Upgrade Your Chicken Salad With Tangy BBQ Sauce And Thank Us Later

Mayonnaise and mustard are usually the condiments that pull together ingredients like celery and onion in a classic chicken salad, but they're not the only options. If you're craving chicken salad with bolder flavors, use a squirt of barbecue sauce to make it happen. The sauce you might typically use on ribs will elevate the spice and tang factor in this classic dish. It's an easy upgrade that will greatly enhance simple recipes like this crisp and creamy chicken salad made with celery and scallions.

Barbecue sauce is rich and tangy from ingredients such as ketchup, vinegar, and brown sugar that the chicken and other mix-ins will cling to. It will provide a similar flavor profile to baked or grilled barbecue chicken and BBQ chicken pizzas. To give your chicken salad an upgrade, elevate your homemade barbecue sauce then use it in the dish, or use Tasting Table's sweet and tangy BBQ sauce recipe. To save time in the kitchen, grab whatever store-bought bottle you've got in the fridge and check out our ranking of the best barbecue sauce brands for guidance if you don't already have a go-to favorite.

After you've settled on the type of barbecue sauce to use, consider how much you want to add to your recipe. For six servings of chicken salad, ¼ cup of barbecue sauce combined with ¼ cup of mayonnaise should be just right. And if you prefer a more thickly dressed chicken salad, use up to ½ cup each of mayo and barbecue sauce, and increase the mayo to make it even creamier. To achieve a really bold flavor profile, use less mayo and add more barbecue sauce until you reach your desired tang level. Alternatively, upgrade this easy avocado chicken salad recipe that uses Greek yogurt with a squirt of barbecue sauce for a lighter rendition. It's probably best to skip the apples and dried cranberries in the recipe though.

There's a wide array of mix-ins that pair well with barbecue sauce if you want to reinvent your chicken salad altogether. Fresh vegetables like jalapeños, bell peppers, red onion, scallions, and celery provide crunch and additional vegetal notes. For Tex-Mex inspiration, use corn kernels, black beans, diced avocado, or tomatoes. Chopped herbs like cilantro or parsley will offer freshness to balance with the richness of the sauce, while chunks of cheddar cheese will provide sharp and tasty bites. Looking for more ways to upgrade this classic and easy dish? Here are even more ways to boost the flavor of chicken salad.