My favorite chicken salad recipe

Easy, quick and delicious, this is my favorite chicken salad recipe! It only takes minutes to freeze, but it’s full of flavor!

A really good chicken salad recipe is one of those things that everyone needs in their back pockets at just the right time.

It’s perfect for party or brunch, but even better, it makes a quick bite all week long, and is number one on our list for when it’s hot and no one feels like cooking (but everyone still feels like eating!)

Chicken salad on a croissant on a white plate

Perfect chicken salad

To someone Excellent Very picky about chicken salad, it took me a while to get my version of chicken salad right.

At first glance, it doesn’t look all that different from the countless chicken salad recipes already out there on the internet. (Add-ons are adaptable; more details below.)

we’ve got:

Cooked and shredded chicken (roast chicken for the win!)
Half a grape
chopped celery
chopped nuts (preferably cashews or chopped almonds)
Chopped green onions or chives
fresh parsley

Shredded chicken, green onions, celery, grapes, nuts in a glass bowl

But it’s the sauce that really lights up and sets it apart.

While I’m not averse to mayonnaise in most real-life circumstances, I’m not necessarily a fan of chicken salad recipes that use mayonnaise as a dressing and not much else.

It only takes a few simple additional ingredients to take the seasoning to the next level.

Add a little sour cream, fresh lemon juice (or red wine vinegar), Dijon mustard, and a bit of pantry seasoning to the mayonnaise, and you’ve got my favorite date chicken salad.

Ingredients for chicken salad with cream sauce in a glass bowl

How do you serve chicken salad?

You can serve this amazing chicken salad in many ways.

It’s delicious on top of lettuce leaves, like romaine, dandelion, butter, or pep. They are great on many different types of bread – with or without lettuce.

Hearty multigrain bread slices are perfect with chicken salad. As well as decadent croissants. They are delicious wrapped in flatbread or tortillas!

And I wouldn’t be any kind of friend if I didn’t tell you that this chicken salad is so great when you drop the lettuce or the bread and eat it straight out of the bowl.

Chicken salad recipe on lettuce leaves on a white plate

My favorite chicken salad for the win

This chicken salad has become a go-to meal for us, especially in the hot summer months. It’s light and refreshing but still plump and satisfying.

I’m sure if you asked ten people to make a chicken salad, you’d get ten amazingly different versions. This is my favorite classic chicken salad, but the ingredients for the salad are highly adaptable.

If you’re the kind of crazy and energetic who adds things like tangerines, pineapple, or dried fruit to chicken salad, you can still find a happy place with this classic chicken salad recipe. Add-ons can be changed in an infinite number of ways; The base is chicken and sauce (and this sauce is delicious!).

(Maybe don’t tell me if you add raisins, I’m not sure my chicken salad tolerance extends that far. – Signed, resident raisin hater)

Stay tuned for another chicken salad recipe coming soon. I know! Who am I and how did I get here?? It’s a delicious chicken curry salad with a dressing you’ve never seen before. Tasty!

Chicken salad sandwich on a croissant cut in half on a white plate

1 year ago: Dulce de leche cheesecake plates
two years ago: My favorite cherry pie on a date ever
three years ago: Fajita Steak with Chipotle Sour Cream
Four years ago: Best zucchini muffins {whole grain}
Five years ago: BBQ chicken salad bowls of coriander and lemon rice
six years ago: Chocolate Apple Chip Cake
Seven years ago: Brookies {Brownie + Chocolate Chip Cookies}
Eight years ago: brazilian lemon juice
Nine years ago: Fudge Brownies {Homemade Cakes Like Packaged Mix!}
Ten years ago: Cookies with chocolate chips and hazelnuts

fruit:
8 servings

Preparation time:
30 minutes

total time:
30 minutes

Ingredients

Chicken Salad:

4 cups cooked, shredded (or shredded) chicken (see note)
1 cup celery, small cubes
1 cup red grapes, cut into halves or quarters
1/2 cup chopped almonds or cashews
2-3 tablespoons of green onions or chives
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley

Sauce:

1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons sour cream كريم
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt (use a pinch of table salt)
1/8 teaspoon black pepper (I use coarse ground)
1/8 teaspoon dried dill
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

instructions

Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl.
Whisk all sauce ingredients together until smooth.
Pour dressing over salad ingredients and mix until evenly combined. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Put it in the fridge until it’s ready to serve.
Serve on lettuce, bread, or croissants, or wrapped in tortillas or flat bread.

Notes

chicken: Roast chicken works great here. otherwise, This is a great way to cook chicken for recipes like this. Another option is to toss 2 chicken breasts in an electric pressure cooker with 1-2 cups of chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and cook for 8-10 minutes on high pressure. Normally release the pressure for 10 minutes, then quickly release the remaining pressure. Drain and chop the liquid chicken to use in the recipe.

Sauce: The taste of the sauce improves over time, so while chicken salad can be served immediately, it tastes better if it’s been refrigerated for 1-2 hours. The dressing can be done several days in advance.

Adaptable: This recipe is very adaptable. Leave out ingredients (eg nuts) if you can’t/dislike them, or add other ingredients you like (dried cranberries, mandarin oranges, etc.).