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Start with leftover chicken and this Chicken Salad Recipe takes just 5 minutes to toss together. Ideal for meal prep or a quick make-ahead lunch idea, this Chicken Salad can be dressed up with your favorite mix-ins and herbs.
Meggan’s notes
Some recipes are perfect as-is and don’t need to be reinvented a million ways. As a classically trained chef, I knew I could deliver a chicken salad recipe that tastes exactly the way you remember it should, and it doesn’t need to reimagined for the modern world.
Toss it together in 5 minutes or less or slather on a flaky croissant, crunchy toast, or buttery crackers. It’s also delicious on grilled bread as a Chicken Salad Melt! Looking to switch it up? Try Curry Chicken Salad or Tuna Salad instead.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for Chicken Salad
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Mayonnaise: I love Hellman’s, Duke’s, and Best Foods, but any brand will work. (Just skip Miracle Whip or other mayo-style dressings.) Not a fan of mayo? Simply use an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt.
- Lemon juice: This citrusy, acidic element makes the flavors really pop. You could also opt for any kind of vinegar, like white vinegar, champagne vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Celery seed: I really like celery seed in chicken salad. But if you don’t have it and you don’t want to buy it, feel free to omit it entirely.
- Chicken: Leftover rotisserie chicken or even extra Cajun Chicken works great in this recipe. (Starting from scratch with a package of chicken breasts? See below; I’ll walk you through how to cook the protein for this Chicken Salad.) Come Thanksgiving, try this same concept with leftover turkey instead of chicken.
How to Make Homemade Chicken Salad
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery seed, salt, and freshly ground black pepper (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ pepper).
- Add chicken, celery, and parsley. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving.
Classic Chicken Salad Recipe Tips & Variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 7 ½ cups of Chicken Salad, enough for 10 sandwiches, wraps, or salads with ¾ cup Chicken Salad per person.
- Paleo and Whole30 Compatible: Use an approved mayonnaise such as Primal Kitchen Mayo and enjoy your salad on lettuce or endive leaves.
- Curried Chicken Salad: My favorite Chicken Salad variation has a touch of curry powder and a pile of sweet red grapes.
- Mix things up: Try folding in halved grapes, cubes of apple, or chopped toasted walnuts or toasted pecans. I also love swapping the celery and celery seed for either red onion and lemon pepper seasoning OR toasted walnuts and dried cranberries.
- More deli salads: If you love this Chicken Salad, you might also love my Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, Ham Salad, classic Potato Salad, and my favorite Macaroni Salad.
- Plan a Perfect Picnic: My ideal picnic menu features this Chicken Salad on buttery croissants. I love California Pasta Salad and a classic Fruit Salad on the side, Chocolate Chip Cookies for dessert, and a fresh White Sangria for sipping.
How to serve the Best Chicken Salad Recipe
Transfer extra Chicken Salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Homemade Chicken Salad Recipe FAQs
Scoop into lettuce cups or over leafy greens for a light lunch, or pile it inside a halved croissant or a couple slices of toast for a little more staying power.
You can absolutely poach your own! For poached chicken, dry 2 pounds of chicken breast with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper (I like ¼ teaspoon each). Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook until golden-brown on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add ½ cup water and aromatics (such as black peppercorns, bay leaf, fresh herbs, ginger, garlic, onion, or kaffir lime leaf, which are optional), and cover. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the chicken registers 165 degrees when pierced at the thickest part, about 10 to 15 minutes longer depending on the thickness of the chicken. Once cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred into bite-sized pieces.
Use an approved mayonnaise such as Primal Kitchen Mayo and enjoy your salad on lettuce or endive leaves instead of bread.
Traditional chicken salad doesn’t contained hard-boiled eggs, but don’t let old-fashioned sensibilities stand in the way of your culinary creativity! I’ve added hard-boiled eggs to tuna salad many times over and it is always delicious, so I see no reason why it wouldn’t be tasty in chicken salad, too.
Plan on at least ½ cup chicken salad per person. Personally, I plan for ¾ cup per serving because the chicken salad is just that good, and that’s how much it takes to properly load up a sandwich (in my humble opinion)!
More leftover chicken ideas
Casserole Recipes
Chicken Pot Pie Recipe
Stews and Soups
Chicken Ramen
Salad Recipes
Chinese Chicken Salad
Casserole Recipes
Chicken Spaghetti Recipe
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Classic Chicken Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup mayonnaise or to taste (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from half a lemon (see note 2)
- 1 tablespoon celery seed (see note 3)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 6 cups cooked chicken shredded (see note 4)
- 3 ribs celery finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced freshly parsley
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, celery seed, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. (I like 1 teaspoon salt and ½ pepper.)
- Add chicken, celery, and parsley. Toss to combine. Serve immediately or cover and chill until serving.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Mayonnaise: I love Hellman’s, Duke’s, and Best Foods, but any brand will work. (Just skip Miracle Whip or other mayo-style dressings.) Not a fan of mayo? Simply use an equal amount of plain Greek yogurt.
- Lemon juice: This citrusy, acidic element makes the flavors really pop. You could also opt for any kind of vinegar, like white vinegar, champagne vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Celery seed: I really like celery seed in chicken salad. But if you don’t have it and you don’t want to buy it, feel free to omit it entirely.
- Chicken: Leftover rotisserie chicken works great in this recipe. (Starting from scratch with a package of chicken breasts? See below; I’ll walk you through how to cook the protein for this Chicken Salad.) Come Thanksgiving, try this same concept with leftover turkey instead of chicken.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 7 ½ cups of Chicken Salad, enough for 10 sandwiches, wraps, or salads with ¾ cup Chicken Salad per person.
- Storage: Transfer extra Chicken Salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I haven’t made this recipe yet but it sounds wonderful. Where did you get the bread/croissant? That looks yummy also and really flaky. I want to try and make this as pictured.
Hi Leslie! They are from Costco. I hope you love this chicken salad! – Meggan
Recipe looks great, will try it this week. I do have one question. Can canned chicken be used or will the result be less than desired?
Hi Fred, you can used canned chicken for this salad. I would look to make sure there aren’t any added flavors, and make sure to drain it well. The canned chicken tends to have a softer texture than regular cooked chicken, so the salad may have a different consistency. Hope you enjoy it! – Meggan
Hahahahaha!! I ONLY use Miracle Whip and I always get asked for the recipe. Oh well๐
That’s great! ๐ To each their own! Take care! – Meggan
How would you recommend cooking chicken breasts from the start? How much chicken should I use to feed 20?
Hi Nancy, thank you so much for your question! For 20 servings of the salad, you can poach 4 pounds of chicken breasts. To start, pat dry the chicken breast with paper towels and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper (I like 1/2 teaspoon each). Heat 4 teaspoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken in a single layer, and cook until golden-brown on one side, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip the chicken over, add 1 cup water and aromatics (such as black peppercorns, bay leaf, fresh herbs, ginger, garlic, onion, or kaffir lime leaf, which are optional), and cover. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook until the chicken registers 165 degrees when pierced at the thickest part, about 10 to 15 minutes longer depending on the thickness of the chicken. Once cool enough to handle, use two forks to shred into bite-sized pieces. You will then double the remaining ingredients in the recipe. I hope you love this! Take care! – Meggan