The Unexpected Dairy Addition That Gives Chicken Salad A Sweet Upgrade

Want to make your basic chicken salad next-level delicious? Try giving that savory chicken salad an unexpected burst of sweetness with a dollop or two of one simple ingredient. Cool Whip, that fluffy dessert topping we all know and love from childhood, can give your chicken salad a subtle sweetness to accentuate chicken salad's blend of savory, salty, and umami flavors. Even better, it adds an extra creamy, springy texture to your chicken's dressing. 

Creating a great chicken salad, after all, requires a bit of layering of flavors to really ignite the taste buds. Consider how there are five flavor elements: bitter, sour, sweet, salty, and umami. Why not try hitting all of them in one dish? Chicken brings the salty and umami, and vinegar brings notes of bitter or sour. Often, to add a layer of sweetness, recipes will call for sliced apples, a drizzle of honey, or juicy grapes. In any chicken salad scenario, Cool Whip can help you hit that sweet note you need to fully round out your chicken salad — all while bringing an extra bit of creaminess that pairs so well with the salad's dressing. 

Creating a great chicken salad is about layering textures to create a deliciously chewy bite that has what chefs call a great "mouthfeel." Cool Whip helps you bring a bit of fluffy and creamy to contrast against the tender chicken and all the crunchier ingredients you'll typically add like nuts, apples, and celery — making for one great bite, full of playful textures.   

To add further contrast, consider the best type of bread to pair with your chicken salad when creating chicken salad sandwiches. For a chicken salad that you've added a lot of crunchy ingredients to, you might try a soft, pillowy brioche or a croissant for a well-rounded mouthfeel. Or if your chicken salad sandwich needs some extra crunch, try serving your chicken salad with a chewier, seedier bread. Or forgo the bread and pair your salad with crackers — from simple Saltines to buttery Ritz or crunchy Triscuits. 

Try serving your chicken salad on apple slices for a sweet crunch that goes beautifully with that Cool Whip. It's all about layering and contrast ... creamy against crunchy, sweet against salty, bitter against sweet, to create one great big, delicious bite.