# Is this chicken salad? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2016, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630 "2016-08-22T15:02:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/21 "2016-08-22T16:16:54Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > [Denny’s Cranberry Apple Chicken Salad](https://www.dennys.com/food/soups-salads/cranberry-apple-chicken-salad/) > [McDonald’s Southwest Grilled Chicken Salad](https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/product/premium-southwest-salad-with-grilled-chicken.html) > [Wendy’s Apple Pecan Chicken Salad](https://www.wendys.com/en-us/salads/apple-pecan-chicken-salad) > > None of these seem to fit the apparently consensus definition of “chicken salad.” As has been noted, when a qualify is added to “chicken salad” the mayo salad version is trumped. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/22 "2016-08-22T16:24:33Z")
Hell, the url for the McDonald’s one even says “southwest salad with grilled chicken.” ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/23 "2016-08-22T16:28:02Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > As has been noted, when a qualify is added to “chicken salad” the mayo salad version is trumped. I’ll be honest. I would have made the same error your son did, especially if asked to make it from roasted chicken, and not for a sandwich. I only associate the mayo chicken salad with sandwiches (do people eat it on its own?), but I didn’t really grow up with that style of chicken salad. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/24 "2016-08-22T16:31:03Z")
More like a chef’s salad than a chicken salad, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/25 "2016-08-22T16:38:23Z")
Now send him out to get some shinola and see what he brings back. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/26 "2016-08-22T16:40:10Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I’ll be honest. I would have made the same error your son did, especially if asked to make it from roasted chicken, and not for a sandwich. I only associate the mayo chicken salad with sandwiches (do people eat it on its own?), but I didn’t really grow up with that style of chicken salad. Who said it wasn’t going to be eaten on a sandwich? When we have chicken salad at home, it’s always made from leftover roasted chicken. (Although leftover roasted chicken more often winds up in taquitos, than chicken salad sandwiches.) ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/27 "2016-08-22T16:42:20Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Who said it wasn’t going to be eaten on a sandwich? Well, if somebody just asked me to make a chicken salad from some leftover roast chicken for them, I would assume what the OP’s son assumed. But, like I said, I didn’t grow up with chicken salad. ---
**Author:** ![araminty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b5e925/32.png) [@araminty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/araminty)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/28 "2016-08-22T16:47:05Z")
My version of the [smittenkitchen](https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/12/zuni-cafe-roast-chicken-bread-salad/) version of the Zuni Cafe roast chicken dish is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/29 "2016-08-22T16:50:19Z")
> [@Biggirl](#): > > I told my son to please make **some** chicken salad with the left over roasted chicken. > [@pulykamell](#): > > Well, if somebody just asked me to make **a** chicken salad from some leftover roast chicken for them, I would assume what the OP’s son assumed. But that’s not what the OP asked (according to the OP). Note the bolding I added. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/30 "2016-08-22T16:55:33Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > But that’s not what the OP asked (according to the OP). Note the bolding I added. OK, I would still have made the same mistake. ETA: OK, actually, let me take that back. I see what you’re getting at. Yes, “some chicken salad” is different than “a chicken salad.” In that case, yes, I do believe I would have noticed the use of “some” vs “a.” ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/31 "2016-08-22T17:13:05Z")
Be happy the next generation think chicken ON a salad _ **before** _ chicken with lots of mayo= chicken salad. I’m voting that’s an improvement! (Also I am very happy that chicken ON salad arrived on the scene. A major improvement to my mind, and for my body!) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/32 "2016-08-22T17:21:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > **scr4** , that’s because you’re mis-parsing those. A “cranberry apple chicken salad” isn’t a [cranberry][apple][chicken salad], it’s a [cranberry apple chicken][salad]. > > Chicken salad is the stuff you spread on a sandwich. But I’ve been at deli counters where there are several types of “chicken salad.” How does one describe “chicken salad” that also incorporates cranberry and apples? ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/33 "2016-08-22T17:23:48Z")
Well, shitty for starters. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/34 "2016-08-22T17:25:53Z")
I think I would have made the same mistake as your son without some reference to it being used in a sandwich. My whole life, I’ve always felt the need to specify “chicken salad sandwich filling” if I mean the mayo-heavy concoction. And the same is true for tuna, by the way. A tuna salad is lettuce with tuna on top. If you want the creamy version, you want a tuna salad sandwich filling. I’m in my thirties and grew up in California, for whatever that’s worth. I know we call it a salad by an alternate definition that included any chopped item with a dressing, but in my mind, a salad defaults to a leafy green. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/35 "2016-08-22T18:13:41Z")
I associate the OP’s “chicken salad” with a sandwich. If it’s not in a sandwich, then the OP’s son is also correct. Just think of Chinese Chicken Salad, and then drop the “Chinese”. If the OP said: “Make some chicken salad for sandwiches later on”, then the OP’s son would have goofed. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/36 "2016-08-22T19:18:14Z")
Chicken, tuna, and egg salads are often used in sandwiches, but don’t have to be. Think of [“cold plate” lunches](http://www.victors2houston.com/menus/lunch-menu/), for example. You might top “a salad” with chicken, _or_ chicken salad. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/37 "2016-08-22T19:54:30Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Chicken, tuna, and egg salads are often used in sandwiches, but don’t have to be. Think of [“cold plate” lunches](http://www.victors2houston.com/menus/lunch-menu/), for example. > > You might top “a salad” with chicken, _or_ chicken salad. I know that this kind of thing is common in certain regions and historical times, but I see that menu and my first thought is “I build my own sandwich? Why so much sandwich filling and only one piece of bread?” 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/38 "2016-08-22T20:06:38Z")
Delicious and what I would want to eat but I agree not “Chicken Salad”. If someone ordered Chicken Salad and got that I think they would be disappointed. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/39 "2016-08-22T20:55:26Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Now send him out to get some shinola and see what he brings back. A [watch](http://www.shinola.com/shop/watches.html)? [sup]Yes, I know what you meant, but the Shinola name was bought for a watch factory, which has now apparently expanded into leather goods and bicycles as well.[/sup] ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2016, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630/40 "2016-08-22T20:59:06Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Chicken salad is the stuff you spread on a sandwich. This, exactly. Similar to tuna salad or ham salad. Made out of finely chopped chicken, mayo, and possibly some chopped dill pickle, and spread between two slices of bread in a sandwich. Although I wouldn’t refuse a garden salad with chicken added to it. But that’s what that is, a salad with chicken added. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-chicken-salad/763630.md?page=3)