Just when I think I have exhausted my ideas for chicken salad, another one comes pops to the surface. And this one is really different. I have a favorite lunch place here in town that serves a sandwich with sliced turkey, brie and apples drizzled with honey and mustard spread on the bread. I love that sandwich and the last time I had it I thought maybe I could post it on the blog. But honestly, it doesn’t even require a recipe. You probably pictured it in your head reading the short description above. As I went about my day, however, the flavor combination was rattling around in my brain, and as I lay in bed that night I thought about converting it to a salad – like a classic mayo or dressing bound salad, not a plate or platter. I envisioned tiny pieces or brie tossed with chicken and apples in a creamy honey mustard dressing. The idea wouldn’t go away, I considered shredded chicken with apples and brie grated, but thought that would be too mushy. I thought about a vinaigrette. Onions? Green onions? Celery? Or should I use turkey instead. The idea just wouldn’t go away, so I finally gave it a try and I am so glad I did because this is a really unique version with a beautiful contrast of flavors and textures, sweet and savory. Just enough elements to provide all that with no extraneous bits. And it is perfect for a summer lunch and transitions well into fall.
This is a great chicken salad to eat with a fork, maybe over some lettuce or micro greens because it is little pieces just held together with a light dressing. It is not a heavy, thick all mayo binder. But is does work well as a sandwich filler on sturdy bread, or maybe more of a French style open face tartine with a few microgreens on top. All that being said, I have also served it as an appetizer with crackers. It is best to dice the chicken, brie and apples into small pieces of roughly the same size, maybe about ¼ inch square (please refer to my photo). This makes it much easier to eat, creating bites with each of the elements. Choose a pretty firm round of brie, not one of the lovely oozing ripe pieces perfect for cheese boards. And it doesn’t have to be an expensive version either. I cut the rind from the brie and dice it while it is very cold which is much easier. Chives add just a hint of allium without overpowering anything but I do use a fair amount. I snip them into tiny pieces with a pair of scissors. This chicken salad is not one of the keep in the fridge for a week types – it’s best served shortly after making and a nice chill in the fridge, though the chicken and the dressing can be made a day ahead.
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper
¼ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 (7 ounce) wheel of brie cheese
1 red apple
¼ cup snipped chives
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Put the chicken breasts in a baking dish and sprinkle generously with slat and pepper. Cover the dish tightly with foil and cook until the chicken is cooked through (internal temperature of 165 degrees) about 30 minutes. Cool the chicken completely.
- Put the mustard, mayo, honey, vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Cut the chicken into small pieces – really small cubes, smaller than so it is easy to eat and place in a large bowl. Cut the rind from the brie (it easier to do all of this while it is cold). You don’t have to get every last bit, just as much as you can. Dice the brie into pieces of a similar size to the chicken. Toss the chicken and brie together with your hands to combine, separating any pieces of brie that might be stuck together. Cut the apple into pieces again similar in size to the chicken and the brie and add to the bowl with the chives. Toss with your hands again to distribute everything evenly. Pour over the dressing a bit at a time and stir to just coat the ingredients. Add in more as necessary. You may not use all the dressing but store the leftovers in case you need to add some before serving. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least two hours. Serve over microgreens or lettuce or with cracker or as a sandwich filling.
- This chicken salad is best made a few hours before serving, but you can cook the chicken up to a day ahead and store wrapped in the fridge and you can make the dressing ahead and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Leftover dressing is great as a dip or on another salad.
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