What to use instead of chives
It depends entirely on what it's doing in the dish. Here's the job, what else does it, and what to skip.
Advertisement
Raw green allium note scattered over a finished dish
They give a mild onion bite and colour with none of raw onion's harshness, and they carry no water or crunch that would change the texture of eggs underneath.
Scallion greens, sliced fineRan out
1:1 by volume
Sharper and crunchier, and they wilt visibly within a minute on hot eggs where chives hold their shape.
Garlic chives or green garlic topsRan out
1:1 by volume
Garlicky rather than oniony, and the blades are tougher, so slice them finer than you would chives.
Leek greens, blanchedRan out
1:1 by volume, blanched 30 seconds and shocked
Sweeter and softer, and the blanching is what makes them edible, since raw leek green is fibrous and stringy.
Dill or flat-leaf parsleyRan out
1:1 by volume
No allium at all, so the dish reads herby instead of oniony. This is the right call when the green is mostly there to look like something.
What doesn't work: Dried chives from a jar over raw or barely cooked food. Drying strips the allium volatiles almost completely, so they rehydrate into green flecks that taste of nothing and go slimy in sour cream within ten minutes.
Folded through a soft dairy base such as a dip or cream cheese
They are fine and low in moisture, so they distribute evenly and do not weep liquid into the base or keep getting stronger while it sits in the fridge.
Scallion greens, sliced very fineRan out
1:1 by volume
Stronger on day one and stronger still on day two, and they release a little water that loosens the dip. Use two thirds as much if it is being made ahead.
Shallot, minced and rinsedRan out
1 tbsp minced shallot per 2 tbsp chopped chives
Sweeter and more assertive with a slight crunch. The rinse takes off the sulfur compounds that would keep sharpening overnight.
DillRan out
1:1 by volume
Takes the dip somewhere else entirely, towards ranch and smoked fish. No allium bite, so add 1/8 tsp onion powder to keep the savoury edge.
Freeze-dried chivesRan out
1 tbsp freeze-dried per 3 tbsp fresh, hydrated 10 min in the sour cream
Holds far more of the onion flavour than air-dried, and the texture comes back close to fresh once it sits in the dairy.
What doesn't work: Raw white onion minced into the base. It keeps releasing juice, which loosens the dip, and its sulfur compounds sharpen as it sits, so what tasted balanced on Friday is acrid by Sunday.