If you've ever had the pleasure of lunching at a high-end department store tea room, you know that not all chicken salads are created equal. The Neiman Marcus Style Chicken Salad is a legend for a reason. It's not just a mix of mayonnaise and chicken, but is a sophisticated, airy, and crunchy masterpiece.
What makes this version stand out? We've stayed true to the classic"secret ingredient" of freshly whipped heavy cream. This simple addition transforms a standard dressing into a cloud-like mouse that perfectly coats every grape and toasted almond.
Quick Look at the Recipe
- Ready in: 20 minutes
- Serves: 6
- Difficulty level: Easy when using rotisserie chicken
- Make-ahead friendly: Yes, but almonds should be added right before serving
Jump to:
Why You'll Love this Recipe
- No cooking required: By using a rotisserie chicken, you can have a gourmet lunch ready in minutes without ever turning on the stove.
- Perfect texture: This chicken salad delivers the crunch of toasted sliced almonds, the snap of celery, and bur burst of sweetness from red grapes.
- Light dressing without compromise: Most recipes for chicken salad use only mayonnaise; ours folds in whipped cream for a lighter, more refined mouthful.
Ingredients - Here's What You'll Need
- Rotisserie chicken: Diced and lightly shredded for the best texture.
- Seedless red grapes: Halved to provide a sweet contrast to the savory chicken.
- Toasted sliced almonds: Toasting almonds is key to bringing out their nutty taste.
- "Secret" dressing: A blend of mayonnaise, light sour cream, Dijon mustard, and, most importantly, heavy whipped cream.
- Rotisserie Chicken: Diced and lightly shredded for the best texture.
- Seedless Red Grapes: Halved to provide a sweet contrast to the savory chicken.
- Toasted Sliced Almonds: Toasting them is key to bringing out their nutty aroma.
- The "Secret" Dressing: A blend of mayonnaise, light sour cream, Dijon mustard, and-most importantly-whipped heavy cream.
Step-by-Step: How to Make Neiman Marcus Style Chicken Salad
- Prep the base: In a large mixing bowl, toss together the shredded rotisserie chicken, diced celery, halved grapes, and toasted almonds.
- Whisk the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, parsley for a pop of color, salt, and pepper.
- The secret step: In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft to medium peaks form. Gently fold this into your mayonnaise mixture. This incorporates air, which is the hallmark of the authentic Neiman Marcus texture.
- Combine and chill: Pour that beautiful, fluffy dressing over the chicken mixture and gently fold.
Chula's Test Kitchen Tip: Let the salad chill for at least an hour. This allows the flavors to blend and the dressing to perfectly set.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can prepare the chicken and dressing 24 hours in advance.
For a classic "Tea Room" experience, serve a scoop inside a buttery, flaky croissant or on a bed of Bibb lettuce. It also pairs beautifully with a side or seasonal fruit or high-quality crackers.
Absolutely! While rotisserie chicken adds great flavor and saves time, poached or roasted chicken. breasts work perfectly as long as they are chilled before mixing.
Other Recipes Using Rotisserie Chicken
Using rotisserie chicken in recipes is a huge time-saver. Here are some of my favorites.
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Recipe
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Neiman Marcus-Style Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Chicken Mixture
- 3 cups (12 ounces) rotisserie chicken, diced and lightly shredded (See Tip 1)
- ¾ cup (3.75 ounces) celery, small dice
- ¾ cup (4.5 ounces) seedless red grapes, halved
- ⅓ cup (1.25 ounces) toasted sliced almonds (See Tip 2)
- 1 Tablespoon (0.1 ounces) finely chopped fresh parsley
Creamy Dressing
- ½ cup (4 ounces) mayonnaise
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) light sour cream
- ½ teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 Tablespoons (3 ounces) cold heavy cream (See Tip 3)
Instructions
Chicken Mixture
- Add the chicken, celery, grapes, and almonds to a large bowl. Toss gently to combine.
Creamy Dressing
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper. In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft to medium peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the mayonnaise mixture until light and smooth.
- Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. Fold gently until evenly coated.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour. Serve and enjoy.
- Yield: 6 servings
Video
Tips/Notes
- Discard the skin from the rotisserie chicken. My preference is to use the white meat, but both white and dark meat work well in this recipe.
- To toast the sliced almonds, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Watch carefully to avoid burning the almonds.
- May also use full-fat sour cream in this recipe.
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