This is our favorite chicken salad recipe. It perfectly combines tender chicken, veggie and nut crunch, a little sweetness and the easiest creamy dressing. This easy chicken salad tastes amazing when you make it but gets even better with time, making it perfect for meal prep! Switch to the easy chicken salad recipe
How to make the best chicken salad
Our favorite chicken salad has three key components: tender cooked chicken, something crunchy, and something sweet. Bonus if it’s easy to assemble. This chicken salad recipe has all of that and is even easily adaptable to what you love.
Let’s go through the ingredients you will need for the chicken salad. Then read on for a few variations to make it even more special.
Chopped or shredded chicken – Use store-bought rotisserie chicken or use one of these easy methods to prepare chicken that’s perfect for this chicken salad: poached chicken, shredded chicken, cooked whole chicken (also makes fantastic chicken broth), or leftover whole rotisserie chicken.
Vegetables for crunching — Just like with tuna salad or egg salad, we keep the list of ingredients short and only mention celery. For more veggies, try carrot, fennel, bell pepper, shallot, or onion (just make sure your onions aren’t overpowering).
nuts or seeds — Texture is a big thing for chicken salad; We add a lot of it with celery and nuts or seeds. We’ve added sliced almonds in the photos, but most nuts and seeds will work. Consider using pistachios, walnuts, pine nuts, pecans, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and sunflower seeds.
Something sweet — Here you can have a lot of fun! We love dried fruit in our chicken salad and we particularly enjoy golden raisins. Dried cranberries, apricots, dates, or other dried fruits also work. You can also add fresh fruit like halved grapes or chopped apples.
Our simple dressing — Our chicken salad dressing is based on mayonnaise. All you have to do is stir a few tablespoons of fresh lemon juice into the mayonnaise and season with salt, and you’re ready to toss. Add a few small dashes of toasted sesame oil to make the dressing even more special. A little goes a long way, but it adds a nice umami flavor. Or, for something sweet, you can stir in about a teaspoon of your favorite jam.
By the way, for a healthier chicken salad, try substituting some or all of the mayonnaise called for in the recipe with plain yogurt or Greek yogurt. The dressing will be a little spicy, but still taste good.
More: Try our mashed chickpea salad
How to store chicken salad
Chicken salad stays fresh when stored properly Fridge for 3 to 4 days, which is excellent news because, as I mentioned above, the salad tastes great the moment you make it, but leave it in the fridge for a day and it tastes even better. We keep the salad tightly closed in a glass container.
Our favorite chicken salad
The best chicken salad has a few critical components: tender chicken, crunch, and some sweetness. This easy recipe checks all the boxes. We’ve shared our basic chicken salad recipe and a few suggestions for making it extra special. We recommend the toasted sesame oil – it gives the dressing a wonderful umami flavor. A little goes a long way, so add just a few squirts (no more than 1/4 teaspoon).
When we have time, we poach chicken breasts for this salad. Here is our detailed recipe how we poach chicken.
Makes approximately 8 (1/2) cup servings
you will need
For the salad
3 cups (480 grams) chopped or shredded cooked chicken, Check out our recipe for perfect poached chicken
1 cup (120 grams) chopped celery
4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley, and basil
1/4 cup (40 grams) lightly toasted nuts, such as sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts
1/4 cup (40 grams) dried fruit, such as golden raisins, cranberries, dates, or blueberries
For the dressing
1/2 cup (110 grams) mayonnaise, see our Homemade Mayo Recipe
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 to 4 small dashes toasted sesame oil (just under 1/4 teaspoon) Optional
1 to 2 teaspoons jam, Optional
directions
Combine chicken, celery, herbs, nuts, dried fruit, and fresh fruit (if using) in a medium mixing bowl.
In another small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard, salt, and black pepper. Taste and then add the optional ingredients. Toasted sesame oil adds umami (a little goes a long way), and the jam sweetens the dressing.
Serve the dressing with the salad. Taste, then season with more salt and pepper. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Advice from Adam and Joanne
- Add a handful of fresh fruit, such as halved grapes or chopped apples, to supplement or replace the dried fruit.
- For a lighter chicken salad, swap out the mayonnaise for light mayo, or use plain or Greek yogurt.
- Nutritional Information: The nutritional information below is an estimate. We used the USDA database to calculate approximate values.
If you make this recipe, take a picture and tag #inspiredtaste – we love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
Nutrition per serving: serving size 1/2 cup / calories 197 / total fat 13.4g / Saturated Fatty Acids 2.1g / cholesterol 47.1mg / sodium 269.9mg / Total carbohydrates 5.2g / fiber 0.9g / total sugar 3.2g / protein 13.9g
Easier salads
