Chicken salad facts for kids
A chicken salad made with celery, cucumber, apples, fresh dill, and mayonnaise with salt and pepper
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| Type | Salad or sandwich |
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| Main ingredients | Chicken |
Chicken salad is a yummy dish where chicken is the main star! It's a type of salad that often includes creamy mayonnaise, crunchy celery, onion, and sometimes hard-boiled eggs. You might also find peppers, pickles, or a bit of mustard in it.
Contents
What is Chicken Salad?
Different Kinds of Chicken Salad
In places like Canada and the United States, "chicken salad" can mean two things. It can be any salad that has chicken in it. Or, it can be a special mixed salad. This mixed salad is usually made with chopped chicken meat. It also has a creamy ingredient like mayonnaise, salad dressing, or even cream cheese.
This kind of chicken salad is often served on top of fresh lettuce, tomato, or avocado. It's also super popular for making sandwiches! People often use leftover cooked chicken to make it. Sometimes, chicken salad can also be a regular garden salad with grilled or fried chicken pieces on top.
Chicken Salad Around the World
In Europe and Asia, chicken salad can be quite different. It might have many kinds of dressings, or no dressing at all. The ingredients can change a lot too. Instead of just leaves and vegetables, you might find pasta, couscous, noodles, or rice mixed in.
History of Chicken Salad
Early American Recipes
Chicken salad has been around for a long time! Some of the first American recipes for chicken salad can be found in cookbooks from the 1800s. For example, Sarah Rutledge's book The Carolina Housewife (1847) has a recipe. It explains how to make a creamy dressing from scratch. Then, you add it to cold meats like chicken.
Another cookbook, What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking (1881) by Abby Fisher, also talks about making homemade mayonnaise. She then suggests adding it to chicken and white celery.
The First Chicken Salad Shop
One of the first places to serve chicken salad in America was Town Meats. This shop was in Wakefield, Rhode Island. It started serving chicken salad in 1863. The owner, Liam Gray, mixed his leftover chicken with mayonnaise, tarragon, and grapes. This dish became so popular that his meat shop turned into a deli!
A Holiday Favorite
Chicken salad was even mentioned as a popular food for Fourth of July celebrations in a cookbook from 1847. It shows that this tasty dish has been a part of American traditions for many years.
See also
In Spanish: Ensalada de pollo para niños
