Peachtree Street Chicken Salad
Submitted by payvmo
Peachtree Street chicken salad with fresh peaches, toasted pecans, and a creamy mayonnaise-sour cream dressing with brown sugar. A Southern-style chicken salad inspired by Atlanta’s famous boulevard.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
50 minCOOK
20 minREADY
70 minNamed after Atlanta’s iconic street, this chicken salad is pure Georgia on a plate. Poached chicken breast, ripe peaches, and toasted pecans get tossed in a creamy dressing that balances tangy sour cream with a touch of brown sugar.
The fresh peaches are what make this more than just another chicken salad. Their juicy sweetness against the savory poached chicken and crunchy pecans creates a combination that screams summer in the South.
Toasting the pecans before adding them is a small step that makes a big difference. The heat draws out their natural oils and deepens the nutty flavor, so they hold their own alongside the sweet peaches and rich dressing.
Kitchen Tips
- Poach the chicken gently at a simmer, not a boil. Boiling makes the breast tough and stringy. Fork-tender in 20 minutes means you got the heat right.
- Use ripe, in-season peaches. Hard, underripe peaches have no flavor and mealy texture. If good fresh peaches aren’t available, wait for another day.
- Toss the peach pieces with the lemon juice in the dressing first to prevent browning.
- Serve this cold on lettuce leaves within a few hours of making it. The peaches soften and release juice if it sits overnight.
Variations
- Add crumbled blue cheese for a salty, funky contrast to the sweet peaches.
- Swap peaches for ripe nectarines or fresh mango when peaches aren’t in season.
- Serve stuffed into a halved avocado or scooped into a buttery croissant for a Southern lunch.
Ingredients
Directions
Place chicken in a saucepan, breast side down, in 1½ inches of water.
Cover.
Simmer for 20 minutes until chicken is fork-tender.
Cool.
Cut into bite-size pieces.
During this time, toast pecans at 350℉ (180℃) F for 10 minutes.
Remove.
Coarsely break up.
Pare peaches, if desired.
Cut into ¾ inch pieces.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, salt, pepper and brown sugar.
Toss gently with the chicken, pecans and peaches.
Serve on a green leaf lettuce.
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