Anthony Bourdain's Go-To Ingredient For Next-Level Chicken Salad - Tasting Table

"Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images Even seven years after his passing, Anthony Bourdain's reputation for living life to the fullest and elevating everyday dishes with unique ingredients lives on in the hearts of professional and home chefs everywhere. Bourdain could enhance anything, from a plate of scrambled eggs to a perfectly cooked steak. Even the humble chicken salad didn't stand a chance at remaining in the land of normality once Bourdain got his hands on it, turning it from an often-overlooked recipe into a showstopper."

"Bourdain's go-to ingredient when making chicken salads was celery salt. In the cookbook recipe, Bourdain doesn't give much explanation for the addition, simply recommending that cooks add one teaspoon of celery salt for a stellar chicken salad. Bourdain is legendary for revealing some of the absolute best cooking lessons, so when he tells us to add a teaspoon of celery salt along with 1/4 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 teaspoon of Tabasco sauce, we listen."

"Per usual, salt will always embolden the flavor of a dish, but celery salt delivers a punchy aftertaste with a bit more bite, though not too overwhelming. Paired with other seasonings, such as Bourdain's recommended chopped tarragon and various sauces, the celery salt stands out even amongst the denser flavors like mayonnaise. Bourdain isn't the only one to use celery salt as a secret ingredient for zesty flavors, either, as Geoffrey Zakarian loves to use it as a steak rub."

Anthony Bourdain's chicken salad recipe elevates the dish by adding one teaspoon of celery salt, 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce. The recipe calls for poaching and dicing chicken breasts into 1/4-inch pieces, plus one stalk of chopped celery and a diced red onion. Chopped tarragon is recommended as an herbaceous complement. Celery salt amplifies flavor beyond ordinary salt, delivering a punchy aftertaste and bite that stands out against mayonnaise and other seasonings. Other chefs, such as Geoffrey Zakarian, also use celery salt as a zesty secret ingredient, including as a steak rub.

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