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The Best Ever Chicken Salad

June 22, 2014 by Mirlandra 16 Comments

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This chicken salad is perfect. It is moist, flavorful and has just a few hints of fruit in it. It is super easy to make your own and downright scrumptious.

Fresh yeasty rolls are stuffed with classic chicken salad. You can see shredded chicken, sauce, celery, and other green herbs in the salad.

Chicken salad and Mom.  Mom and chicken salad. They just belong together in my mind.  Growing up we often cooked chicken for dinner and had amazing sandwiches all through the following week.  Mom loved the chicken moist and succulent, with plenty of onion, pepper and plain yogurt.  Her chicken salad sandwiches were simple and practical but somehow that was part of their charm.

My chicken salad has a few more ingredients than Mom’s did but she loves mine just the same.  It’s easy to make for a big group and it’s always a hit.  Plan for the platter to get wiped clean.

Use Good quality chicken for the best chicken salad

The first step to a good chicken salad is quality chicken.  We have a rotisserie so I often cook mine on that or roast it carefully in the oven.  You can also buy a rotisserie bird at the store of course.  I won’t tell.   I think texture is important in chicken salad so I tear the chicken instead of cutting it into cubes.  It has a better mouth feel and all the crevices in the torn chicken hold the sauce better than cubes.

Tips for chicken salad ingredients

1.  Try including the celery leaves when you do the veggies.  It’s delicious and beautiful!

2.  If you can get garlic chives that’s awesome but they are hard to find in stores.  I grow my own on a start from my mom’s plant. Click Here to buy seeds and start your own plant.

3.  I like to mince up some fresh fern leaf dill in mine (think of it as a hint of pickle flavor without the pickle) but if you don’t care for dill leave it out.

4.  If you can’t find sweet onion cut up some regular onion, rinse it under running water to remove bitter juices, pat dry and add with everything else.  I get great sweet onions year round at Costco.

5.  I serve nuts on the side because it’s a big allergy issue for some. (Try these 5 minute lightly candied pecans!)

6.  My amazing sister-in-law, Rachel, adds halved seedless grapes to her chicken salad and it’s delightful.  The grapes are crunchy and refreshing.  If you want to mix it up with grapes I suggest about 1 cup.  Remember they don’t hold as well for leftovers.

Usually I serve the chicken salad on a plate with bread on the side.  For potlucks or picnics I want something simpler so I bake fresh rolls and stuff the salad inside to make little sliders.  They are very tasty and easy to grab.  This is also one of my Go To ideas when I have a crowd of kids to feed.  Usually when I’m making it for kids I leave the onions out or put in very little.

Chicken salad was meant to be played with, experimented on, and re-invented to suit your fancy.  Use these measurements as a base and enjoy creating a new dish every time you make it.  Maybe you should share some with your mom too…

A close up of chicken salad. Big chunks of shredded chicken are mixed with dried cranberries, celery, herbs and a mayo-yogurt sauce.

Fresh yeasty rolls are stuffed with classic chicken salad. You can see shredded chicken, sauce, celery, and other green herbs in the salad.
Print Pin
3.91 from 11 votes

Chicken Salad

This chicken salad is perfect. It is moist, flavorful and has just a few hints of fruit in it. It is super easy to make your own and downright scrumptious.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 6 Servings
Calories 155kcal

Ingredients

  • ¾ lbs shredded chicken
  • 1 stalk of celery chopped small (including the leaves)
  • 2 green onions
  • 2 slices of sweet onion chopped small
  • 3-6 leaves garlic chives minced or 2 Tablespoons of regular chives, minced
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries preferably Craisins
  • ¼ cup light mayo
  • ¼ cup Greek honey yogurt
  • 2-4 Tablespoons fresh fernleaf dill minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Put everything in a mixing bowl.
  • Mix gently until combined. Taste for salt and pepper, adjust if needed.
  • Chill for a few hours so everything can marinate a bit.
  • Serve with a dish of sliced almonds or other favorite nuts.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Chicken Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 155 Calories from Fat 54
% Daily Value*
Fat 6g9%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 55mg18%
Sodium 460mg19%
Potassium 174mg5%
Carbohydrates 5g2%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 65IU1%
Vitamin C 0.7mg1%
Calcium 11mg1%
Iron 0.4mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

PIN FOR LATER

chicken salad promo image

 

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mirim

    September 27, 2014 at 9:11 am

    These pictures are amazing. I think I can smell those rolls. I’m learning not to read your blog on an empty stomach!

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      September 27, 2014 at 9:49 pm

      I learned not to spend time editing my food photos on an empty stomach!

      Reply
  2. The Better Baker

    October 17, 2015 at 9:10 pm

    Looks mighty tasty! Thanks so much for sharing your awesome recipes with us at Weekend Potluck. =)

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      October 19, 2015 at 10:15 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  3. Lorena

    October 19, 2015 at 11:31 am

    I made a few changes based on what I had in my kitchen. Substituted a tables Dijon mustard for the dill and chives and I added lightly sauteed, cooled red onion. Delicious!! BTW, my niece is Aleisha E 🙂

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      October 19, 2015 at 10:17 pm

      Oh yum! That sounds like a great final combo. You are a lucky aunt indeed – she is a wonderful young woman!

      Reply
  4. The Better Baker

    October 23, 2015 at 5:43 am

    We are SO happy you share your delectable dishes with us at Weekend Potluck. I’m here to tell you this awesome recipe received most clicks at last week’s party. YAY you! Can’t wait to see what you share this week. Blessings on your weekend.

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      October 23, 2015 at 12:14 pm

      Wow! I’m so happy so many people enjoyed the recipe. My mom will be touched to see it so enjoyed!

      Reply
  5. Elizabeth

    October 24, 2015 at 2:17 pm

    #OMG Chicken Salad!

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      October 26, 2015 at 6:08 am

      Pretty much!

      Reply
  6. Melinda

    October 24, 2015 at 5:54 pm

    It looks delicious! I am looking for recipes with very low fat, due to high cholesterol.

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      October 26, 2015 at 6:09 am

      I think this one has a lot of flexibility with lower fat ingredients. I hope that helps!

      Reply
  7. Judy

    October 25, 2015 at 7:16 pm

    I like chicken salad too but [email protected] herbed dressing sounds better than all mayo…I will definitely be making this, Thank you.

    Reply
    • Mirlandra

      October 26, 2015 at 6:11 am

      I hope you like it! I enjoy mayo a lot but this version has so many more flavors and is less heavy. It is always a home run at our house.

      Reply

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Welcome!  I’m Mirlandra

I provide real dinner solutions so busy women can kick kitchen overwhelm to the curb and learn to make simple, healthy dinners to fit any schedule and family.

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