Hang onto those last days of summer with easy chicken salad alfresco! My family loves having a little picnic in the yard or even taking our chicken salad sandwiches with grapes over to the park for a fun day.
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Best Chicken Salad Recipe
The best chicken salad recipe comes from taking simple and fresh ingredients and throwing them together. It has a tangy flavor from Dijon mustard and fresh dill that everyone will love.
Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
Do you know this chicken salad recipe has less than 10 ingredients? Excluding salt and pepper to taste, that makes just 7 ingredients. It’s so easy you’ll be ready to embark on your picnic in no time!
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Rotisserie chicken – Now you will never let one of those succulent chickens go to waste. Serve the chicken for dinner the night before and save the rest of the meat for your rotisserie chicken salad recipe! Canned chicken can be used but my family prefers rotisserie or grilled chicken to make chicken salad.
- Celery – Adds a nice contrast of texture and savory flavor.
- Mayonnaise – Makes it creamy for the perfect chicken salad dressing.
- Dijon mustard – Adds a zing to the taste.
- Fresh dill – It has such an appealing aroma and flavor that gives this chicken salad a country-club-style on a familiar classic.
How to Make Chicken Salad from Scratch
This classic chicken salad recipe makes it easy to make a refreshing and nutritious lunch from scratch. Simply chop up your flavorful rotisserie chicken, add the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, and mix. There really is nothing to it except using fresh ingredients!
How do you make chicken salad sandwiches from scratch?
It’s so easy to make chicken salad sandwiches from scratch in your kitchen! Rotisserie chicken makes it even better plus the addition of green onions for a contrast and crunchy celery. Dijon mustard and mayo add a creamy texture and lemon juice adds the acidity to unite it all together. Mix these ingredients and serve them on your favorite bread!
Expert Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Chicken Salad
- Use any chicken – If you don’t have rotisserie chicken, you can utilize leftover chicken from the grill or cooked chicken breasts. It shouldn’t be breaded or saucy though as that will interfere with the flavor.
- You can use another type of onion – This Southern chicken salad recipe calls for green onions but don’t worry if you don’t have them. Red onions would also do nicely, though white ones might overpower the flavor.
- Make sure everything is bite-size – You don’t want your chicken, celery, or onions to be more than a mouthful!
- For the health conscious – you can substitute the regular mayonnaise with light mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt.
Why is my chicken salad dry?
If your chicken is dry, your chicken salad will have a dry texture. Adding more mayonnaise isn’t the solution, but rather, adding an element like lemon juice instantly elevates the texture and taste.
How do you keep chicken salad from getting watery?
It’s best to eat your chicken salad as quickly as possible to prevent it from going watery. Adding in fresh veggies like celery and onions can make it runny. If you make it ahead and find it’s a bit watery, add just a little more mayo to balance it out.
What Goes with Chicken Salad? (Side Dishes)
Round out your perfect picnic and serve your chicken salad with grapes, potato chips, macaroni salad, potato salad, dill pickles, or even take along a thermos of tomato bisque, creamy potato and bacon, or broccoli and cheese soup.
A salad is not a meal. It is a style.
Fran Lebowitz
How can I make canned chicken taste good?
While this is not a canned chicken salad recipe, you can use canned chicken if that’s what you have. You can make it taste good by adding lemon juice, crunchy celery, and green onions. Also, the mixture of Dijon mustard and mayonnaise can mask the taste of canned chicken.
What can I add to store bought chicken salad?
Turn store bought chicken salad into a chicken salad recipe with grapes to give it more moisture if it’s dry. Toss in fresh tarragon, dill, or other herbs too to elevate the flavor.
How to Store Chicken Salad
Chicken salad can remain in your fridge for up to a week in an airtight container. That makes it perfect for everyone to make their own sandwiches as they see fit. It doesn’t freeze well though so keep it only in your fridge and don’t make more than you can eat in a week!
Other Ways to Serve Chicken Salad
I love filling fresh breads with chicken salad to make sandwiches. Served with lettuce, onion, and tomato on toasted bread is perfect, but you can take out the bread and wrap it in lettuce, or serve a scoop on top of a bed of lettuce too for the perfect chicken salad sandwich recipe. My kids love to make chicken salad with grapes to add a refreshing sweetness.
Another great way to serve chicken salad is to scoop out a tomato or halve an avocado and fill them up. Celery and cucumbers are other ways to replace the bread and enjoy the deliciousness of chicken salad.
Is eating chicken salad healthy for you?
This simple chicken salad recipe uses fresh ingredients, making it a nutritious and delicious option. If you want to cut more calories, you can substitute light mayonnaise for a more healthy chicken salad recipe.
Is it OK to freeze chicken salad?
You can freeze chicken salad. However, chicken salad doesn’t bode well in the freezer. We recommend consuming your supply within 3-4 days.
How long does homemade chicken salad last?
Chicken salad will last about a week in an airtight container in your fridge. It’s convenient for grab-and-go lunches for everyone in the family.
