Creamy Sesame Chicken Salad

I feel like I say this with every new recipe, and I truly mean it each and every time I say it. But, this chicken salad is my latest obsession. I’ve been making batches on repeat, because it’s sooooo freaking good! And, it’s easy! We’re simply going to take some shredded rotisserie chicken, mix it with a creamy Asian inspired mayo, and stuff our faces.

So, let’s get to it!

Let’s start with the rotisserie chicken. I like to remove the meat from the chicken as soon as I get it home, because the meat is so much easier to remove when it’s warm. Sometimes, I’ll buy one of yesterday’s cold chickens (if that’s all the store has); and that works perfectly fine, of course. But, it’s just a time saver to deal with it while it’s warm if you can.

I like to use a mix of both the white and dark meat, but if you have a preference between the two, definitely use what you like. You could even use any old leftover cooked chicken as long as it wasn’t seasoned with any bold flavors. But, you really can’t go wrong with those $5 store bought chickens if you ask me. Either way, we’re going to shred the meat and set it aside while we make our dressing.

For our creamy base, we’re going to use a little mayo, a splash of soy sauce, a touch of sesame oil, and a little rice vinegar, agave syrup, ground ginger, and garlic powder. We’ll mix it all together until it’s smooth and creamy. Then, we’ll toss in our chicken and some other goodies to make this chicken salad extra special.

Before I tell you the next ingredient, let me first tell my loved ones that “YES, I am ok”. I added this ingredient voluntarily, and I’m glad I did it! To give our creamy chicken salad a little texture, we’re going to mix in some matchstick carrots, some sliced green onion, and a spoonful of sesame seeds. Anyone that knows me knows that I loathe carrots, but I truly couldn’t imagine this chicken salad without them. They add the absolute perfect bite of crunch that this salad needs to make it extra interesting.

Once we have everything mixed together, we’re ready to eat! The creamy sesame flavor is perfectly present as soon as you finish mixing, so this doesn’t have to hang out in the fridge at all before you dig in. However with most delicious things, the longer it sets, the better it gets. So if you have the time to let it chill a bit, definitely do it.

When it’s time to serve, I like to stuff this chicken salad into some lettuce cups then top it with a sprinkle of chow mein noodles for some extra crunch. I also like to make some wonton chips to help scoop this chicken salad up like a cracker. It even tastes great on some nice, seedy, toasted bread. There are so many options here, you can’t go wrong!

This chicken salad is perfectly creamy from the mayo mix. It’s perfectly nutty from the sesame oil. It’s perfectly crunchy from the matchstick carrots. And, it’s perfectly simple thanks to that store bought rotisserie chicken! I really love chicken salad, but this honestly might just be my new go to preparation. It’s that amazing!

Alright, everyone! That’s all we’ve got for today. Really all that’s left to say is “please go make this chicken salad immediately”.

Until next time…let’s eat!