Crunchy Poppyseed Chicken Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why is my chicken salad so bland? ›

Lack of Seasoning: One of the most common reasons for bland chicken salad is insufficient seasoning. Make sure to add enough salt, pepper, and other seasonings like herbs and spices to enhance the flavor.

It's best to eat your chicken salad as quickly as possible to prevent it from going watery. Adding in fresh veggies like celery and onions can make it runny. If you make it ahead and find it's a bit watery, add just a little more mayo to balance it out.

Choose low-moisture ingredients whenever possible. Select boneless, skinless chicken breasts over thighs, and opt for low-sodium canned chicken when bulkier meats are called for. Soak up the moisture. Try toasting your nuts, fruits, or vegetables before adding them to the salad.

Panera Chicken Poppyseed Salad (1 salad) contains 12g total carbs, 9g net carbs, 4g fat, 15g protein, and 130 calories.

Brining your chicken is a foolproof way to not only add flavour to your roast but also to ensure you don't overcook the meat. Essentially a mix of salt, sugar and water, we love adding herbs, garlic or whole spices such as fennel and cumin to flavour the brine.

To offset the creaminess (and potentially wetness) of too much mayo, try adding in more of whatever crunchy element you were using. Celery and red onion are some of the most common ones, but you can also try chopped red peppers, bacon bits, carrots, cabbage, apples, chopped nuts, and more.

The Keys to Crisp Lettuce

Lettuce actually needs a good amount of airflow, in addition to a bit of moisture (but not too much!), in order to stay crisp. That's why restaurants store their lettuce in special perforated bins that allow for air circulation while it's held in the fridge.

To ensure that your chicken salad tastes the way that it should, you should avoid using overcooked or dry chicken in your recipe. Unfortunately, as we cook chicken, the moisture of the bird slowly evaporates.

From my personal experience, chicken salad turns out dry because there's not enough mayo. The problem with a lot of recipes for chicken salad is that it's meant for a perfectly cooked piece of chicken.

When making chicken salad, should the chicken be shredded or finely cubed? That's completely up to you. It really depends on how you cook the chicken. If you boil it, then shredding would be easier and cubes for baking.

Why is my chicken salad so thick? ›

It can become too thick if not enough dressing or liquid is added to the chicken salad. To fix it, try adding more mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, or other dressing to the chicken salad.

Use a vinaigrette: A simple vinaigrette made with oil, vinegar, and herbs can add a lot of flavor to your salad. Try different types of vinegar, such as balsamic, red wine, or apple cider vinegar, and experiment with adding different herbs or spices like garlic, mustard, or honey to create your desired flavor.

Detailed Ingredients

Water, Sugar, Distilled Vinegar, Orange Juice Concentrate, Contains Less Than 2% of Dried Onion, Mustard Flour, Poppy Seeds, Salt, Sodium Alginate, Soybean Oil, Stevia Leaf Extract, Xanthan Gum, Natural Flavors.

Chicken Salad (1 cup) contains 2.3g total carbs, 1.6g net carbs, 31.9g fat, 29.4g protein, and 417 calories.

It's best to marinate your chicken overnight to give the flavours plenty of time to infuse. A faster way to add flavour is to simply brine your chicken in salty water prior to cooking. This will help tenderise the meat and add extra flavour.

Of course, you can always go the traditional route and top your salads with poached eggs, chicken or sardines. Yum! But you can also try white beans, chickpeas or Soisson beans (soaked overnight and cooked for 1 to 1.5 hours), and/or cooked einkorn or a handful of red rice. The added texture is delicious.

If your salad tastes bland despite having a ton of flavorful ingredients in it, it probably just needs some salt.