This sounds good! I wonder if golden raisins would bea good substitute for the cranberries? (For those of us who aren't huge cranberry fans, that is.)

Oh, aren't chicken and tarragon a match made in heaven? :)

I have a Starbucks gift card, but don't drink that much coffee anymore. Good to know its chicken-salad sandwich is worth eating! And I adore tarragon--after cilantro it's probably my favorite herb.

I used to get the tarragon chicken salad at Au Bon Pain all the time. They didn't use the cranberries, but they did add sliced almonds...delicious!

I love this kind of recipe ... just one or two "special" ingredients that send an average chicken salad sandwich into the $9.75-if-I-bought-it-in-a- bistro category. I'm going to add some chopped toasted pecans in mine. Thank you, Elise.

Elise!!! I have been wanting to recreate this sandwich for a while now...isn't it fab? Thanks for doing the footwork for all of us...can't wait to try your version. You rock!

If you like, you can add with some toasted almond slivers. It adds another layer of flavor. I've enjoyed chicken salad like this for years. I love this site...so many great (and delightfully uncomplicated) ideas!

Adding walnuts to this recipe works well, too.

Wow, y'know, I usually stear clear of mayonaise but this just sounds so good that I think I'm going to give it a try. I try to go 100% fresh when eating but it'd be nice to have this hanging in the fridge for the lazy late nights.

There is an awesome version of this salad with grapes and pecans in addition to tarragon. I had it at a bridal shower and it quickly became one of my favorite chicken salads.

Jerry-

Try dried cherries if you don't dig the tartness of cranberries- you wouldn't believe how sweet and tasty they are in chicken salad, plus you still get the pretty red color.

Elise, this looks lovely!

Try tarragon with peas and a little butter. Yum!

I have an enormous tarragon plant in my herb garden, and every summer I make tons of chicken salad with tarragon. It's a lovely combination.

I made this for lunch today. I used canned chicken breast. Instead of chopping up the celery and putting it in the mixture, I used the celery stalks to "scoop". It was delicious and perfect for a healthy lunch!

I've seen the Starbuck's chicken tarragon before, but never had it.

I was working at Au Bon Pain ages ago and they had a chicken tarragon sandwich there. I was surprised at the pairing but after trying it I thought it went together wonderfully and seemed so natural after the fact

This was amazing. So simple - short list of ingredients. Next time I might at some walnuts or almond slivers.

That looks scrumptious! I love chicken salad and tarragon--so you have created a wonderful marriage of flavors!

I'm surprised to hear you haven't used the tarragon you grew. All summer, I tuck sprigs of my garden-grown tarragon along with a quartered lemon and a couple of garlic cloves inside a small chicken. The wonderful scent of the roasting bird is enhanced by the smell of the tarragon; it's so good that I keep foil-wrapped sprigs of tarragon in the frreezer so that we can enjoy the chicken w.tarragon experience year round. In addition, even in our New Jersey climate, the tarragon plant is perennial and spends the winter outside. Make sure the plant you grow is the French tarragon; the Russian tarragon is not half so flavorful.

Thanks for your wonderful site, Elise, and thanks to your Mom and Dad for all the marvellous recipes. They are inspirational.

I've had that sandwich at Starbucks! The chicken/tarragon combo is delicious. I should have thought of making it at home, too - thanks for the inspiration (and the recipe, of course!).

You had fresh tarragon and didn't use it all?

Let me be the first to volunteer to help make sure you don't have the same problem this year!:-) I love tarragon, but can't grow it well here in SF (apparently it needs warm nights to thrive, and I live in a fog bank). Between that and the lemon trees (don't do well here either), I might have to move.

Love the photo--that background looks wonderful

Elise, I tried this almost immediately after you posted it, seeing I just happened to have all the ingredients on hand.

I've had the Starbucks Chicken Salad you talk about, and I have to tell you that this is way better...I ended up toasting some cashews up and mixing them in too, it gave a nice foil for the creamy mayo and sweetness of the cranberries.

this is the kind of stuff that makes you go crazy and eat more than you should. THANK YOU!!

Fresh tarragon is also great with fish---and it's so different (more complex) than dried tarragon.

When poaching the chicken, I suggest first putting in the water a cut-up onion and a coarsely chopped stalk of celery and carrot, perhaps with some peppercorns and a good sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes. Bring that to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes or so, then cook the chicken.

After you remove the chicken, you could add the bones back to the broth and simmer more, if you want. Then strain the broth and you have some fine chicken stock for later use with practically no additional work.

When I made this yesterday, TJ's didn't have dried cranberries, but I got dried Bing cherries for this time and some dried blueberries for next. And I did add some English walnut pieces.

I'm thinking that would be even lovelier with a fresh homemade aioli rather than mayo. :)

I just love your journal.

I made this salad with golden raisins and almond slices. Then I used it as a filling for tortillas adding some cheese and warming them up slightly on both sides. Great lunch!

The cranberries sound like a great touch! My favorite chicken salad that I've made also includes tarragon but with red grapes! Yum to both!
:)

Elise - This was absolutely delicious, and I'm not even a big fan of chicken salad. My husband, who normally shuns mayonnaise, couldn't get enough of it. Great, great site. I love the way you include your parents in your essays. Well done.

I really dislike chicken salad sandwiches - or any chicken salad for that matter. However it looked interesting at Starbucks, so I gave it a try. It has been my favorite sandwich since that first try. Starbucks is pretty pricey for a sandwich though, so I try to steer clear of the cooler while I'm there. I'm excited to find this recipe, so I can enjoy this edible bliss whenever I please!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I just made this recipe and LOVED IT!
it has all these unique flavors going on at the same time, and is light years better than the typical boring chicken salad. I think next time I might put even more dried cranberries.

I made this for dinner tonight with a grocery store rotisserie chicken and left out the celery because I can't stand it. It was yummy but next time I'm adding toasted almonds. My husband really liked it and he's not usually a fan of "lady food".

Thanks so much!
I came online looking for this exact recipe. I even kept the container the sandwich came in. I was so impressed with the tastyness of the sandwich from starbucks. Went very nicely with my mocha frapaccino. Can't wait to try the recipe! I really can't tell you how glad I was to find this online. No, seriously. Hehe. Good job figuring out the recipe. I hope it's as good as this sandwich was.
Thanks again!

I made this today and it was really good. I've never used tarragon until today. I agree with one of the previous comments...I think next time I'm going to add a little more dried cranberries.

Does anyone have the health stats on this per serving? I would love to eat it during my pregnancy since I am a gestational diabetic.. just wondering what the health stats are per serving .. sure sounds healthy. I had the salad without the bread.. YUMMY!! Anyone who might know, please share any info. Thanks!!

I have decided to make this for an upcoming luncheon but your recipe does not state how many servings. Approximately how many servings will come from the listed ingredients?

It depends on how you are using the chicken salad, whether or not you are stuffing it into a tomato, using it for sandwiches, etc. I think this batch makes enough for about 3 or 4 people. ~Elise