Best Chicken Salad Recipe

Name: Best Chicken Salad Recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
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)

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When it comes to making the best chicken salad, the chicken should always be the star of the show. That said, there are many additions you can make to this classic recipe that will make it just the way you like it.

half of a chicken salad sandwich with lettuce on grain bread on a white plate

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Personally, I like my chicken salad bare bones: chicken, celery, mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and granulated onion. That’s my favorite chicken salad recipe. (You can also add a squeeze of lemon juice or a pinch of cayenne pepper if you like a little heat.)

The truth is that 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.

In the restaurant, we cook chicken specifically for this dish. How we do it might surprise you, but I’ll get to that.

While you are making sandwiches, try out my tasty tuna salad recipe.

Ingredients for Chicken Salad

Gather the ingredients to prepare our deli-style chicken salad recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”

Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.

What type of chicken should I use?

When making this deli classic, you want to use a mixture of white and dark meat. The ratio is usually 60% white meat (chicken breast) and 40% dark meat (chicken thighs).

Of course, you can use whatever type of chicken you like. Some restaurants use all breast meat in their chicken salad, thinking that their customers will perceive better quality ingredients. But the truth is, those recipes lack the flavor that dark meat adds.

*Dark meat has more flavor, so I use both when I make this dish. Of course, if I have leftover chicken and it’s all breast meat, I use what I have.

Can I use Rotisserie Chicken for Chicken Salad?

Absolutely. It’s a great way to cut down on prep time, and the whole chicken can be used to make this deli classic!

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, you’re cooking the chicken in water (sort of boiling the chicken), and lots of the flavor comes out in the water. 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 will roast the meat. This would be the same if I were cooking a whole chicken or pieces with the bone in and skin on.

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts and 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs season with salt and pepper in a glass baking dish

Pat the chicken down with paper towels.
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

Your favorite fresh herbs can be a nice addition as well.

Add a little water to the bottom of the baking dish (¼ cup) and cover the dish with foil.
Place the dish on the center rack of a 350-degree F. oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a thermometer in the thickest part of the breast reads a minimum of 165 degrees.

cooked seasoned boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs in a glass baking dish on a wooden cutting board

Allow the chicken to cool for 10 -15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least one hour. If you are refrigerating for longer than one hour, cover the chicken with plastic wrap.

Cooking the chicken ahead of time is a good idea. Make it today for lunch tomorrow.

chopped chicken, diced celery and mayonnaise in a glass bowl on a wooden cutting board

When the chicken has fully cooled in the fridge, cut it up into ¼ – ½ inch pieces. I like it on the smaller side, but not so small you can’t recognize that it’s 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.

To make the chicken salad mixture, place the diced chicken in a large bowl with the celery, mayonnaise, and granulated onion (if you don’t like onion, leave it out).

I like to mix this all together so I can taste it 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
bleu cheese dressing (add hot sauce to the chicken) to make it buffalo style

overhead view of chicken salad in a glass bowl on a wooden cutting board

Taste the chicken salad and reseason with salt and black pepper if needed. Then place it 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.

Some of my other favorite salads using chicken are my Blackened Chicken Salad and Perfect Summer 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:

Carrots, roasted red peppers, onion, scallions.
Chopped olives.
Walnuts, pecans, or pistachios.
Avocado
Grapes

overhead view of salad on a white plate consisting of chopped romaine, grape tomatoes, green olives, gorgonzola cheese crumbles and big scoop of chicken salad in the middle

I love a big scoop of chicken salad on salad greens. Add your favorite dressing and toppings, and you’ve got a light, delicious lunch or dinner.

It’s also a nice filling for a stuffed tomato.

Serving Chicken Salad Sandwiches:

half of a chicken salad sandwich with lettuce on grain bread on a white plate with the other half behind it

When it comes down to it, nothing beats a good chicken salad sandwich. Whether you make a club sandwich by adding lettuce, tomato, and bacon or simply adding a slice of cheese or garden-fresh tomato slices, it’s going to be a sandwich to remember.

These Sandwiches can be served on your favorite roll, bread, or lettuce wrap. I love my chicken salad on a croissant, 21-grain bread, hoagie roll, or good old-fashioned sandwich bread.

Recipe FAQs

Can you put eggs in chicken salad?

The classic Southern recipe for chicken salad includes chopped hard-cooked eggs and dill pickle relish. This interesting combination adds a lot of flavor to the salad.

How long is chicken salad good for?

Refrigerated in airtight containers and properly stored, it will last for 3 to 5 days.

How do I fix salty chicken salad?

Adding an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar will counteract some of the saltiness. You can also add other ingredients such as avocado, hard-cooked eggs, or additional chicken and mayonnaise to cut the saltiness.