We’ve finally gotten to peak fresh herb season, and mine are bursting out of my kitchen garden, which makes me all kinds of happy!
My herbs live in these beautiful barrels that my friend Jason made for us.
They are old brandy barrels that he cut in half, put in drain holes, torched along the tops, sealed, hauled over to our house, filled with soil, planted with some baby herbs and installed little misting heads so they get sprinkled every early morning.
I KNOW. It’s like herb magic right outside my kitchen door!
Right now the barrels are bursting with parsley, rosemary, mint, basil, lavender, oregano, more mint, more basil, thyme, marigolds (they keep the bugs away!)…and tarragon! Tarragon is the one in the middle right above the parsley in that barrel.
I feel like basil and mint get all the attention during the summer – and boy are they both good! – but if you’ve never tried tarragon, it’s just as good in its own tarragon-y way.
What is tarragon and how is it used?
Tarragon is a perennial leafy herb that is (fun fact!) from the sunflower family. It’s got a hint of licorice taste, and when you chop it up it adds a little subtle zing to salads, salad dressings – you can even toss it into scrambled eggs if you are feeling feisty.
In this recipe, it is definitely one of the stars of this light and speedy chicken salad, where it adds a little jazz to the milder taste of the chicken and the sour cream and mayo dressing.
How to make tarragon chicken salad!
Whisk a quarter cup each of sour cream and mayo together and pour over 2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken.
(Oh, and here’s my regular pitch for you to try making your own mayo at least once – it’s SO dang good!)
Add remaining 2 chopped up stalks of celery, a quarter cup of walnuts, and that all important tarragon – about a tablespoon or so, nicely chopped – and toss well. And…that’s it!
Tips for making tarragon chicken salad!
You can use any kind of leftover chicken for this recipe (and I have also been known to pick up a rotisserie chicken at the supermarket for this!) but if I am making chicken specially for this recipe, I always poach it. Poaching ensures a tender, just right for salad chicken, and here’s some great guidance on how to do it!
You definitely can! Basil (of course), oregano, thyme and dill would all be just fine. So if you aren’t a tarragon fan but still want some herb-y flavor, go for one of those.
If you want to make this ahead (or if you have leftovers) this salad will keep for a day or two in the fridge.
You can serve this chilled or at room temperature, and if you have any nice bread around the house, it also makes an amazing sandwich.
So if you’ve never tried tarragon – or if you (like me!) have bunches of it growing merrily away outside your back yard, give this chicken salad a whirl!
OTHER CHICKEN SALADS WE LOVE!
Tarragon Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is even better with herbs and walnuts! This creamy tarragon chicken salad is guaranteed to be a summer lunch favorite.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Lunch
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked and shredded chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon (or 1 teaspoon dried, if you can’t round up any fresh)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Whisk sour cream and mayo together and pour over chicken.
- Add remaining ingredients and toss well. You can serve cold or at room temperature.
- That’s it!
Notes
Need to add something to your kitchen equipment to make this recipe? Below are some of the items we used in the Framed Cooks kitchen to help cook this up. These are affiliate links to things we use and love, which helps to pay for all that bacon I keep buying (without any extra cost to you)! Thanks for using them to keep our kitchen cooking…xoxo!
Updated (and made even more delicious!) from a previously published Framed Cooks post!
Martha in KS says
Chicken salad was the dish that made me a lover of tarragon. My recipe is similar to yours except I used Granny Smith apples rather than celery (not a fan). I also add it to my favorite Silver Palate Lemon Chicken – if you haven’t tried it, you must! My herbs are just getting started since we had a month of rain & last week it was in the 90’s – a weird spring for Kansas.
Well, I just love the idea of adding apples – and I will definitely check out that Silver Palate recipe. We are waiting on our latest thunderstorm, but NC had such a dry spell for so long that I have promised to myself that I won’t complain about the rain. :) Happy Tuesday, my friend!