Accidentally Overcook Your Chicken? Make Salad Instead

It's happened to the best of us. At some point, you've probably overcooked your chicken and ended up with dry and bland poultry, but you can avoid this with one simple swap. However, there is a way to salvage your dry bird by turning it into chicken salad instead. It may not be what you envisioned when you set out to prepare chicken, but it fixes your problem without wasting a bunch of food by dumping it in the trash and starting over.

Being a good cook requires practice, and it can take several unsuccessful attempts at cooking a piece of meat before you get that perfect, juicy bite you're striving for. Or you can skip the trial and error and learn the best-kept secrets of culinary school. 

Nevertheless, chicken is lean, so it lacks extra fat that can help keep it from drying out. When cooked, the muscle proteins in the chicken contract and expel moisture. Cooking it for too long or with heat that is too high makes this process happen quicker, and before you know it, your poultry is seemingly ruined. Chicken salad to the rescue!

The key to giving your chicken a second chance is coating it with ingredients that have moisture. This lets your dry chicken reabsorb some of the water that was lost during cooking. Simply shred your meat, add about ⅓ cup of mayonnaise and 2 tablespoons of chicken broth, and stir until it's mixed well. The mayonnaise and broth reintroduce liquid to your chicken and cover it in flavor. You could even add some Dijon mustard or Buffalo sauce for a little extra kick.

Next, prepare the rest of the ingredients you prefer in your chicken salad, like celery, grapes, nuts, dried cranberries or cherries, and brown sugar for a caramelized flavor. Mix everything and enjoy it on sandwich bread, bagel, lettuce wrap, or just by itself. That's all there is to it. You've successfully repurposed your dry chicken into a delicious meal that will keep in the fridge for about four days in an airtight container.