Fantastic Lemon Basil Chicken Salad
"An incredibly fantastic chicken salad, perfect for summertime entertaining! Also great tossed with cooked bow-tie pasta, which makes a more substantial meal. This is so delicious, one of my all-time favorite chicken salads!! Slightly adapted from a Paula Deen recipe."
photo by BecR2400
- Ready In:
- 20mins
- Ingredients:
- 13
- Serves:
-
6-8
ingredients
- 4 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1 rib minced celery
- 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh basil leaf
- 1⁄4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 1⁄2 cup sour cream
- 1⁄2 cup mayonnaise
- 1⁄2 lemon, juice of
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh lemon zest
- 1 1⁄2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
- 3 cups cooked bow tie pasta (optional)
directions
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, celery, basil and almonds.
- In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, Dijon, salt, pepper and onions. Add to chicken mixture (add pasta if using), tossing gently to coat.
- Cover and chill.
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Reviews
-
This is awesome!!!! Oh my gosh, plain old chicken salad will never be made in my house again! It's so refreshing and light with the lemon and basil. I didn't change a thing nor did I have to. I had purchased a very crisp and citrus Sauvignon Blanc to serve with this for a late afternoon lunch and it just blew my guest away. Very impressive. -
This chicken salad is amazing! I made it for lunch for a friend who is doing the whole low-carb thing. I served it on crunchy leaf lettuce along with some fresh strawberries and raspberries. It was a huge hit with my hubby, too! I added about two scallions finely chopped and used purple basil that was growing in my garden. Make sure to toast the almonds...it makes a big difference! I will use this as my "go to" chicken salad recipe from now on. -
I won't post the four stars that I'd like to because I made several changes. I didn't have celery or almonds so I omitted them. I didn't have sour cream so I upped the mayo. I didn't have fresh basil so I just used a ton of dried basil. This is the first chicken salad I've ever made that I've been happy with. I love the lemon and basil flavor! Next time (and there will be one) I'll be sure to have all the ingredients on hand so that I can give this recipe it's proper rating. Thank you.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>Married to my sweetheart for almost forty years and we have two wonderful children who are grown and have flown the coop. Also, we have been blessed with a wonderful son-in-law and beautiful daughter-in-law, plus FIVE grandchildren: two beautiful granddaughters ages five and eight, and three sweet adorable little grandsons ages 2 months, 2 years and 3 years. My husband and I share a combination of English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Dutch, Swiss, Polish, Austrian, German and French heritage, and our son-in-law and daughter-in-law are both Hispanic. We've traveled extensively to many countries abroad (we lived in Germany), and have traveled and lived in several states here in the U.S.A. Many of the recipes I post here are influenced by our combined heritage or from our travels, or they are old family favorites that I want to share with you. I hope you enjoy! Have been to culinary school with many years of cooking (mostly for my family) under my belt, so know my way around a kitchen. And I'm very lucky to have the best sous chef in the world, dddddh! One of my favorite chefs of all time is Jacques Pepin! I have several of his cookbooks, and enjoy watching his television cooking show Fast Food My Way. Another top favorite is Julia Child (of course!). A few other chefs I read/enjoy watching on t.v. are: Giada At Home, Ina Garten's The Barefoot Contessa, Nigella Lawson's Nigella Bites, and Patti's Mexican Kitchen, and many more. On my bucket list is dining at Thomas Keller's establishment The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California... as well as Alice Waters' Chez Panisse in Berkeley, and the James Beard award winning Tartine Bakery and Cafe in San Francisco. One day!! Hobbies/Interests: Decorating with fresh flowers and herbs from the garden is my passion, and brings me deep joy! It's really hard to beat!! I love connecting with others who enjoy the same. Gardening, decorating, sewing, music, dancing, film, and reading are also up there. Spending quality time with my grandchildren, family, and friends (and cooking holiday meals!). Currently, a newfound passion has been so richly rewarding for me: genealogical research. I heart ancestry dot com. And last but certainly not least, I absolutely LOVE cats--we have two half-Siamese fur babies (cats) that allow us to live here!! A Note of Thanks~ I try to personally thank everyone who kindly makes and reviews my recipes, but sometimes I am busy, late, or may forget. Please know that I am always humbled that you would try one of my recipes, and I enjoy reading the reviews and seeing all the pretty photographs. Thanks so much! </p>
