This delicious tarragon chicken salad with strawberries is a wonderful summer delight that will satisfy anybody’s cravings for a fresh satisfying, nutritious meal. Great as a warm summer lunch or a quick light dinner fare. Also you can eat this chicken salad both in the bowl and like a sandwich.
Just when you thought salad couldn’t get any better this salad will surprise you with the wonderfully balanced flavors and colors of its ingredients: ripe strawberries, floral greens (such as celery, lettuce and green pepper), savory, slices of tangy tarragon chicken salad and fragrant sweet onions. Frozen peas add a fun pop of color and texture. Candied pecans are the perfect complement to all of the above. They add the sweetness and crunch that no one could resist. And lemon juice adds unbelievable flavor.
I love making this delicious salad in the summer the most. I buy fresh strawberries and tarragon from my neighborhood farmers food market and they are just stellar. Irresistibly sweet and fresh, bursting with tasty fresh flavors in your mouth. Strawberries are not in season? Not a problem you can substitute with blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, blackberries or even mandarin oranges.
The combination of tarragon and chicken is just unbeatable. Tarragon is a leafy green herb widely used in French cuisine. Its distinctive yet subtle herbal flavor is particularly well suited to use with fish and chicken.
The unique but pleasantly delicate flavor-which has hints of anise-is never overwhelming to other flavors in this great dish.
You can use any kind of cooked chicken to create a tarragon chicken salad. Use rotisserie, boiled or poached. They all work great with creamy tangy mayonnaise. Substitute for low fat greek yogurt for a healthier version.
I personally think candied pecans make the salad! They are a little bit of work but soo worth it. Simply whisk together egg whites and water, coat the pecans quarters, sprinkle with sugar and a dash of salt and bake for 40 minutes at 350 F and here you have your homemade caramelized pecans. But if you don’t feel like going through all the trouble you can grab a bag of premade candied pecans in a grocery store.
I also slice my onions super thin, and if you don’t really like the bold raw taste of onion you can soak them in cold water for about ten minutes to get rid of that extra bite.
This fresh salad is like a poster for a farmers market basket! It’s healthy, light and most important takes less then 10 minutes to make from start to finish. Serve and enjoy!
