
This classic recipe is a great Americana culinary dish that you’ll want to serve every year for your Fourth of July parties and other summer events. You’ll never want to go back to store-bought again! It is a great go-to when you have a busy schedule ahead. This is a great recipe to make-ahead at the beginning of the week for grab-and-go lunches. You can add other fresh ingredients to this recipe like green onion, red onion, fresh dill, or avocado. You can add crunchy and nutty almonds to complete the PERFECT dish to bring to a picnic or get-together. This is a classic summer side made with lean chicken in creamy mayo, tangy lemon juice, and with crispy celery mixed in for an entertaining and fresh side dish. If you have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for around 3 days, and enjoy epic lunch sandwiches (and salads!) for days.Classic Chicken Salad is the perfect thing to serve for lunch, as a salad or over a bed of lettuce. Make it a day or two ahead of time, then store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to serve. Pile it on top of a croissant or sourdough bread, serve it with a side of pasta salad at a BBQ, or dollop it on a bed of leafy greens at brunch.Ĭhicken salad is an ideal make-ahead recipe: It gets better as it sits. Once you nail the chicken, dressing, and your favorite add-ins, you can get to serving this salad for lunches, picnics, or a as poolside snack. Whatever you go with, be sure to chop them into pieces all around the same size so that they distribute evenly in each bite. We chose chopped dill pickles for our ultimate add-in because of the layer of crisp, briny salt it provides.

Toasted nuts like almonds or pecans will add an extra layer of texture, and fruit will add a pop of sweetness. or grapes, or avocado, or whatever your heart desires. Other than that, this is the fun part! Go nuts. The only mandatory add-ins for chicken salad are celery, some kind of onion (we like red for the pop of color), and leafy herbs (we <3 dill and parsley). The best add-ins for chicken salad (and variations): Adding acid in the form of full-fat Greek yogurt, lemon, and Dijon mustard will help keep things rich yet light and bright. Mayonnaise is king for creamy salads, but it needs a little help to keep it from weighing everything down. Chopping the chicken into bite-sized pieces allows for more even distribution of ingredients. If you're a bit pressed for time, a rotisserie chicken is a great option too, but fight the urge to shred the chicken. Instead, poaching breast meat in seasoned chicken broth is an easy way to guarantee that you won't be disappointed by dry, bland chicken. Including dark meat in a chicken salad is common, but we think it can make the overall dish a little too soft and fatty. You can’t have amazing chicken salad without perfectly cooked chicken that’s seasoned, juicy, and relatively lean.
Simple chicken salad recipe how to#
How to prepare the chicken for chicken salad:

Make our recipe as-is for a classic, reliable version, or use it as a jumping off point to create your own perfect chicken salad. It's then chilled until cold, giving the flavors time to meld and saturate the chicken, resulting in a refreshing, creamy, and super-satisfying snack. The delicious lunch and picnic staple expertly combines well-seasoned chicken, a rich mayo dressing, plenty of fresh celery, and a touch of acid. Here at Delish, we believe that good chicken salad is all about the technique, and less about the actual ingredients. Everyone has their go-to chicken salad mix-ins, and debates will rage till the end of time about what should have the privilege of being included in the lunch favorite.
