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Overhead photo of chicken sald with peppadews and olives in lettuce cups
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5 from 1 vote

Chicken Salad with Peppadews and Olives

This Chicken Salad with Peppadews and Olives is tangy and flavorful! Delicious for sandwiches, in lettuce cups or on its own!

Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 599kcal
Author: MaryAnn Dwyer

Ingredients

Chicken

  • 3 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Sauce

  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise, high quality, or Whole 30 Mayonnaise
  • 1/4 cup whole peppadews, plus 1/4 cup brine

To Assemble Salad

  • 1/2 cup celery, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup Cerignola olives, pitted and chopped
  • 1/2 cup peppadew peppers, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh chives, finely chopped
  • 1 tsp. kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. granulated garlic
  • bread for sandwiches, crackers, tortilla chips, lettuce cups for serving, if desired

Instructions

Chicken

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Coat chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on prepared sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and baste with juices. Return to oven and continue to bake for 5-10 more minutes, until chicken is cooked through and skin is browed and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool.

Sauce

  • In a blender, combine mayo, whole peppadews and brine and blend until well combined. Set mixture aside.

Assembling the Salad

  • When chicken is cool enough to handle, remove skin and set aside. Pull meat off the bones, discarding red pieces, cartilage and any imperfections. Roughly chop crispiest bits of skin and reserve for croutons for the top of the salad. Measure 3 cups of the chicken, reserving the rest for another recipe.
  • Divide the 3 cups of chicken into 2 groups: perfectly moist pieces in one, and dry not perfect pieces in another. Roughly chop the perfect pieces and add to a bowl. Add drier pieces to food processor and pulse for 5 seconds. Add pulsed chicken to chicken in bowl.
  • Add the celery, olives, chopped peppadews, onion, chives, salt and pepper and granulated garlic to the bowl, tossing to combine. Top with 3/4 of the sauce and toss well. Add more sauce, if desired. Top with crispy skin pieces.
  • Serve with bread, lettuce cups, crackers or chips.