Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 40 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 4 sandwiches
Chicken salad sandwiches are always a hit, especially for a quick summer lunch or dinner. They're also an excellent addition to picnics, potlucks, and casual parties. This southern-style chicken salad is delicious, thanks to a few flavor-boosting ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. Plus it's incredibly quick and easy to whip up.
How to Cook Chicken for Chicken Salad—You Have Options!
The recipe includes two ways to cook chicken: baked or poached. Either way, plan on two or three chicken breasts, depending on their size.
It also works with leftover cooked chicken (both light and dark meat), so if you have roasted chicken or grilled chicken, feel free to use that.
Or pick up a rotisserie chicken from your grocer. You can even use canned chicken.
These Ingredients Give Chicken Salad a Ton of Flavor
A common complaint about chicken salad is that it's too bland. Fortunately, all you need to avoid ho-hum chicken salad is a few kitchen staples:
- Dill pickle relish: One of the secrets to homestyle southern chicken salad is the chopped dill pickle relish, which adds lots of flavor and a tanginess that livens things up. If you don’t have dill relish, use finely chopped dill pickles (hamburger slices work, too) and add a little of the pickle juice to the salad.
- Chopped hard-boiled egg: Another secret of southern cooks is adding chopped hard-boiled eggs to chicken salad, which add a wonderful richness and creaminess.
- Chopped red onion and celery: Finely chopped onions and celery add a delicious crunch to chicken salad.
- Mayonnaise: Whether you prefer homemade mayonnaise or perhaps the southern favorite, Duke’s, don’t be shy about adding plenty of mayo for a moist, rich-tasting chicken salad.
What Can I Use Instead of Mayo in Chicken Salad?
If you want something lighter: Try using a combination of plain Greek yogurt and mayo.
If you want it to be tangy: Use a combination of Greek yogurt and a bit of sour cream.
If you want it to be egg-free: Try a plant-based mayo.
If you love avocados: Try mashing up an avocado or two and using it in place of the mayo.
How to Serve Chicken Salad
This chicken salad is wonderful in lettuce-lined buns. It’s also delicious in sandwiches made with plain loaf bread, croissants, freshly baked biscuits, or wraps.
Serve chicken salad sandwiches with a side of sliced tomatoes, chips, or a cup of soup. To make them part of a family supper, go with french fries and coleslaw or a tossed salad.
Or skip the bread and serve your chicken salad on a bed of lettuce or mixed greens, atop a simple salad with sliced avocado or tomato wedges, or wrapped in lettuce leaves.
«The recipe is simple to prepare and creates a classic chicken salad sandwich. It’s a great way to use leftover chicken breasts. A food chopper makes it even quicker and ensures the ingredients are uniformly sized. Clean-up was minimal, and ingredients were inexpensive, so it’s a versatile recipe to have around.» —Colleen Graham
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
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1 1/2 cups chopped cooked chicken or 2 or 3 raw boneless chicken breasts for baking or poaching
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3 tablespoons finely chopped red or yellow onion
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1/4 cup finely chopped celery
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1 large hard-boiled egg, chopped
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1/3 to 1/2 cup mayonnaise, as needed to moisten the salad
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1 tablespoon dill pickle relish
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1/4 teaspoon fine salt (or seasoned salt to taste)
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1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
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8 slices bread
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Lettuce
Steps to Make It
Note: While there are multiple ways to cook chicken, we've outlined two of our favorite methods to cook it for this chicken salad recipe. You will need to cook 2 or 3 boneless chicken breasts depending on the size.
Option 1: Bake the Chicken
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To bake boneless chicken breasts, preheat the oven to 350 F. Line a baking pan with foil.
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Arrange the chicken on the pan and season lightly with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Bake until the chicken registers 160 F on a food thermometer. Depending on the size and thickness of the boneless chicken breasts, it will take 22 to 30 minutes. Let cool and chop.
Option 2: Poach the Chicken
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To poach boneless chicken breasts, place chicken in a single layer in a deep skillet or sauté pan with a lid.
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If desired, add some herbs and chopped aromatic vegetables, such as onions, garlic, or carrots. Cover the chicken with water (about 1/2 to 1 inch above the chicken breasts) and bring to a boil over high heat.
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Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pan, and continue cooking for 8 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken pieces.
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Check the chicken breasts with a food thermometer to ensure the thickest part of the chicken has reached at least 160 F. Let cool and chop.
Make the Chicken Salad
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Once you've cooked and cooled the chicken, chop it into bite-size pieces and gather the rest of the ingredients.
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In a medium bowl, combine the cooked, chopped chicken, onion, celery, and egg. Stir to combine.
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Add 1/3 cup of mayonnaise, the dill pickle relish, salt, and pepper to the chicken. Stir to blend well.
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Add more mayonnaise to moisten, if desired.
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Serve on bread with lettuce and enjoy.
How To Store
- Store any leftover chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- While it's safe to freeze chicken salad, the texture will suffer so we do not recommend it.
Recipe Variations
- Add herbs: Add 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs, such as chives, thyme, dill, or parsley.
- Spice it up: Give the salad a spicy kick with a 1/4 teaspoon or so of cayenne pepper or a squirt of sriracha, adjusted to taste.
- Punch up the flavor: Try it with 1 teaspoon of either garlic or onion powder.
- Make it with mustard: Add about 1/2 teaspoon of Dijon or whole grain mustard to the mayonnaise mixture.
- Sweeten it up: Replace the dill pickle relish with sweet pickle relish or finely chopped sweet pickles, such as bread and butter pickles.
- Add nuts: Add chopped toasted pecans to the salad for a satisfying crunch.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 4 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 493 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 31g | 39% |
| Saturated Fat 6g | 30% |
| Cholesterol 106mg | 35% |
| Sodium 703mg | 31% |
| Total Carbohydrate 33g | 12% |
| Dietary Fiber 2g | 9% |
| Total Sugars 5g | |
| Protein 20g | |
| Vitamin C 2mg | 11% |
| Calcium 119mg | 9% |
| Iron 4mg | 20% |
| Potassium 295mg | 6% |
| *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice. | |
