I Tried Julia Child’s Recipe for Chicken Salad and Now I’ll Never Make It Any Other Way

We love a good celebrity chef. Whether it’s a home cook such as The Pioneer Woman, professional chef-turned-TV-star Giada Laurentiisor the queen of entertainment, Ina gardenwe tap these experts for their fantastic recipes and clever cooking tips. But, is there a celebrity chef more beloved than Julia Child?

For generations, home cooks have turned to the culinary icon, immersing themselves in her cookbooks and tuning into PBS to watch her cook. Her recipes are passed down and cherished just as much today as when they were published.

Not only did she develop dishes that we turn to time and time againshe was so adept in the kitchen she created endless recipe rules, hacks, and tricks (Have you tried her magic quiche ratio?) that demystify cooking challenges but are easy enough to memorize.

When I stumbled on a chicken salad hack from Julia Child, I immediately bookmarked it for the next time I craved a light, summer lunch. Well, the time has come—and now that I’ve tried this trick, I’m never making chicken salad any other way.

How to Make Julia Child’s Chicken Salad

Teltok Account @vintage_recipe recently shared some old footage of Julia making chicken saladand while Julia does share what’s in the salad, it’s really the technique that makes this video stand out.

In the beginning of the video, Julia shares her secret. “I think one of the great tricks in making a chicken salad is to toss the chicken meat in seasonings and flavorings and let it macerate for 20 minutes or so,” she says. “Then, when you fold in the mayonnaise, it will have a marvelous taste to it.”

Essentially, she loads up the chicken with all the salad goodies (veggies, seasoning, herbs, acids, oils, salt, and pepper) first and then lets it sit in the fridge for a while. You may think of fruit when you hear macerateso you may want to consider this more of a marinade—but with fully-cooked chicken.

Why this works is because the components of the chicken salad will sit, softening, sweetening, and intensifying before mayonnaise ever hits the bowl. It will result in a juicy, bright chicken salad that doesn’t need to be drowned in mayo to taste good.

In the video, Julia does share her specific chicken salad recipe, but I also used this trick with my favorite chicken salad add-ins (different veggies, herbs, and acids) and it worked beautifully. All I needed was patience to wait the 20 minutes before adding mayonnaise and digging in!

Julia Child’s Chicken Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 cups cooked chicken
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/2 cup parsley
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced walnuts
• 2/3 cup mayonnaise (Julia insists on homemade in the video.)

Directions

1. Mix the first 10 ingredients and toss until evenly distributed.
2. Taste and adjust seasonings.
3. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
4. Add mayonnaise, just enough to “enrobe it,” or lightly dress it.
5. Mix “very, very carefully” and taste.

Now you, too, have the Julia Child-approved method to improve any chicken salad recipe.