If you read about Matthew McConaughey’s tuna salad recipe that went viral in November, you won’t be too surprised by his most recent culinary creation. The star revealed that his special recipe for chicken salad shares some of the same features, most notably a no-waste approach to cooking.
In an interview with Food & Wine, McConaughey gave an in-depth explanation on how he makes the poultry-packed salad. His first recommendation? Use an entire chicken. The logic behind this tip is that it’s easier to cook a whole chicken and get a consistently juicy texture, while cooking smaller cuts of the meat can sometimes yield drier results that wouldn’t fare well in a salad. You can also opt to snag a rotisserie chicken from your grocery store to save a bit of time.
Next, the actor encourages viewers to pull or shred the chicken instead of chopping it into cubes. The texture will lend itself to a more flavorful filling that stays put on a sandwich and allows the dressing to mix in thoroughly. If shredding chicken is an unfamiliar task, there’s no need to be intimidated—just follow this easy method that uses a slow cooker and some forks!
Speaking of dressing, he uses the same formula as his tuna salad to create the base of the salad. A blend of mayonnaise, olive oil and Italian dressing make for a creamy and tangy sauce that’s utterly delicious when paired with the tender pulled chicken. Of course, you could snag a bottle of Italian dressing at the store for this purpose, but a recipe like our ultra-classic Easy Homemade Italian Dressing would also work in a pinch.
McConaughey’s final step for his recipe is where the no-waste angle comes up. As he mentioned when discussing his iconic tuna salad, his family has a tradition of cleaning out their fridge on Sundays to use up their leftovers. The random assortment of leftover ingredients will find new purpose in this chicken salad. While he doesn’t mention any specific additions in the interview, we can imagine just how creative the recipe can get.
For some crunch, raid your vegetable drawer for that extra jalapeño or bell pepper from dinner earlier in the week. For some fresh flavor, start chopping up the fresh herbs that are wilting on your shelf. Take inspiration from some of your favorite recipes and toss in some apple chunks for a bit of sweetness or stir in a little pesto or Buffalo sauce for a flavor boost. The world is definitely your oyster with this recipe.
If you try this out and are looking for a tasty way to serve your chicken salad, we think this will work perfectly sandwiched between two slices of bread. You could also add some more veggies to your plate by using the salad as a filling for lettuce wraps. Either way, you’ve got plenty of flavor coming your way.
