do not have access to creole mustard. Creole mustard is whole grain mustard with vinegar, brown mustard seeds, turmeric, red and black pepper, and a touch of horseradish. Make a traditional vinaigrette by whisking a little red wine vinegar with the mustard and then drizzling the olive oil into the mixture until well combined.  Serve the New Orleans chicken salad slightly chilled and garnished with sliced hard-boiled eggs.

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