When it comes to chicken salad, the star of the show should always be the chicken. With that being said there are many additions you can make to this classic American dish that will make it just the way you like it.
Personally I like my chicken salad bare bones. Chicken, celery, mayonaise, salt, pepper and granulated onion.
Serve it on my favorite 21-grain bread and I’m a happy chef! Of course, I wouldn’t say no to this delicious chicken salad on a buttery croissant…sigh.
The truth is making a classic dish like chicken salad shouldn’t be difficult. There are no special cooking techniques to master this dish. And in fact it can be made of any leftover chicken you have on hand.
But in the restaurant we cook chicken specifically for this dish. And how we cook it might surprise you. But I’ll get to that.
What do you need to make Chicken Salad?
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Chicken Salad. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
What type of chicken should I use for Chicken Salad?
When making chicken salad you want white and dark meat. The ratio is usually 60% white meat (breast) and 40% dark meat (thighs).
Of course you can use whatever type of chicken you like. Some restaurants use all breast meat thinking that their customers will think its a better quality.
The truth is there is more flavor in dark meat and that’s why I use both when I make this dish. Of course, if I have leftover chicken and its all breast meat, I use what I have.
It’s all about adapting the recipe to the ingredients you have on hand.
How should I cook the chicken?
Many recipes will tell you to poach the chicken. Which means cooking it in water or stock on the stovetop. So basically your cooking the chicken in water (sort of boiling the chicken), and lots of the flavor comes out in the water. And some chicken can get a little rubbery cooking this way.
If I’m making soup this is fine. But if I’m making chicken for a salad topping or chicken salad I’m going to roast the meat. This would be the same if I was cooking a whole chicken or pieces with the bone in and skin on.
First coat the chicken with a little olive oil (or cooking oil of your choice), season with sea salt and black pepper.
Feel free to use any seasoning you like, to create your own flavor of chicken salad. These are some of the different spices I’ve used.
- cajun seasoning
- lemon pepper
- old bay
- taco seasoning
Add a little water to the bottom of the baking dish (1/4 cup) and cover the dish with foil. Place the dish in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads a minimum of 165 degrees.
When the chicken is fully cooked, allow it to cool for a 5 -10 minutes. When the chicken has sufficiently cooled, place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to full chill.
Cooking the chicken ahead of time is a good idea. Make it today for lunch tomorrow.
When the chicken has fully cooled in the fridge, you can cut it up into 1/4 – 1/2 inch pieces. I like it on the smaller side, but not so small you can’t recognize that its chicken.
And don’t get me started on the ground chicken version, I have teeth and want to see what kind of chicken you’re using. If it’s ground it could be anything.
Place the diced chicken into a large bowl with the celery, mayo and granulated onion (if you don’t like onion leave it out).
I like to mix this all together before I reseason with sea salt and black pepper.
What can I use besides mayonnaise?
- plain Greek yogurt
- ranch dressing
- combination of sour cream (or Greek yogurt) and mayonnaise
- blue cheese dressing (add hot sauce to the chicken) to make it buffalo style
Reseason if needed, then place the finished chicken salad in the fridge for a few hours to let the flavors build.
Making it early in the day or a day ahead of time will give you a better tasting chicken salad.
What else can I add to Chicken Salad?
I’ve seen a lot of other ingredients show up in this American Classic, here are some of my favorites:
- added vegetables: carrots, roasted red peppers, onion, scallions
- chopped olives
- walnuts, pecans or pistachios
- avocado
I love a big scoop of chicken salad on a tossed salad. Add your favorite dressing and salad ingredients and you’ve got a light, delicious lunch or dinner.
It’s also a nice filling for a stuffed tomato.
But when it gets right down to it, nothing beats a good chicken salad sandwich and it plays well with other ingredients. Bacon, tomato and cheese are some of my favorite add ons, when I’m feeling a little adventurous.
And anyway you make your sandwich is okay with me. Use a roll, your favorite bread, a pita or a toasted flour tortilla.
If you enjoyed this recipe, you may also like these:
- Restaurant Style Shrimp Salad
- Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich
- Blackened Salmon Sliders
- Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese
Restaurant Style Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 16 oz chicken breast boneless skinless – ¼ – ½ dice
- 12 oz chicken thigh boneless skinless – ¼ – ½ dice
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp granulated onion optional
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise more or less as desired
- 3 stalks celery small dice- more if desired
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Lightly oil the chicken breasts and thighs. Season with sea salt, black pepper and granulated onion. Place in a baking dish and lightly cover with foil. Bake at 350 degrees f for 25- 30 minutes or until the temperature in the thickest part of the breast reaches at least 165 degrees.
- Allow chicken to cool for for 10 minutes, then refrigerate for at least one hour.
- When chicken has chilled, dice the breasts and thighs into pieces ¼ – about ½ inch.
- In a large mixing bowl add the diced chicken, celery and mayonnaise. Mix all the ingredients together well, cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.The chicken salad will taste better the next day as all the flavors fully mingle.
- Taste and reseason as needed with salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Jamie Allen
I’m diabetic, and I love chicken salad. How many Carbs do you think is in 1/2?
Chef Dennis Littley
I don’t think there is a lot in the chicken salad, it would be in the bread. These days I eat my chicken salad on a salad, I’m pre-diabetic
Diana
I’ve seen granulated onion called for in other recipes and don’t know what it is. I’ve looked for it in the grocery store spice/herb section, but have had no luck finding it. Is there a substitute for it? This looks like a tasty recipe and really want to try it. Thaks!
Chef Dennis Littley
its basically onion powder these days. There was a time when onion powder was actually powder and would clump in recipes, which is why many called for granulated. I guess the spice industry finally figured it out, but they still call it onion powder.
Trish
Thank you Chef Dennis for teaching me to finally make tender chicken breast! We always grill it to use in dishes but it’s been really tough the past few times. Your recipe made my chicken juicy and tender (I had to cook it 40 minutes to get to 165 degrees) and will be my new go-to. I was making tacos this time so I haven’t tried your chicken salad recipe but I’m sure it’s delicious. Thanks so much for sharing your expertise!
Rashmi
Wow so good!
Nancy Heinritz Howell
I like my chicken salad with halved green grapes and chopped pecans mixed in just before serving, then sliced avocado on top.
Connie
I love a nice cold chicken salad sandwich and how easy it is to prepare. Not much effort required for a quick yet amazing lunch.
Debra
Love all the suggestions to make this classic chicken salad to your tastes. So many great tips. Thanks.
Jo
Oh perfect! Love this salad. It looks so delicious sandwiched between bread.
Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
Your recipe for chicken salad looks so good. Love the flavours that you have used and the tips for variations.
Paige
This looks and tastes exactly like restaurant chicken salad! So good!
Elaine
This is literally a life saver. There is just nothing better than a good old chicken salad that you can use in so many different and delicious ways. Can’t wait to experiment with your recipe now.
Jenny
Your chicken salad recipe is just what I needed today. It is so easy and looks absolutely delish! I am making it today. for lunch.
Heidy
This recipe for the chicken salad was amazing! I loved the tips for adding additional ingredients and decided to add a few pistachios. That was a huge hit with the children, This recipe is a game-changer for chicken salad. I am saving this recipe link to share with my friends. I bet they will love it too.
Lathiya
The chicken salad look scrumptious. I loved how you made this delicious dish with minimum ingredients.
Diane Policastro
I love these recipes.
Anna
Loved reading all your helpful tips for how to cook the chicken. During this time of the year, I eat mainly salads for lunch or dinner, so this one is being added to my meal planning to try!
Patrice
Love all your tips and variations on this classic dish!
Leslie
I never thought to add dark meat with my chicken salad. Great idea!
Jen Talley
I really enjoyed reading all your tips for cooking the chicken! I love chicken salad!
Michele Peterson
Thanks for the tip on baking rather than poaching the chicken. It made a big difference in flavour and texture! And I so agree about ground chicken. It’s a no-go for me!
Lizet Bowen
I always poached my chicken, and I didn’t realize I was loosing a lot of the flavor. I will try your method next time. Thanks for the great tips!
Gloria Duggan
I have always loved chicken salad…even from a kid. Always a hit. Easy to make…and always delicious to eat. In fact, I try to make extra chicken so I can make chicken salad sandwiches.
Marina
This chicken sandwich looks so amazing, great lunch recipe
Emily Flint
This chicken salad did not disappoint. Your tip to bake the chicken instead of poaching was just what this dish needed!
Sue
Yes! Dark meat has so much flavor – I love the idea of combining both white and dark meat to make this. I’m definitely a fan of a classic chicken salad on a buttery croissant – can’t resist!
Jas @ All that's Jas
Love that this classic chicken salad can be made from scratch and from leftover chicken. Restaurant-style dish with just a few ingredients and a little effort is always a plus in my book. 🙂
Maren
Chicken salads are such a great summer meal!