Make Your Chicken Salad Sweeter With This Canned Addition

You may have never thought to use fruit cocktail in chicken salad, but it offers some surprising advantages for those of you who prefer a sweeter take on the dish. A good chicken salad is inherently creamy, but dumping in sugar can make it grainy with an off-putting crunch, and sweeteners like honey can make it a bit sticky. Fruit cocktail, however, lends a couple of sweet options.

If you separate the bits of different fruits from the syrup, you'll find that they are tender enough to not interfere with your recipe's texture while still adding pops of fruitiness — like grapes or dried cranberries but with a softer texture. Whether it's a mix of different types or just a singular fruit, this is a great opportunity to infuse your recipe with tons of flavor for minimal effort. You can then save that canned fruit cocktail syrup for a tasty ham glaze, desserts, or baked goods.

If you don't want too much additional fruit in your chicken salad, you can also just pour in a bit of the syrup for extra sweetness and fruity flavor that diffuses throughout the whole dish. However, dumping in a can, syrup and all, might run the risk of over-sweetening your meal and compromising all the work you did putting it together. It's best to add a smaller amount of fruit, syrup, or both, and taste as you go so you end up with a balanced dish that's sweet, meaty, and fruity.

With the new flavor profile of fruit cocktail chicken salad, a whole world of pairing possibilities opens up, whether you're looking for something to cut through the sweetness or bump it up even more. Chicken salad classics like crackers, white bread, and croissants are all perfectly valid for a sweeter recipe, but if you want to emphasize your recipe's sweetness, try serving it on brioche, challah, or other breads that include sweeteners or eggs. Many of these have a bit of natural fruitiness as well, so their flavors meld together perfectly with every bite you take. 

On the other hand, acidic toppings and condiments can help control your meal's sweetness. Sugary fruit and tangy pickles may sound like an odd pairing, but the two work together better than you may think. When you leave pickles as a topping for sandwiches rather than a mixed-in ingredient, it lets you keep the sweetness of your chicken salad while giving you a bit of acidic dichotomy, making your meal more complex. Other pickled vegetables, like jalapeños and onions, or a smear of grainy mustard can add a similar brightness.

Often, chicken breast is the best cut to use for chicken salad because it's meaty, lean, and just a little chewy. However, dark meat may be a better choice for some because its higher fat content makes your meal a good deal richer. If you want fruit cocktail's flavor without too much sweetness, try using some especially salty leftovers, like a rotisserie chicken or one that was brined.