Michael Solomonov's Tehina Chicken Salad Recipe

A Sneak Peek into His New Cookbook!

This is a problem-solving recipe. For me, chicken salad holds a special place alongside other protein-based classics like egg salad, salmon salad & tuna salad. But finding a chicken salad recipe that avoids creamy mayo—or doesn’t substitute it with Greek yogurt (a no-go for those who keep kosher)—is a long-standing challenge.

That’s why I was so excited to discover Michael Solomonov’s Tehina Chicken Salad in his new cookbook, Zahav Home: Cooking for Friends & Family. Michael, a celebrated chef and champion of modern Israeli cuisine, has created a simple, fresh, and flavorful solution. By using a simple to make and versatile tehina (tahini) sauce, this chicken salad recipe achieves the perfect creaminess without dairy or mayo. Add in bright, crisp ingredients like cilantro, celery, and scallions, and you have a lighter, vibrant twist on a classic dish.

Seeing men like Michael leading in the kitchen always makes me smile, and this recipe feels like a revelation—especially for those of us keeping kosher. Using rotisserie chicken makes it quick and weeknight-friendly, while the bold Israeli flavors elevate it into something truly special.

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To start off, could you introduce yourself and share a bit about your journey into the culinary world? What led you to embrace modern Israeli cuisine and focus on making it accessible for home cooks? Also, if you're comfortable, could you share some personal details about your hobbies and health routine?

I fell into this totally by accident – I got a job working in a bakery, and I just fell in love with it. The exact thing I fell in love with remains the guiding principle for me and Steve to this day, which is being as generous as possible. Focusing on the act of giving. This was so different from who I was and how I was living prior to that bakery job, which taught me how making people feel special and being a part of their everyday lives means so much.

Fast-forward to many years later, when I was first cooking professionally – if you wanted to be successful, you had to cook modern European food. But when I would go back and visit my family in Israel, I was struck by just how fresh everything they ate was. Beautiful salads, fresh seafood, everything over grilled bread. We knew that we had to do that here, in the US.

In terms of hobbies and health routine, I work out a ton and I love to surf, snowboard, box, run, go on hikes with my family, and spend time outside. Since I eat professionally, I eat – and truly love – everything. Bread, pastries, donuts, sugar – I love it all! But I’m a very big fruits and vegetables person, and I try to focus on that at the core of my diet. I probably eat at least five raw carrots a day, just around the house.

Since the events of October 7th and the rise of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment in the U.S., has the meaning of your work—focused on sharing modern Israeli cuisine—shifted for you? In what ways do you see food as a tool for bridging cultural gaps and promoting understanding during such difficult times?

It’s probably made our work more prudent – clarified our strength, vision, and mission. It’s a little tough, because food diplomacy doesn’t solve political conflicts, but I feel like diplomacy in general and an overall understanding of and empathy for people at a human level is of the utmost importance. When you take something as complicated as October 7th, there’s nothing that I’m going to do that can stop hatred, but if we can open doors to greater empathy and understanding, it’s our job to do that.

Your new cookbook, Zahav Home, is all about bringing the vibrant flavors of your restaurant Zahav into home kitchens. What inspired you and Steven Cook to create a collection of family-friendly, weeknight meals, and how did your experiences as busy fathers shape the book?

As busy fathers specifically during COVID, when we were forced to cook at home all the time, the only thing we could talk about – both as best friends and business partners – was what we made for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. Add children into the mix, along with hectic schedules, and the need to cook and really be there for your family, and you end up with ZAHAV HOME that way.

You emphasize the importance of a well-stocked pantry for quick and flavorful meals. What are some essential ingredients and spices you believe every home cook should have, and how do they help simplify meal preparation?

Za’atar blend and sumac – use those on everything. Dried mint is such a delicious spice, and I love cooking with Aleppo peppers. They’re sundried, not too spicy, but really nice and bright – you can put those on everything, too. And make sure to use a nice pepper mill.

One of the recipes you're sharing, Tehina Chicken Salad, sounds amazing. What makes this dish special, and how can home cooks easily incorporate Israeli flavors like tehina into their everyday meals?

Tehina is the easiest substitute for something like mayo (which is something I have an actual fear of). It’s the creamiest sauce, doesn't have dairy or meat in it, is nice and nutty and can be added to everything.

You and Steven have emphasized the value of bulk cooking for busy families. What are some of your favorite dishes to make in large batches that are perfect for freezing and reheating during hectic weeks? How do you keep these meals fresh, flavorful, and exciting, even after they've been stored? Any tricks to make weeknight dinners feel as vibrant as they do at Zahav?

The Israeli Cous Cous with Meatballs is a great dish to make in large batches and freeze. It’s so saucy and starchy, that it does really well when being reheated – you’ll just want to run it under a little bit of water, before heating it up.

To make weeknight dinners as vibrant as they feel at Zahav, you cannot underestimate the importance of fresh herbs, fresh-squeezed lemon juice, and good, quality spices – they change the game. Also, play some kickass music really, really loud.

You’ve lived in both Israel and the U.S. and experienced the food shopping, preparation, and overall culture around eating in each place. Based on your perspective, what do you think American food culture could learn from Israeli food culture? This could be about the types of food, the approach to preparation, or even the human and communal aspects of how people come together around meals.

The US needs to learn about the chopped salad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Every time I get back to Pennsylvania, after being in Israel, I tell myself that I have to start eating chopped salad for breakfast.

Generally speaking, the produce in Israel hasn’t traveled more than 100 miles before reaching the market where you’re buying it. Of course, it’s a little different over there because their climate allows for certain things to grow year-round (like cucumbers or tomatoes) and the quality is just incredible, but we could learn from the emphasis they put on vegetables and fresh fruit at every meal. Make veggies the star of a dish – maybe you’re making hot peppers, roasted with tehina and garlic – and shop as local as you can, going to farmer’s markets in your area.

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Tehina Chicken Salad

Makes 1 ½ quarts

Here is a lighter version of chicken salad that will have your guests saying, “I can’t believe there’s no mayo!” Feel free to use a supermarket rotisserie chicken for this dish.

1 roasted chicken (2 to 3 pounds), cool to the touch

2 celery ribs, finely chopped

1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced into rings

½ cup chopped cilantro leaves

1 cup Basic Tehina Sauce

Juice of ½ lemon

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Romaine lettuce leaves or toast, for serving

• Peel the skin from the chicken and pull the meat off the bones. Finely chop the meat, or shred with your hands. Transfer to a large bowl.

• Add all the other ingredients, resisting the urge to stir between additions.

• With a big spoon, now stir until the chicken is evenly coated with all the goodies.

• Serve on romaine leaves or your favorite toast.

Basic Tehina Sauce

Makes 2 cups

This is one recipe that hasn’t changed a bit since we started using it at Zahav fifteen years ago. It’s a dip, a sauce, a salad dressing, and, of course, an indispensable component for making great hummus.

5 garlic cloves

5 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1½ lemons)

¾ teaspoon salt

1 cup tehina

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

About ¾ cup very cold water

• In a food processor or high-powered blender, puree the garlic, lemon juice, and ½ teaspoon of the salt. Blend until you have a coarse puree. Let the mixture stand for 5 to 10 minutes to let the garlic mellow.

• Pour the mixture through a fine-meshed strainer set over a large mixing bowl, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.

• Stir in the tehina and the remaining ¼ teaspoon of salt.

• Whisk everything together until smooth, adding water a few tablespoons at a time. Continue adding water until you have a thick yet creamy sauce.

• Tehina will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week or frozen for up to a month.

From ZAHAV HOME: COOKING FOR FRIENDS & FAMILY by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Copyright © 2024 by Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

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Enjoy this chicken salad + tahini sauce recipe! I am looking forward to using this tahini sauce for my other favorite salads and to add Za’atar blend , sumac, dried mint & Aleppo peppers to my spice rack.

Am Yisrael Chai

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