German Chicken Salad

This German-style chicken salad keeps things stripped down to five ingredients: hand-shredded chicken, crushed pineapple, canned green peas, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. No celery, no nuts, no herbs. The sweet pineapple and the starchy pop of green peas against tender chicken in creamy mayo is all it needs.

Shredding the chicken by hand instead of dicing gives you irregular, tender pieces that hold the dressing better than clean-cut cubes. The rough edges catch the mayo and pineapple juices in every bite.

Drain the crushed pineapple well before stirring it in. Too much juice thins the mayo into a runny dressing that pools at the bottom of the bowl.

Kitchen Tips

• Cook a whole chicken and use all the meat. Dark meat shreds more easily and stays moister than breast meat in a cold salad.
• Remove the skin and fat completely after cooking. Any leftover fat turns waxy when the salad chills.
• Drain both the pineapple and the canned peas thoroughly. Excess liquid is the enemy of a creamy salad.
• Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving so the flavors meld together.

Variations

• Add diced celery for crunch if you want a bit more texture.
• Serve on croissants or thick slices of pumpernickel for a sandwich version.
• Stir in a teaspoon of curry powder for a German-meets-British coronation chicken twist.