Final Thoughts From Cost
Chicken salad is a fantastic way to make use of any leftover chicken you may have. You cant go wrong with this spread, whether its used as a dip for vegetables or as a sandwich filling. Its also perfect for those hectic fend for yourself nights, parties, potluck meals, and other gatherings of people. It is not necessary to use any special ingredients for chicken salad chunked or shredded chicken and a binder will do the trick. Add-ins and spices can be customized to meet your specific requirements.
How To Make Chicken Salad At Home:
For the full recipe for chicken salad with canned chicken, scroll to the bottom of this post.
Instructions:
We just love recipes that use ingredients that are always in the house, either in the pantry or in the refrigerator. We are definitely adding canned chicken to our pantry staples list from here on out.
Looking for low carb canned chicken recipes? Try our 5-Minute Low Carb Chicken Salad. If you are looking for canned chicken pasta recipes, try Easy 10 Minute Lemon Chicken Pasta.
You could also use canned chicken in some of our other recipes including Chicken Noodle Casserole with Potato Chips, Grandmas Chicken Rice Casserole and Chicken Ranch Vegetable Pizza. Just swap out the cooked chicken that the recipe calls for with canned chicken breast that has been drained.
A good rule of thumb would be that one can of chicken breast would equal two chicken breasts. Or, another way to think about it is that half of a can of chicken equals one chicken breast.
In general, canned chicken is relatively healthy. It contains a low number of calories and is high in protein. You do need to watch out for the sodium content. One way to make it healthier would be to rinse the chicken before using. Be sure to drain completely. This will help remove some of the excess sodium.
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Can I Make Chicken Salad With Canned Chicken
When it comes to the three basic ingredients in this easy homemade chicken salad recipe, you have flexibility there, too. You can poach a chicken breast or use leftover grilled or rotisserie chicken or open up a can of white-meat chicken. If using leftover chicken, you just want to make sure to shred it, using two forks or your mixer, before making the chicken salad.
My mom usually made this chicken salad using canned Swansons or Tyson chicken breast. I usually keep some canned chicken breast in my pantry so I can make this southern chicken salad at a moments notice.
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How To Brine Chicken In Pickle Juice
If youre already sold on the idea of adding pickles and pickle juice to your chicken salad, theres yet another way you can boost the taste of the recipe with more tangy, salty flavor. Try brining your chicken in pickle juice before cooking it.
Not only does a pickle juice brine tenderize and flavor your chicken, but it also helps keep notoriously dry chicken breast moist . All it takes is an hour. Brine your chicken breast in pickle juice, then remove it from the liquid and pat it dry before pan-roasting or baking it.
Now the base of your chicken salad will be super flavorful, juicy, and will pair perfectly with the splash of pickle juice and crunchy chopped pickles you add to your chicken salad recipe.
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More Easy Lunches Youll Love
- 2cupschickenchopped & cooked, leftover or rotisserie works great!
- 2tablespoonsplain greek yogurt
- ½red pepperfinely diced
- cupwater chestnutschopped, or diced celery
- 2tablespoonsalmondschopped, optional
- Stir together mayonnaise, greek yogurt, scallions, dijon, lemon juice & salt/pepper.
- Toss with remaining ingredients.
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Easy Canned Chicken Recipes
If youre in the midst of a busy week, then canned chicken recipes are a great thing to have on hand.
Since the chicken is already cooked, it saves a big step in the meal prep process!
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There are delicious options for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and even snacks and appetizers!
Whatever youre looking for, theres a way to put that can of chicken to good use.
Bubble up a delicious pot of chicken taco soup or flip a cheesy chicken quesadilla onto a plate in mere minutes.
These recipes are bursting with flavors youll love!
In a pinch or by choice, clear that canned chicken off your pantry shelf by whipping up one of these irresistible recipes.
Have You Ever Thought About Using A Cuisineart Or Food Processor To Chop The Chicken
Yes, you can use the food processor to make this homemade recipe. But if you want more chunkiness in your chicken, simply cut up the chicken with a knife instead!
Pro tip:
Another easy way to shred chicken is with a hand mixer! Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl, and use a mixer on low speed to break the chicken into shreds.
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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.
Tips And Variations For The Best Chicken Salad
Crunchy, savory, sweet, and a bit creamy chicken salad is the perfect dish.
- Chicken: Use any type of chicken you have on hand. You can use rotisserie, leftover BBQ, roasted, or even broiled chicken. Whatever you use, chop it up or shred it so it is easy to spread, spoon, and eat.
- Grapes: You can use red or green grapes or a combination of both. Green grapes can be a bit tart sometimes and the red grapes add color.
- Nuts: Pecans are a classic but you can substitute them for walnuts, almonds, or cashews. Roast them for a bit of extra flavor.
- Mayonnaise: If you are not a fan of mayo, you can use sour cream or non-fat Greek yogurt.
- Different Fruit: Try chopped apples or dried cranberries.
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Chicken Salad With Grapes Is A Delicious Recipe For Easy Meal Prepped Lunches But Its Also Fantastic To Take On Picnics And To Potlucks Chicken Salad Seems To Be One Of Those Things That A Baby Shower Just Cant Be Without Which Im Thankful For Because Im A Serious Chicken Salad Fanatic I Like To Eat It On Top Ofa Buncha Lettuce In A Toasty Roll Or Scoop It Up With Chips Crackers Celery Or Spoon Ill Take It Anyway I Can
I make this Chicken Salad with Grapes version just lil healthier by mixing light mayo and non fat greek yogurt together. I like to add just a kiss of honey for sweetness instead of sugar. This recipe is absolutely full of amazing flavor, totally simple to make, and is totally some of the best chicken salad Ive ever made! If youre not a big fan of fruit in your chicken salad, I get it. I used to be that person too. Check out my original Skinny Chicken Salad its doesnt have any bells or whistles, but its also top notch!
This makes a great salad for lunch, a light summer supper, and takes hardly any time to mix all together. When warmer weather hits, I almost always have a dishes of chicken salad, egg salad, and/or pasta salad in the fridge for grab and eat lunches that require zero work and no heating the kitchen up. I love eating it just with some lettuce or crackers, but it also makes for the best sandwiches and wraps.
All About Poaching Chicken
As always, for any of my recipes that call for poached chicken, you can use a cooked rotisserie chicken, you can use canned chicken, or you can roast your own chicken. Whatever is easiest for you, or whichever method you prefer!
Ive included step-by-step instructions on the recipe card below for how to poach chicken. If youve never done it before, I recommend you trying it. Its very easy to do, and its also more economical than buying a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken .
I have been poaching my chicken for chicken salads for a while now. Not only is it SUPER easy, but the chicken comes out super moist.
When youre poaching chicken, you can add any flavor you want to your pot. For example, when I make my Thai Chicken Salad, I use ground ginger and lime in the water. For this recipe, I keep it simple with my basic poaching method. This includes some dried bay leaves, peppercorns, and salt. This is the basic recipe I use for most of my chicken salads, since it can work with most flavor profiles.
To poach the chicken, simply place the raw chicken breast in a large pot. Next, add the salt, peppercorns, crushed garlic cloves, and bay leaves.
When the chicken has reached the internal temperature of 165, remove it from the pan and place it on a cutting board to cool. Then, shred it using two forks. This method will yield 6 cups of cooked chicken breast.
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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.
Tips For Making Chicken Salad:
- You can replace the mayo with mashed avocado and sour cream for a different version.
- Reduce the calories by using Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise.
- You can cook your own chicken breasts or thighs in the crockpot, then use an electric hand mixer to shred the chicken for this recipe.
- Use canned chicken in a pinch.
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More About This Recipe
- Perfect for picnics, ideal at celebrations and just-right for any quick-fix meal, this chicken salad sandwich recipe is a balanced combination of hearty meat, crunchy celery and onion and creamy mayonnaise. If you have leftover cooked chicken from another meal, turn it into easy chicken salad. And if Thanksgiving dinner has given you more turkey than you can handle, swap it in this recipe for chicken salad to make an easy day-after meal. One commenter remarked that she omits the celery and adds in chopped apple instead. Another swaps the celery out for a tablespoon minced jalapeño peppers to add a spicy twist. Avoiding bread? This would be just as tasty served in lettuce wraps instead. Easy chicken salad is just the beginning. Dont miss out on Betty Crocker’s best sandwich and wrap recipes for more ideas.
Bread And Butter Pickles
These are a classic side dish for many dishes, but they taste exceptionally wonderful when served alongside a chicken salad.
If you want to be creative in the kitchen, try a few different baked pieces of bread or some of the more exotic flavors on offer from specialty stores like India Tree.
Add them as condiments along with mayonnaise, or use salt and pepper if that is all you have available at the time.
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How Can You Thicken Up Your Chicken Salad
Looking for a way to thicken up your chicken salad? You can tweak the dishs consistency by adding more chicken, pecans, apples, grapes, chopped celery, or even some canned chicken.
Other delicious additions for thickening up your salad include red onion, sweet pickle relish, or dried cranberry. Chicken salad is a versatile dish that you can jazz up with whatever your taste buds are craving.
Ive even seen recipes thickened with curry, Tumeric, garlic powder, and onion powder for a curried chicken salad!
How Do You Make Plain Chicken Salad
I am not opposed to gourmet chicken salad with nuts, fruit, fancy spices and dried fruit. But for a sandwich, nothing beats this basic chicken salad recipe. Just those three simple ingredients, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and no more.
If youre looking for a good, easy chicken salad recipe without celery, like my dad, this is it.
If you like your chicken salad without eggs , like I do, this will make your belly happy. Ive never really understood why people put boiled eggs in chicken salad. No thanks!
You dont really need a recipe, but Im including one at the end of this post so you can get the proportions right.
Now, Im pretty sure chicken salad is eaten everywhere from east to west, north to south and everywhere in between. But in my mind, its a quintessentially southern food, the kind of thing youll find at summer picnics or church potlucks or baby showers, served out of a big Tupperware bowl alongside the sweet tea, baked beans, potato salad, pimento cheese and mandarin orange JELL-O salad.
But no matter where yall are from, I know you can appreciate a good meal, especially a simple one that can be fancied up depending on the occasion.
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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.
Can I Use Something Other Than Grapes To Add To My Chicken Salad
Yes. I prefer grapes, but this is definitely your salad, so pick something you like best. You can get creative and change up the nuts as well. Some variations I like are: apples, mandarin oranges, pineapple, dried cranberries, and dried figs. Walnuts and pecans are also excellent nuts for chicken salad.
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Crunchy Middle Eastern Chicken Salad
The Spruce Eats / Anita Schecter
Give your chicken salad a Middle Eastern spin with this impressive recipe. Greek yogurt tahini serves as the dressing, and it’s easy to make with just a few ingredients. That’s mixed with shredded chicken, carrots, almonds, cilantro, and za’atar seasoning, which you can whip up, too. Try this salad on naan bread with baby spinach.
Why Is It Called Spanish Hamburger
Although the true name of this heirloom recipe is Spanish hamburgers, other areas of the country may know them by the name sloppy Joes. This recipe originates from my Grandma, who lived in Wisconsin. When I was a little girl, my mother told me Sloppy Joes were called Spanish Hamburgers in the North.
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What Makes This Chicken Salad Special
The secret sauce, so to speak, of this chicken salad, is the tablespoon of plum preserves my mom adds to the mayo-based dressing. You could use any berry jelly or jam, but as we always have a lot of plum jam on hand , thats what mom reaches for first.
Mom balances out the sweetness from the dab of jam with a bit of lemon juice.
The result? Wonderful!
What Are Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Chicken salad sandwiches are an American classic.
As the name implies, it is a chicken salad that is used as a filling for a sandwich, which can be made of two toasts or two slices of baguette.
The chicken salad sandwich is a great way to make use of leftovers chicken, veggies, or fruits.
Chicken meat is mixed with different kinds of chopped vegetables and fruits, like onions, apples, celery, mayo, Dijon mustard, vinegar, and other spices.
It can be made from different cuts of chicken, but the chicken breast will be a healthier option if you want to cut down some fat intake.
The mixture is served with tomato slices and/ or lettuce and bread.
This simple dish is a perfect addition to any picnic or cookout menu.
It can be eaten as a snack, breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
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