Chicken and Potato Salad

The combination of chicken and some version of a potato recipe has always been a classic meal, so why not combine the two? Chicken and Potato Salad is a mayonnaise-based, creamy salad prepared with peas, carrots, chives, and pickles too! This salad is a meal in itself, but also, perfectly and easily paired with any backyard BBQ mains!

This Chicken and Potato Salad was born out of the power and influence of one particular celebrity chef. I’ve watched Ina Garten prepare a roast chicken for Jeffrey so many times that I automatically assume everyone has that same meal for dinner on Sunday night, so let’s blame her!

Whenever I think of Sunday night family dinners, I always think of roasted chicken with either mashed or scalloped potatoes. Maybe there might be a side or two like green beans or asparagus too. It’s not that I grew up with Sunday night dinners like that; and even now as an adult, I don’t do it. Again, it’s from watching too many repeat episodes of The Barefoot Contessa!

In our home, Sunday night dinner is nearly always the same. I always make some sort of pasta for dinner. Mostly, it’s spaghetti, but sometimes, I’ll mix it up and make baked pasta, or a lasagna. Never mac and cheese, because I’m not a huge fan of that. John.e thinks that Sunday pasta dinner is a must, and I never want to be the reason he’s disappointed. So, I’ll make it, but oftentimes, I’ll make two sauces – one vegetarian for him, and one meaty sauce for me! Anyway, I digress!

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this recipe. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Potatoes – You will need four cups of cooked, diced potatoes, so that will be about two large potatoes. You can leave the skin on or peel them. You can also use baby potatoes and cut them in half.
• Chicken – Shred the cooked and cooled chicken. You can use poached or baked chicken breast meat, store-bought rotisserie chicken, or canned white meat chicken, drained well.
• Frozen Peas and Carrots – Cook them in salted, boiling water for just two to three minutes. Drain well and set aside until ready to assemble the salad.
• Gherkins – These little sweet and smoky pickles are definitely one of the dominant flavours in this salad. Do not skip out on them!
• Chives – Use fresh chives if you can, but if not, you can use dried in equal amounts.
• Parsley – For freshness, colour, and garnish.
• Mayonnaise – Full fat or fat-free – use whatever you normally use in your home.
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND POTATO SALAD

Once you have decided on which type of chicken you are using, the rest if pretty easy. If preparing chicken yourself or using a rotisserie chicken, ensure the chicken is cooled before you shred it. If using canned chicken, drain it well. Depending on the brand, some canned chicken will already be shredded for you. If it isn’t just flake it with a fork and you’ll be all set!

Start by boiling the potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain and allow potatoes to fully cool. While the potatoes are cooling, go ahead and add the frozen peas and carrots to boiling, salted water. Once the water returns to a boil, cook for one minute and drain well. Set aside to cool. Next, finely dice the gherkins, chop the chives, and chop the parsley as well.

Finally, add the potatoes, chicken, peas and carrots, gherkins, and chives to a large mixing bowl. Add the mayonnaise, salt, and ground black pepper. Toss until well mixed and combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving. Leftover potato salad will keep for three days. Keep covered and refrigerated.

CHICKEN OPTIONS

When it comes to the chicken portion of this recipe, you have a couple of options. I’ll talk through each of them here with you.

POACHED CHICKEN

You can add chicken that has been poached and cooled. To poach chicken, add one or two skinless, boneless chicken breasts to a pot. Cover with water so that the water is at least one inch above the chicken. Add salt according to your tastes. Use a little more salt than you think you will need, because you don’t want the chicken to be bland. Add a clove of crushed garlic and a slice or two of fresh ginger. Lastly, add a stalk of green onion that you have cut into one-inch lengths.

Over medium heat, allow the liquid to come to a low simmer. Do not be tempted to increase the heat to make the poaching process faster. You will just end up with tough chicken. Once the liquid is simmering, lower the temperature to medium-low and simmer for fifteen more minutes. Remove from pot and allow to cool before shredding.

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN

Nearly every grocery store has a hot deli bar now, so if you don’t want to poach chicken for this Chicken and Potato Salad recipe, you can easily buy a rotisserie chicken. Once you get the chicken home, allow it to cool. I wouldn’t recommend leaving the chicken on your kitchen counter to cool. Place it in your refrigerator for an hour or so.

Once fully cooled, remove the skin and put it aside. You don’t want to add that to your salad. Don’t toss out the skin though! Save it, along with the bones, and make some homemade chicken broth. Remove the chicken breast meat and shred them. This is what you will be using for the salad. You can remove the meat from the thighs and legs and use them in a chicken sandwich later.

CANNED CHICKEN

If I’m in a complete hurry, I will use canned chicken. Use your favourite brand, but be careful. Since we are adding things like mayonnaise and pickles to the salad, the mixture might get a little too salty. If you use canned chicken, use a low sodium version.

When using canned chicken, I prefer the Costco Kirkland Signature brand. I’m not sure if Costco stocks the same items in all of their stores, but here in Ontario, this is the version we have. It works very well, because the sodium level is quite low already.

GHERKINS MAKES THE SALAD JUST RIGHT

I have to admit, I had to Google this myself, so most of what you’re reading in this section, I’ve compiled from Delish.com Now, most people I know, like my daughter, for instance, have a pretty strong opinion of gherkins. In fact, it seems like you either love gherkins, or you’re one of those people that hates them. Personally, I’m a huge fan of them, but had no idea what they actually were until now.

“A gherkin is a small variety of a cucumber that’s been pickled. It’s a little cucumber that’s been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time.” The Oxford Dictionary defines a gherkin as “small green fruit of a plant related to the cucumber, used for pickling.”

So, you might be thinking that a gherkin is a cucumber, well, yes and no. “A gherkin isn’t simply a cucumber you’d buy in the supermarket that’s been pickled. It’s a specific variety of small cucumber that is purposely used for pickling, therefore, turning into a gherkin. You can pickle a regular cucumber, but it won’t taste like a gherkin.”

I can’t let this moment pass without making mention of our last vehicle. We used to own a 2016 Kia Soul in Alien Green, which we affectionately named Gherkin. We didn’t decide the name. It was my nephew who walked out of his house to see our new car for the first time and matter-of-factly stated, “It looks like a pickle.”

STORING AND REFRIGERATION

It’s important to let the salad chill in the fridge for at least two hours. This will allow the ingredients time to hang out and get to know each other! The vegetables and chicken will marry and all of the flavours will be exchanged and absorbed.

After two hours, the salad is ready to serve. Toss it again before plating just to freshen everything up. The salad does tend to settle a little bit. You can safely store this salad in your fridge for up to three days. Be sure to keep the salad covered at all times.