My quick and easy classic chicken salad recipe made healthier and easier to make the perfect homemade chicken salad sandwich. The perfect cold lunch for meal prep!
Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
This traditional chicken salad recipe with simple ingredients is perfect for prepping a lunch. There are so many ways to eat it, like on a chicken and salad sandwich, on a bagel, over a salad, or in lettuce wraps. It’s my favorite lunch that I can keep in the fridge to eat all week or to take to potlucks. It’s dairy-free, gluten-free, high-protein, and low-carb. My other favorite healthy chicken salad recipes include Cilantro Chicken Salad, Ranch Chicken Salad, and Lemon Dill Chicken Salad. You can also enjoy my classic egg salad.
Classic ingredients for chicken salad
- Chicken: Cut 12 ounces of cooked chicken breast from a whole roast chicken. You can also use fried chicken to save time.
- Mayonnaise: I use light mayonnaise to reduce calories, but feel free to use your favorite mayonnaise too.
- Celery: For some crunch and veggies, chop the celery.
- Red onion: Swap red onions for spring onions or chives.
- Chicken soup: If the chicken salad is a bit dry, add 2 tablespoons of the broth.
- Dijon mustard for a little spice
- Seasoned salt and black pepper for the taste
How to make chicken salad
Chicken salad is really easy to make and a great way to use up leftover chicken breasts from a whole roast chicken. You can also poach the chicken in chicken broth (see below) or use my Air Fry Chicken Breasts recipe to make this salad.
To prepare the salad, take the chicken breasts from the fried chicken and finely chop them along with the greens. Then combine them with mayonnaise, celery, onions, Dijon mustard and some chicken broth if needed, and season with salt and pepper.
To poach chicken breasts:
If you want to poach your chicken breasts, follow these simple steps:
- In a small saucepan, cover the chicken breasts with broth, adding water if the chicken isn’t covered.
- Add salt and pepper, a stick of celery and its leaves (you can add herbs like parsley, garlic, onion or whatever you like) and bring to a boil. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, cover tightly, and let rest for 15-20 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 degrees.
- The chicken is cooked through. Let cool and chop.
How to serve it with chicken salad
Here are some ways to serve this chicken salad.
- wraps Use whole wheat or grain-free tortillas
- bagels: I love anything bagels with chicken salad!
- Breadlike these high-protein oatmeal rolls or your favorite sandwich bread
- Lettuce Wraps for a low carb option.
- Collard Green wraps are another healthy low-carb option.
- Salad: Eat the chicken salad with lettuce and add other veggies like avocado, cucumber, or cherry tomatoes.
How long does homemade chicken salad keep?
Homemade chicken salad will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 4 days.
Chicken Salad Variations
- Mayo Swap: Substitute Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise, or use half yogurt, half mayonnaise.
- Add something diced apples or Grapes for sweetness and crunch.
- you can add nuts such as almonds, walnuts or pecans.
- mix in dried cranberries or cherries for a touch of sweetness.
- Add to some chopped cucumbers for a sour bite.
- Herbs: Sprinkle with fresh dill, spring onions or parsley.
- Curry salad version: Add some curry powder and chopped cilantro and replace the mayonnaise with yogurt.
- Chicken Salad Noodles: Toss the chicken salad with some macaroni and a little more mayonnaise to make a meal out of it.
- Add other seasonings like bagel seasoning, onion powder, or garlic powder.
What do I do if my chicken salad is too dry?
Since I use less mayo than most traditional chicken salad recipes to keep it light, I like to add some chicken broth to keep it moist without needing more mayo or yogurt. This is a great non-dairy option.
Another option is to add some non-fat Greek yogurt along with the mayonnaise, which also adds more protein.
More Chicken Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Yield: 6 portions
Serving size: 1 /2 cup
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Place all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.
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Serve over a salad, in a wrap or in a sandwich
Last step:
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If you want to poach your chicken breasts, follow these simple steps:
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In a small saucepan, cover the chicken breasts with broth, adding water if the chicken isn’t covered.
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Add salt and pepper, a stick of celery and its leaves (you can add herbs like parsley, garlic, onion or whatever you like) and bring to a boil. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes.
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Remove from heat, cover tightly, and let rest for 15-20 minutes, or until the thickest part of the breast reaches 160 degrees.
- The chicken is cooked through. Let cool and chop.
Portion: 1 /2 cup, Calories: 131 kcal, Carbohydrates: 2 G, Protein: 18 G, Fat: 5 G, Saturated Fatty Acids: 1 G, Cholesterol: 50 mg, Sodium: 307 mg, Sugar: 1 G