We all know what chicken salad can be when there’s mayonnaise in the mix. Cool and creamy. Lush, with delicate tang. Just cohesive enough to stay put in a sandwich or hold together on the end of a fork.
My question was: What could chicken salad be mayonnaise? Not because I wanted to upend the bedrock of American deli salads; mayo binds up and moistens lean proteins such as cooked chicken, eggs, and solid white albacore in a way that nothing else can. But I wanted to try making chicken salad without it because when mayo is the baseline dressing, it makes everything it touches, well, mayonnaise-y, no matter how bold or distinct the other seasonings are.
