Quick Easy Chicken Salad Recipe

How To Store Simple Chicken Salad:

This chicken salad is so easy for everyone to enjoy. Occasionally we will have leftovers. All you need to do is store in an airtight container for the flavors to enhance.

The chicken salad will last about a week in the refrigerator. Once you are ready to enjoy again, simply give it a stir and your chicken salad is ready to enjoy.

+ Easy Chicken Salad Recipes To Beat The Heat

It’s hard to top a good chicken salad, especially when summer temps start to rise. They’re a great way to use up leftover or rotisserie chicken, meaning you won’t have to turn on the stove or oven to get the meal ready. You can go cool, creamy and traditional with just some mayonnaise and pickle relish, or branch out and experiment with different flavors and combinations to find your new favorite chicken salad recipe.

This Greek-style main dish salad features parsley salad topped with homemade chicken salad and pita chips.

How To Serve It

Sometimes I find myself eating this chicken salad by the spoonful straight out of the bowl because its that good. But to turn it into a meal, heres a few ideas.

• Sandwich: Stuff it between sandwich bread with layers of lettuce, spinach, or tomato slices.
• Wrap: Turn it into a wrap with homemade cassava flour tortillas.
• Lettuce Wrap: For a lighter, low-carb option, use large romaine or butter leaf lettuce to wrap it.
• Extra Green Salad: Pour a spoonful on top of a bed of greens such as spinach.
• Dip: Serve it with flax seed crackers or chips.

Don’t Miss: Healthy Salad Ideas For Dinner

Make Chicken Salad Again And Again With These Kitchenware Essentials

Stir together gently

Until everything is thoroughly coated.

Now, if youre feeling particularly naughty and saucy and feisty, please sprinkle in some homemade OR, in my case, STOREBOUGHT bacon bits. Again, dont overdo itjust a little bacon flavor will do.

Now, I have fried up thick, peppered bacon, chopped it fine, and sprinkled it in the chicken salad before, and it was almost too delicious for me to bear. So try that sometimebut enter at your own risk.

Now, taste it, salt it, pepper it, add more dillwhatever you need to do to make it perfect. Just remember to fold/stir gently throughout this process.

And when youre finished, do this! Because Martha might be watching.

Now, just allow the chicken salad to chill several hours or even overnightlong enough for the flavors to really meld.

Then, when youre ready, just serve the chicken salad on a bed of lettuceor in hollowed-out heads of cabbage, or hollowed-out bell peppersor put it on English Muffins, top with cheese, and broilor stir in with shell pasta for chicken pasta salad. Yum.

Or! If youre me, you can do this:

Grainy wheat bread.

Toasted. And did you know Id been married nine years before I even owned a toaster? True story.

Honey mustard.

Baby Spinach. And plenty of it.

Chicken salad

The Best Chicken Salad

This Chicken Salad is truly divine. At first glance you might balk at the grapes, but trust me, they make the salad exquisite. The sweet crunch of the grapes combines beautifully with the chicken and richness of the mayo. The celery and pecans create nice crunch to the chicken salad that elevates it to the next level.

I love using this for picnics and special lunches. It is so easy to make but it is so fancy at the same time. Chicken Salad comes together in a flash so you can have this on the table in no time. And you will love how it is so versatile as well, serve it as a wrap, on a croissant, on some rye bread, or in a lettuce bowl. However you serve it, just make it! You are going to love it, it is so divine!

You May Like: How To Make A Cesar Salad

To Make Chicken Salad With Grapes

Not only is this simple and easy, but it is so impressive to serve for guests while sitting on the deck sipping on an ice-cold glass of NESTEA® slightly sweet black iced tea!

Serve with bread, croissants, or over a bed of lettuce.

Pro tip: Toast the pecans in a small pan and let them cool before adding to the salad. Toasting nuts retain their crunch and expand their flavor!

Ranch Chicken Salad Cups

This Ranch-inspired chicken salad makes the most of bright, tangy flavors like sour cream, buttermilk, scallion and dill to create a chicken salad that compliments the vibrant summer produce at your local farmers market . Mixed with tomatoes, avocado, bacon and lots of shredded chicken, this homemade Ranch dressing will highlight the sweet tomatoes, creamy avocado and salty bacon. If you want to add more veggies to your meal, serve the salad in lettuce cups and top with additional tomatoes.

Get the Recipe: Ranch Chicken Salad Cups

Also Check: Bumble Bee Tuna Salad With Crackers

How To Make Pickle Chicken Salad

Heres what you need for the bulk of this pickle chicken salad:

• Rotisserie chicken breast
• Hard-boiled eggs
• Sweet relish
• Fresh dill

Chop, shred and combine all of the ingredients in a bowl. If Im using rotisserie chicken that doesnt have a ton of flavor, I like to heat it up in a pan and season it with salt, pepper, and maybe a little garlic before adding it to my recipe. A super quick, hot sear kind of brings it back to life and takes away any weird store-bought rotisserie texture, without giving it that re-cooked poultry flavor. Nobody wants their chicken salad tasting like its reheated leftovers.

Once you have the bulk of your pickle chicken salad tossed together, its time to make the dressing. For that you will need the following ingredients:

• Low-fat mayo
• Non-fat Greek yogurt
• Mustard
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk the ingredients together and add them to the pickle chicken salad in a large bowl. If you want to tweak the macros on the dressing and use all Greek yogurt, go for it! Youll save a little fat and add a little more protein to your salad. But not much. Its up to you. Either way you make it will be delicious.

Once its mixed I like to serve this pickle chicken salad on rice cakes, corn thins, crackers, or even on a sandwich. As an ever lighter snack, we love it in jicama tortillas or wrapped in lettuce. Its great stuffed in pitas with tons of sprouts and extra mustard! This is making me hungry.

Easy Fruited Chicken Salad

This is a recipe I discovered by accident. While trying to make the Betty Crocker® chicken salad, I discovered I didn’t have all the spices. ‘…quick, what can I substitute…’ This has been a family favorite ever since.

Provided by jo1527

Steps:

• In a bowl, lightly mix the apple, grapes, pecans, apple pie spice, and mayonnaise together until thoroughly combined stir in the chicken breast meat. Chill until cold.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 284.1 calories, Carbohydrate 5.8 g, Cholesterol 44.4 mg, Fat 22.9 g, Fiber 1.2 g, Protein 14.7 g, SaturatedFat 3.3 g, Sodium 147.5 mg, Sugar 4 g

Also Check: How To Get Salad Oil Out Of Clothes

What You Need For Ultimate Chicken Salad Recipe

Simple and fresh, this chicken salad will come together quickly. Cook your chicken ahead of time or purchase an already cooked chicken to save on time. This chicken salad will become a favorite to make! The total amounts of ingredients is located in the recipe card.

• Cooked Chicken: chopped or shredded chicken is best.
• Grapes: I used red grapes, they are a bit sweeter than green. Slice in half or cut into cubes.
• Pecans: You can purchase chopped pecans for this salad.
• Green onions: I like to finely chop the green onions for a bit of a kick in each bite.
• Celery: Finely diced using a knife or a shredder.
• Mayonnaise: Do not use salad dressing, it will alter the taste.
• Juice from ½ lemon: Yes, you can use bottled.
• Dijon Mustard: Adds the perfect amount of zippy flavor to this chicken salad.
• Salt and pepper: Add to taste!

How To Store Chicken Salad

Rotisserie chicken salad is a great make-ahead lunch because it will keep in the fridge for a few days. Because its made with chicken, yogurt and mayonnaise, be careful to not leave it out on the counter for too long.

Once youve made your chicken salad meal, place the salad back in the fridge in an airtight container to keep it as fresh as possible. When youre ready to use it again, be sure to give it a good stir to combine all of the ingredients again.

Read Also: Can You Freeze Chicken Salad

Cajun Chicken Salad With Pecans

For a really flavorful hero sandwich, try this Cajun chicken salad with pecans. Celery, green onions, chopped pecans, fresh parsley, and some Cajun seasoning are mixed with a creamy and spicy mayo-Tabasco-cayenne dressing. For tree nut allergies, use pepitas or sunflower seeds instead. For extra flavor, add cooked crispy bacon or cubed cured ham.

How To Cook Chicken For Chicken Salad

If you are going to cook chicken specifically for chicken salad, the easiest thing to do is to poach it.

What I like to do is put a pot of 2 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt on to boil. As the water is heating, I cut skinless boneless chicken breasts into large chunks. When the water boils, I add the chicken, and return the pot to a simmer. Then I turn off the heat, and cover the pot and let the meat sit for 15 minutes in the hot water while I prepare everything else. Poaching chicken this way allows the chicken to cook gently, so the chicken retains more moisture.

After the chicken is finished cooking you can save the poaching liquid as light chicken broth.

Poaching aside, you can easily use any cooked chicken for this chicken saladrotisserie chicken, grilled chicken, or roasted chicken. My parents will often use leftovers from their favorite baked chicken, and even include some of the crispy skin in the salad.

Recommended Reading: Wendy’s Caesar Salad Calories

Give This Easy Chicken Salad Sandwich Recipe A Try

You are going to love this recipe! It really is so simple. We have used leftover rotisserie chicken or roasted chicken to make this and it was wonderful

I love to top mine with sliced tomatoes and more red onion. I love eating mine ona bed of lettuce. We have added sliced almonds and boiled eggs.

You can substitute greek yogurt and sour cream for the mayo. These chicken salad sandwiches are amazing! We love to make these and go on a picnic. It really is the perfect picnic food and so easy to make.

These are also great for baby showers and you can use the mini croissants for something bite size. The options are endless with this delicious recipe.

How To Poach Chicken

I love to use poached chicken in this recipe as its easy, healthy, and flavorful. It also means you dont have to turn your oven on if its a hot sunny day outside. A definite bonus.

If done correctly, poaching can yield one of the most tender pieces of chicken youve ever had. To nail this every time, follow the simple steps below.

Can you use baked chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken? Of course. While I prefer poached chicken, almost any chicken works in this recipe. Just make sure you have about four cups of diced or shredded chicken.

Also Check: Jack In The Box Southwest Chicken Salad

Homemade Chicken Salad Ingredients

Go to the fridge right now, and you likely have everything you need to make a batch:

• Chicken I normally use canned chicken breast, but you can also use shredded, poached chicken rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken
• Mayonnaise our preference is Dukes mayonnaise. You can use the full-fat variety or a low-fat version.
• Pickle Relish make sure to use sweet pickle relish, which usually contains finely diced pieces of sweet pickles and red peppers in a sweet brine

How To Make Chicken Salad :

Start by prepping everything. Add the dressing ingredients to a medium-sized prep bowl. Mix it all together so you’ve got a smooth dressing. Add the remaining ingredients and mix/toss until everything is well coated. Give it a taste and add extra salt & pepper if needed. You can also take this opportunity to tweak it to your tastes . Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.

Recommended Reading: Peaches And Goat Cheese Salad

More Canned Chicken Recipes To Try:

• Topped with blue cheese, celery, and blue cheese dressing, this buffalo chicken pizza recipe is a real winner. Paired with your favorite side salad, its sure to fire up your next pizza night!
• Packed with loads of mixed veggies and diced canned chicken breast, these 4-ingredient mini chicken pot pies are a fantastically quick and easy weeknight meal I love baking them in individual ramekins for easy serving!
• This easy buffalo chicken dip recipe will blow your guests minds at your next tailgate or homegate Just six ingredients and you can make it in the oven or the crockpot!

Id love to see how your chicken salad turns out Tag me on or use the hashtag #Unsophisticook so I can check it out. Enjoy!

Big Quick Chicken Salad

Heres a big, speedy chicken salad to serve as a main course. Quick to put together using a store bought rotisserie chicken, all my favourite vegetables, a sprinkle of bacon, all tossed in a herby garlicky salad dressing.

Make this for dinner tonight, work tomorrow, or a leisurely weekend lunch with friends!

You May Like: How To Make The Best Chicken Salad

Lady Marmalade Chicken Salad

The name of the game with this Lady Marmalade Chicken Salad is pungent flavors. Every ingredient in this recipe orange marmalade, shallots, green apple, lime juice, garlic, brown mustard, curry powder, cilantro is working to pack a different punch of flavor, each of which, when married together, works to unify the dish. All of these elements are combined with creamy Greek yogurt and tender chicken for a salad that can be a stand-alone meal, but that is also great when paired with toasted bread or lettuce leaves.

Get the Recipe: Lady Marmalade Chicken Salad

What To Serve Chicken Salad On

My favorite way to eat this is on a nice soft buttery croissant. But it is delicious on any bread or bun for an amazing chicken salad sandwich. It would also be great in a wrap.

If you want to make this a lower carb recipe, you could eat this in endive or Bib Lettuce cups like in my Chicken Lettuce Wraps. This is also great just eaten with a fork or on a bed of salad greens.

Don’t Miss: Who Has The Best Grilled Chicken Salad

Quick And Easy Chicken Salad Recipes

Sharing is caring!

These 11 Quick and Easy Chicken Salad Recipes are healthy and perfect for lunches, picnics or even dinner. Save time with a rotisserie chicken, making these recipes extra quick!

Chicken salad recipes are great for so many reasons! They make such an easy lunch that you can take on the goput it on a sandwich, stuff it in an avocado or a tomato and you have a meal. These 11 Quick and Easy Chicken Salad Recipes offers a little something for everyone from a tropical to Mexican to Italian version.

I love how easy these salads become when you buy a rotisserie chicken. Once you pull the chicken and shred it, all you have to do is add the remaining ingredients, give it a stir and wallah! Lunch or even dinner has never been so easy and healthy. Another tip I like to give people is to either use all Greek yogurt or at least sub half of the mayo for Greek yogurt. I promise you wont even notice the difference and it makes the chicken salad a healthier option.

I hope you find something you like and can share it at a picnic, bring it to work for lunch or even send it with your kids in their lunchboxes.

Quick Fruited Chicken Salad

From Audrey Moser of Drummond Island, Michigan comes this fresh-tasting chicken salad that’s sweetened with pineapple, dates and golden raisins. “I often serve this salad on lettuce, but you could stuff a tomato with it or spoon it into a pita bread as well,” Audrey suggests.

Provided by Taste of Home

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the chicken, pineapple, celery, onion, raisins and dates. , In another bowl, combine the Miracle Whip, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, garlic powder and pepper. Pour over chicken mixture toss to coat. Serve on a lettuce leaf.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 227 calories, Fat 4g fat , Cholesterol 65mg cholesterol, Sodium 259mg sodium, Carbohydrate 25g carbohydrate , Protein 23g protein. Diabetic Exchanges

You May Like: What Is In Chicken Salad