Chicken Salad Recipe
101 Ways to Make Chicken Salad
Making chicken salad on a hot summer night couldn’t be easier especially if you have leftover roasted chicken from the night before. Whether you roast the chicken yourself or buy a rotisserie chicken at your local market, one of the best ways to use up leftovers is cut it up to pieces and make chicken salad.
There must be 101 ways to make chicken salad depending on what you have on hand to toss into it. I’m sure everyone has a favorite recipe from his or her mom or great aunt but in our house, we usually go with what’s on hand or in the refrigerator and get creative.
Basically, chicken salad is chicken, chopped up vegetables; some sort of fruit and a dressing that typically has mayonnaise associated with it. A classic chicken salad could be just chicken, celery, mayo and salt & pepper. That’s it. That simple.
Instead of giving you exact recipe with measured out ingredients, I’d wanted to give you some ideas as to what you can try in your own recipe. I’m not giving you measurements because I never make the same chicken salad twice and really don’t have them. I suppose if you come up with the most amazing homemade chicken salad recipe ever, you may want to write it down so you can make it again some time.
This list is by no means exhausted but it’s a good start. I encourage you to experiment with all your favorite ingredients and if you come up with something special, add it to the comments below.
A Few Simple Suggestions
- Don’t add too many additional ingredients. – Sometimes less is more. You want to combine various ingredients that work well together but don’t completely overpower the flavor of the chicken. They are there to add flavor, color and texture but if you put too many of them together, it will really confuse your taste buds.
- Prepare all the non-dressing ingredients together separately from the dressing ingredients. – You want the chicken, vegetables and fruit to be balanced just like you want the dressing to be balanced. If you are simply using mayonnaise, the task is easy, but if you start adding other ingredients to the mayo, it gets a little trickier.
- Don’t add all the dressing to the chicken mixture at one time. You don’t want to overpower the chicken with dressing. It is easier to add more than try to remove excess dressing and remember nothing is worse than an over dressed salad.
- Customize the mayonnaise by adding ingredients that you like and will work with the rest of the ingredients.
- Check for seasonings at the end especially salt and pepper.
- Chicken salad makes great sandwiches, you can also serve it with a salad or on a bed of lettuce. – The art of making a great chicken salad sandwich has as much to do with the type of bread you are serving it on, but that’s a subject for another blog. Since my wife isn’t eating bread these days, we typically serve it with a salad. I eat the leftovers on bread the next day if there is any left.
Classic Chicken Salad Ingredient Suggestions besides the Chicken and Mayonnaise
Celery
Onion
Carrot
Peppers
Seedless grapes
Alternative Ingredients
Toasted almond slivers
Capers – drained
Chopped sweet pickles or pickle relish
Water chestnuts
Hard-boiled eggs, chopped
Nuts – walnuts, pecans, cashews, pine nuts, sesame seeds
Fruits- apple slices, pear, raisins, cranberries, craisins, tomato, avocado, olives, mandarin oranges, cherries
Vegetables – asparagus, cucumber,
Cheese – hard cheese, grated or thin slices of soft cheese
Mayonnaise Additions
Herbs – basil, parsley, tarragon, chervil, chives, sage, mint
Spices – ginger, dry mustard, honey mustard, paprika, oregano
Chutney
Jam or preserves
Honey
Citrus juice – lemon, orange, grapefruit
Peanut butter
Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Hot Sauce
Maple syrup
Yogurt
What Are Your Favorite Ingredient Combinations
Let me know how you like your chicken salad in the comments section below.
on June 29th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Just found your site, it’s great! Fave chicken salad is chicken, toasted almond slivers, grapes, green pepper and green onion in mayo w/lots of chopped tarragon. Any suggestions for low-fat mayo that doesn’t turn runny in the salad after the second day?
on June 29th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
Chicken salad is rather like a blank canvas to me. All sort of possibilities and no shortage of new ideas. I always cut my mayonnaise by 1/2 and replace with low fat sour cream. It has a really fresh creamy taste without being oily or too high in fat!
on July 1st, 2007 at 11:23 am
I put curry and raisins in my basic chicken salad.
on July 2nd, 2007 at 6:52 pm
I have my brother, Joe, to thank for this chicken salad variation. Start with leftover roasted chicken meat. Saute some diced bacon (1/2 cup or so) until chewy, or crispy, depending on how you like it. Remove bacon from pan, drain onpaper towels. Remove all but 1 Tbs bacon grease from pan. Saute finely diced red pepper and onion until soft in bacon grease. Meanwhile, roast some pecan pieces until lightly browned. Toss all ingredients together with mayo, salt and pepper and maybe throw in some dried cherries. Each time I make this, it is a little different, but the combination is fantastic and always better the next day after the flavors have had time to marry. Enjoy!
on August 21st, 2007 at 2:45 pm
I am working to try and replicate a delicious chicken salad my cousin made and will not share. It had grapes and cashews and was very sweet with a little tangy buzz. Any suggestions to make my quest shorter? right now I am just doing trial and error and I think my problem is in the spice arena (I am terrible at detecting exact spices) Any Ideas on a spice combination that will add a sweet tangy flavor? I wish I could be more specific.
on August 24th, 2007 at 1:06 pm
I add chipotle chili powder to the mayo- it adds a nice sweet and smoky element with a slight bit of heat.
on October 23rd, 2007 at 12:29 pm
i just found your site and I got 2 recipe’s to take home and try and hopefully they will be as good as they look. I’m looking forward to trying them. thank you
on February 14th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
I love your recipes. I found your site 3 yrs ago and love love the recipes. Very simple and yummy. Thanks!
on May 8th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I love to add sour cream with my mayo to cut out the richness and tang. Also, tarragon adds a nice flavor. Don’t forget the grapes and toasted pecans. Yummy!!!!
on June 5th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
um, for a sweet tangy flavor use pineapple bits and the juice. This goes great with chicken salad that has dark purple grapes and nuts
on August 16th, 2008 at 12:45 am
Very helpful! Another good additional ingredient to try is sunflower seeds.
on September 11th, 2008 at 12:39 am
hi i am a hotel management student and i tried this recipe .Really its nice aroma with good taste with the addition of white wine.
on November 27th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Here’s a quick chicken salad - indian style
- slivers of boiled chicken (or small cubes if you so like
- diced tomatoes and onions
- a bit of green sprouts (optional)
- chopped fresh coriander and/or mint
- salt, dry cumin powder, pepper, dry mango powder (amchoor)
- and lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice…
proportions of everything else - depends on your taste…!
its yummy…
ps- if you get something called”chat masala” at a store near by..then replace all dry spices with this….it works better.
on November 30th, 2008 at 11:48 am
I especially like the “mayo/sour cream” idea from a couple of the responses. I think I’ll try this, and of course the pecans and purple grapes that I’ve already had from my aunt’s recipe!
on June 8th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
I usually substitute tuna for the chicken, use pepper instead of salt, and basil instead of pepper.
on July 1st, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Winston Smith: That would be a tuna salad, not a substitution.
I’m going to try this mayo/sour cream duo tonight and see how that works out. Great suggestion!
on July 11th, 2009 at 3:24 am
Wow ! Simply delicious salad recipe.
Tks so much for sharing. God bless you.
Ileen
on July 18th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
I mix together chicken, diced green (Granny Smith) apple, celery, mayo and some dried minced onion, salt and pepper. It needs to sit until the minced onion softens. It’s pretty good.
on July 24th, 2009 at 6:20 pm
I make a chicken salad with cubed chicken cubed cantaloupe green seedless grapes Toasted slivered almonds with a honey mayo dressing. I sometimes add a few drops of sesame oil to the mayo for an oriental flavor.
on October 12th, 2009 at 10:46 am
My chicken salad was always missing something until I added honey. I use about a teaspoon full. More/Less depending on amount of servings. It is perfect now!
on October 12th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Hi Katie, great tip. Thanks for sharing it with us.
on January 10th, 2010 at 7:28 pm
I mix a small carton of non-fat plain yogurt with about 1/4 cup or so of mayo to cut down on the fat and calories.
Great suggestion Nancy. Thanks for sharing. - RG
on January 13th, 2010 at 8:01 am
I used to live down south and the best chicken salads in “ladies tea rooms” always had heavy cream in them as well! Rich and slightly sweet .
Hi Carrie, thanks for that tip. - RG
on February 21st, 2010 at 2:40 pm
Nice basic stuff. I use KFC grilled chicken with mayo, sour cream and crasins. Give it a try the expense is well worth it.
Sounds interesting. Do you remove the heavy breading on the chicken? - RG
on March 2nd, 2010 at 1:57 pm
This is a great site with lots of ideas! I prepare my chicken salad with chopped onion, celery, apple and enough mayo (you can use veganaise, etc.) to taste without being excessive. What makes it delicious and special is the addition of a seasoning mix called Veggie Grill by Weber and smoked paprika to taste…everyone says YUM! A little salt and pepper and you’re done. It really does taste outstanding with those two special ingredients.
Hi Bobbye, thanks for the suggestions. - RG
on May 31st, 2010 at 10:06 pm
I will try your chicken salad recipe. I used seasoned chopped chicken breast, sweet relish.Dill, sweet and kosher pickles. Red, orange and green bell peppers which enhance the flavor and give it a beautiful color. I also used apples and eggs. Miracle whip.
Hi Hazel, I love sweet relish. I was just suggesting my wife add some to her potato salad sometime to see how it would taste. She adds slices of sweet gherkins to top it off so why not try some relish. As a kid I loved Miracle Whip but now find it a bit too sweet. - RG
on June 19th, 2010 at 10:58 am
I add a small amount of Dijon or spicy mustard since we like a little kick to ours.
Sounds good Barbara - RG
on June 25th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
I was once out of mayo and yogurt, but had a little Tzatziki sauce (Greek dipping sauce for meats). I used that. It’s thinner than mayo, so I used only a few tablespoons, tossed in some red grapes, diced red onion, and voila! Serve the chicken salad with sliced cucumbers, and a bed of arugula or romaine in a wrap, and you have an interesting, tasty alternative to beef/lamb.
Sound delicious Jennifer, thanks for the suggestion. - RG
on August 12th, 2010 at 1:45 am
I just found your site searching for my “new” favorite chicken salad. I have my basic recipe down but it was always missing something. Someone from an earlier post mentioned cashews. That’s it! Cashews add a nuttier, sweet taste to the salad. I use leftover chicken (grilled, baked, etc) if I have it or canned, grapes (red seem to taste better), celery, yellow onion, a touch of cranberries, salad dressing, and a couple of tablespoons of cole slow dressing. The cole slaw dressing gives it a tangy/sweet taste. I spice it up with salt, pepper, and something called Bad Byron’s Butt Rub (it’s excellent on ribs, etc when smoking or grilling). The addition of cashews is what put it over the top. Thanks for the article.
You are welcome West Texas Gal - RG