How to Make Homemade Green Goddess Dressing

Green Goddess Dressing is the fantasy of every gardener. You can easily make this out of a few herbs freshly picked from your backyard. 

This dressing used to be a big hit in the 70s and 80s dinner parties, but it was first debuted way back in 1923 by Chef Philip Roemer to honor actor George Arliss, a star in a famous play “The Green Goddess.” Inspired by the traditional “green dressing” from the kitchens serving Louis XIII, it was paired then not with salads but with eel.

This dressing remains more flavorful and unique than any typical ranch or Italian salad dressings. It has a bit of a tart flavor thanks to the vinegar, soy sauce, and lemon juice. 

Overview of the Recipe

The tahini adds flavorful richness while the parsley and chives add a nice little herbal blast. It is both delicious and versatile: combo it with any tender herbs (cilantro, mint, parsley, dill, tarragon or chives), dairy (yogurt, buttermilk, sour cream, crème fraîche), and acid (rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar, lemon and lime juice) you’d like.

You can make unique versions of your very own with every batch. There’s a lot of variety to choose from, but it is best to start with the classic. Here’s a detailed recipe of a Classic Green Goddess Dressing. 

What You Need to Prepare

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Makes: 1½ cups

Ingredients

• ¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves
• ¼ cup fresh chervil leaves
• ¼ cup fresh chives, roughly chopped
• One garlic clove, minced
• 5 anchovy fillets
• Juice of 1 lemon (about ¼ cup)
• ⅔ cup mayonnaise
• ⅔ cup sour cream
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp salt

Mix Them Up!

Add the tarragon, chives, garlic, chervil, anchovies, and lemon juice to a food processor or mixer. Blend until the desired thickness takes shape. Pulse in the remaining ingredients until thoroughly mixed and pastel green. Place airtight for a couple of days in the fridge.

Apart from its awesome deity-invoking name, the best part of this particular salad dressing is its incredible versatility. The first call might be to cover tenderly cool spinach leaves, crispy iceberg wedges, or tender buttered lettuce, but aim to serve it alongside grilled chicken, steaks and pork, or roasted potatoes and cauliflower. 

The list goes on, but for starters, here’s a favorite chicken salad recipe that will make everyone feel homey.

Roast Chicken, Nuts and Currant Salad with Green Goddess Dressing

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Serving: 4 to 5 persons

Ingredients

• Chicken
  • 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 1 cup of raw almonds
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• For your currant
  • ⅔ cup of water
  • ⅓ cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup dried currants 
• Add the greens
  • 6 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded
  • 6 thinly sliced celery stalks,
  • 2 pitted and flesh cubed avocados
  • 16 cherry tomatoes, cut in halves
  • 1 cup blue cheese, crumbled
• Dressing
  • Classic Green Goddess Dressing

What’s Next?

Roast the Chicken

Preheat oven to 400oF. Add the chicken, roast for 25 to 30 minutes until the skin is crispy and the interior is cooked. Once the chicken is cool, remove the skin into bite-sized pieces and separate meat from bones. Discard skin and bones, or save for future use. Cook meat.

Place the almonds in the same baking dish (with chicken drippings), season with salt and pepper, and return to the oven at 400oF. Fry almonds for 10 minutes, or until they are fragrant and start to brown. Transfer the almonds to a towel-lined sheet of paper to absorb excess fat. Once cool, the almonds are roughly chopped. Reserve almonds.

Mix Your Currants

Add currants to a medium heatproof bowl. Mix water and vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan, and pour over currant. Let sit, strain, and reserve currants, for 10 minutes.

Mix All Together and Serve!

Add the lettuce, celery, avocado, tomatoes, cheese, chicken, and currants in a large bowl. To coat lettuce mixture, add Green Goddess dressing and toss gently. Transfer salad to a serving dish, stir in almonds and serve.

Conclusion

This simple salad dressing can be an excellent touch to your diet, too! One of its ingredients, tarragon, is a source of Vitamin A and rich in minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, and magnesium. 

Chives have phosphorus, while lemons are full of phytonutrients and antioxidants. They are good sources of vitamin C and folate. This pick-your-own-protein salad dressing is best paired up with wine, too! Now here’s a fancy way to go green.