Add This Creamy Ingredient To Chicken Salad For 10x The Flavor (Hint: It's Not Mayonnaise)

Chicken salad welcomes a wide array of interpretations. You can keep it simple with only four ingredients or fold in elaborate global influences — miso, harissa, and curry all come to mind. Looking for a version that's similar to the classic, but with drastically different flavor? Make a rendition with goat cheese. Tart, creamy, and complex, the dairy isn't a typical poultry accompaniment, yet fold it into a creamy dressing, and the ingredient makes a chicken salad that shines. 

The crumbly cheese is on the drier side, meaning you'll want some additional liquid in the mix. You could use olive oil as the liquid vessel — the foodstuff's pepper and grass notes mingle delectably with the cheese. Or go in a more dairy-driven direction, and use yogurt or sour cream instead. Not to mention the salad welcomes some acidity, so add in citrus juice or vinegar to round out the dressing.

From there on out, layer in aromatic additions to your taste. Incorporate herbs like thyme and rosemary – both classic goat cheese pairings — or a dash of sweetness via honey. You can add a kick using mustard, cayenne, or garlic, or keep it gentle and smooth, keeping goat cheese at the forefront.

Goat cheese flavored dressing in hand, build out your chicken salad with additional fillings. Many classic salad components still function in the dish: vegetables like avocado, cucumbers, onions, and celery, as well as leafy greens like arugula, lettuce, and other herbs (think parsley, basil, or even minced rosemary). You can also add some nuts — say pecans or pistachios — for a crunchy note that offers some textural variation. 

Additionally, play to goat cheese's strengths by throwing in a sweet kick. The dairy welcomes berries, say a handful of blueberries or raspberries. You could also go with a handful of grapes — ideally cut in half — lending the salad a satisfying snap. And chop in some stone fruit, too; the ingredient is a tried and true goat cheese pairing. Plums make a vibrant chicken salad addition, or go with the sweeter notes of peaches, which will add a striking color into the mix. You could even consider serving your chicken salad with apples, an ingredient that ties together the sweet and savory realms. Goat cheese opens the door to a variety of chicken salad tweaks, all united by its unique creamy character.