Classic Chicken Salad
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Whip up my classic chicken salad recipe, a tried-and-true favorite for picnics, gatherings, or simply turning last night’s leftovers into today’s lunch. It’s everything you love about deli-style chicken salad, only better!
Everyone should have a trusty classic chicken salad recipe in their back pocket—whether it’s for a sunny picnic, hosting friends for a mid-day meal, or simply transforming last night’s leftovers into today’s delicious lunch.
Over the years, I’ve shared several of my favorite chicken salad recipes with you, from curried chicken salad to chicken salad with grapes. Yet, this is the classic recipe that I turn to time and again. It’s simple, creamy, and packed with flavor—similar to the classic you’d find at many delis, but even better in my opinion, and without any “weird stuff” in it, as my kids would say.
The key is using tender, juicy chicken. I typically use poached chicken, which isn’t highly seasoned, but a store-bought rotisserie chicken works great too, especially when time is short. Whether served on a bed of greens, tucked into a wrap, or piled into a hearty sandwich, it’s a hit every time.
“There’s chicken salad and then there’s THIS chicken salad…My husband commented I should toss out my other chicken salad recipe because this is the one.”
Classic Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Creamy Base: Mayonnaise and sour cream make the tangy, creamy base that binds all the ingredients together. Make sure to use a good brand of mayo such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Fresh lemon juice: Provides a bright, acidic note that balances the richness of the mayonnaise and sour cream.
- Cooked shredded chicken: You’ll need 4½ cups of cooked chicken for this homemade chicken salad recipe. Make a batch of poached chicken, use some leftover grilled chicken, or pick up a rotisserie chicken at the store. They all work well.
- Flavor and crunch: Scallions add a mild onion flavor and a bit of crunch while celery amps up the crisp texture and adds a fresh, slightly bitter note. Fresh dill and parsley give a burst of freshness and color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How to Make Chicken Salad
Step 1: Make the dressing. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, sugar, and pepper in a large bowl.
Step 2: Combine the ingredients. Add the chicken, scallions, celery, dill, and parsley to the bowl with the dressing.
Step 3: Mix and chill. Toss the ingredients together until everything’s well combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. The salad can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 2 days before serving (I don’t recommend freezing).
Tips & Chicken Salad Variations
- Using Rotisserie Chicken. Store-bought rotisserie chicken is a great time-saver, but it tends to shred more easily. Be gentle when mixing it with the dressing so it doesn’t fall apart too much.
- Spicy Version. If you like your dishes with a bit of a kick, you can add a few shakes of hot sauce, add some diced chilies, or use blackened chicken instead of plain poached or grilled chicken.
- Lighter Version. For the best flavor and texture, I’d stick with full-fat ingredients—but if you’re looking to lighten it up, Greek yogurt and light mayo will do the trick.
- Adding Extras. For crunch, try roasted nuts—walnuts, pecans, or almonds all work well. For a hint of sweetness, add dried cranberries, diced apple, or halved grapes.You can also switch up the herbs—chives, tarragon, or basil would all work nicely here too.
Video Tutorial
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Classic Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4½ cups cooked shredded chicken (see note)
- 3 scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, sugar, and pepper.
- To the dressing, add the chicken, scallions, celery, dill, and parsley. Toss until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Notes
- Poached chicken, leftover grilled chicken, or roasted/rotisserie chicken all work well for this recipe. If you'd like to roast bone-in chicken, you'll need 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C) and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the chicken breasts skin-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done. Let cool before shredding
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This salad can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I make this salad once a week and it is a hit in my house. My husband and kids enjoy having this for lunch at work and school. They absolutely love it. For variation, sometimes I shred the chicken, other times I cut the breast in chunks.
Hey Jen still loving your recipes after all these years! Quick question how much dried dill and parsley would you use if do not have fresh on hand? Wasn’t sure if made a significant difference or not!
So glad you like the recipes! I’d use 1 tablespoon each of the dried dill and parsley. Enjoy!
Made your creamy zucchini soup with walnuts and dill, then this great chicken salad. Used half the amount of chicken and one apple, everything else as written. Subbed dried cherries for the raisins and a granny smith apple with peel on for added color, a glass of pinot grigio made this a perfect dinner for a hot night. Thanks Jenn
This was one Damn GOOD Chicken salad recipe Jenn!! I’ve made MANY over the years but THIS One HERE, was THEE BEST!!!
Ok so now for my one question?
What’s your estimate of tenderloin WEIGHT, that will produce what was it…4.5 cups of cooked chicken?
AND….
Thanks so much for ALL YOUR FABULOUS Recipes!!
So glad you liked it!! 4.5 cups would be the equivalent of about 2 pounds of chicken tenderloins or 3 pounds of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Hope that helps!
I have made this three times already and its my go to chicken salad. Make it on a monday and use it all week for lunch. Thank you Jenn for being my go to site
Jenn,
I recently found your website and have tried 3 recipes so far and they have not let me down! They are all hits with family and friends! This Chicken Salad recipe is so yummy and the tastes aren’t overpowering! It tastes even better the next day. Thank you for wonderful, delightful recipes that aren’t “over the top” and too time consuming to make!
Hey Jen: Another WINNER big-time. I had never used chicken tenders before nor had I poached chicken. SO EASY and even though I halved the recipe (just us two seniors) there is LOTS for a few meals. I can’t wait to try your other recipes using the tenders and will likely make a full recipe next time.
Your recipes ALWAYS turn out perfectly and I am constantly returning to your cookbook for ideas. Keep doing exactly what you are doing. You are helping save our sanity and everybody enjoys a wonderful meal! Take care. Stay safe.
💗
I see no need to search for a chicken salad recipe ever again. I can’t imagine finding anything better than this. My whole family loved it!
How does this taste in relation to ur cookbook chicken salad recipe?
There are a lot of similarities, but the one in the cookbook has a slightly different flavor due to the cooking method (grilling versus poaching the chicken). Hope you enjoy if you try either one!
“This may be the best chicken salad you ever made!!” That quote is from my sweet husband who loves all my chicken salads, true, and I also make many different recipes. What a fabulous chicken salad!!
I happened to use leftover chicken from my freshly made batch of chicken soup. (I omitted the sugar, and loved it as is. I’m sure it’s even better with the sugar I’m just trying to be conscientious where I add it.)
Thanks Jenn!!! I love your recipe so much and add my voice to the chorus that I would love to watch you on Food Network TV. Thanks again for adding a new recipe to my rotation.