Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera

Hot giardiniera gives this summery Spicy Chicken Salad a little heat and big flavor. It’s great on sandwiches or on its own.

WHEN SUMMER TURNS UP THE HEAT, most of us try to turn down the time we spend cooking in a hot kitchen. With store bought rotisserie chicken and a handful of other store bought ingredients, you can make Spicy Chicken Salad with Giardiniera without turning on the stove. And like summer, it packs a little heat, but in a delicious way.

The source of that heat is hot giardiniera, an Italian mix of pickled vegetables. You’ll find it in most supermarkets and some specialty stores. The mix of vegetables varies, but it always includes peppers of some sort. Other usual suspects are carrots, celery, cauliflower or broccoli florets, olives and pearl onions. Giardiniera is generally available in both mild and hot versions, although hot is relative, and we’ve sampled various brands over the years with varying degrees of success. There aren’t many national brands to speak of, so you really just have to try what’s available where you are. If it turns out to be less spicy than you like, adding a pinch of cayenne pepper to your chicken salad will turn up the heat for you. Also, if you have a choice, go for giardiniera that uses a mix of vinegar and water for the liquid, not one that includes olive oil. You’ll get fewer calories and a brighter taste.

Also, feel free to make a non-spicy version, using mild giardiniera. The pickled vegetable mix will still deliver big, lively flavor. Spicy or mild, you can use this chicken salad to make sandwiches with a nice, crusty bread, as we’ve done here. Just as often, though, we eat it as is, with no bread. Some fresh fruit and maybe a green salad makes a nice side. You’ll find our recipe here.