BEST Chicken Salad
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For a chicken salad recipe that’s guaranteed to be a total winner, look no further! This homemade chicken salad is wonderfully creamy without being overly wet, it isn’t too sweet or too tangy, and incorporates the PERFECT balance of flavors and textures! This recipe consistently gets rave reviews and has been a reader favorite for years!
I’m a sentimental romantic. So you’ll have to indulge me for a moment. One of my favorite movies of all time is the Megan Follows version of Anne of Green Gables and its sequel. Would it be too dramatic to say that growing up, those movies helped shape who I am? Yes, that’s pretty dramatic. But in some small but meaningful ways I believe they did.
As I was making this chicken salad a line from the movie came to mind. (That’s what happens when you have the entire dialogue of the movie memorized.) Diana and Anne are standing on the cliffside of scenic Prince Edward Island overlooking the ocean, the wind blowing in their hair, staring off into the sunset.
Diana says to Anne, “I wish I were rich and I could spend the whole summer at a hotel, eating ice cream and chicken salad.” Anne responds thoughtfully, “You know something, Diana? We are rich. We have sixteen years to our credit, and we both have wonderful imaginations. We should be as happy as queens.” Nodding at the setting sun over the ocean, Anne observes, “Look at that. You couldn’t enjoy its loveliness more if you had ropes of diamonds….I am happy Diana, and nothing is going to hold me back.”
Without a doubt, one of life’s simple but greatest pleasures is good food – food that’s thoughtfully prepared and shared with those you love. So in celebration of Diana’s desire for good food, and in appreciation of Anne’s understanding that happiness is how you interpret it, here’s a delicious chicken salad you can enjoy with your family and friends!
The Ultimate Chicken Salad
This salad is wonderfully creamy without being overly wet, it isn’t too sweet or too tangy, and it incorporates the perfect balance of flavors. The sour cream adds a touch of freshness to offset the heaviness of the mayonnaise. Bite into it and I’m confident you’ll be very happy indeed.
Use this chicken salad recipe for sandwiches, croissants or in wraps. Or, for a low-carb option, serve it on top of a bed of salad leaves with some sliced tomatoes and avocado.
BEST Chicken Salad Recipe
Let’s get started!
Place the diced chicken, celery, green onions and grapes in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all remaining ingredients to make the sauce and stir to combine.
Scoop the mayo sauce over the chicken salad and stir to combine, making sure the chicken salad is thoroughly coated with the sauce.
Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
Serve as a salad on a bed of lettuce or as a sandwich filling. We love it on croissants.
Enjoy!
A few other recipes I think you’ll love!
- Creamy Coleslaw
- Macaroni Salad
- Crunchy Broccoli Salad
- Potato Salad
- Freezer Slaw
- Waldorf Salad
- Pepperoni Pizza Pasta Salad
- Broccoli Pasta Salad
- Thai Quinoa Salad
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BEST Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless ,skinless chicken breasts cooked in lightly salted water then chilled in the fridge and diced, about 4 cups (for the best texture, avoid canned chicken)
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 1/2 cups halved seedless red grapes
- 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds or toasted chopped pecans , optional for some crunch
- 3 green onions , chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise (for a healthier choice use Avocado Oil Mayonnaise)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place the diced chicken, celery, green onions and grapes in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine.In a medium-sized bowl, add the remaining ingredients to make the sauce and stir to combine. Pour the mayo sauce over the chicken salad and stir to combine and thoroughly coat the salad.Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.
- Serve on sandwiches, croissants or in wraps with some lettuce. For a low-carb option, serve on a bed of lettuce with sliced tomato and avocado.
Nutrition
Originally published on the The Daring Gourmet on Jul 13, 2017
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Best chicken salad recipe ever! Stumbled across it one day while looking for a good chicken salad recipe. And then when I read your sweet affection for Anne of Green Gables, that just made it even better. We LOVE Anne of Green Gables. Thank you for the recipe and the sweet thoughts concerning Anne and Diana!
Thanks so much, Mona, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! :)
Thank you for the recipe. We had leftover rotisserie chicken and I did not feel like eating reheated chicken. I followed most of the recipe, but had to use what was on hand, so the substitutions were as follows: Hampton Creek Just Mayo (Ingredients: Non-Gmo Expeller Pressed Canola Oil, Filtered Water, Lemon Juice, White Vinegar, 2% Or Less Of The Following: Organic Sugar, Salt, Pea Protein, Spices…). Skipped the sour cream due to dairy allergy. I did not have any lemons so I added 2 tablespoons pickle relish and 1 tablespoon of Mr. Wickles Red sandwich spread (this last one at husband’s request). Served it on home-made herb bread with spinach, sliced tomatoes and an onion ring. It was delicious!!! My husband is a 50 year old American male, and he said IT WAS THE BEST CHICKEN SALAD sandwich he ever had!!! Again, thank you!
Fantastic, Kit, thanks so much for the feedback!
I make my chicken salad very similar, only instead of mayonnaise I use plain Greek yogurt and add more good fruit like Granny Smith Apples, pecans and dried cranberries.
The yogurt isn’t loaded with fat like mayonnaise and I like it better.
Thanks for the input, Candy! I like to add pecans and cranberries as well during this time of year for a more holiday touch.
Try adding pecans to the salad.
absolutely. perfect crispy piece. done all the time here at home in Texas – it’s our state tree!
I absolutely love those movies. I remember watching it allday on PBS one Thanksgiving weekend and I fell in love. That following January my husband bought me the tapes for my birthday and the rest for Valentine’s. Later years I purchased them on DVD.
They’re the best, Nalo! I practically have the entire dialogues to the movies memorized :)
I added 2 Tbsp Sweet Relish.. Delicious!
Fantastic, Kayla!
Wow, Its looking delicious. i love this recipe. I would try it by this weekend. Your recipes are superb. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much, Pavitra!
Can you substitute black cherries for the grapes?
Hi Deborah! Texture-wise, they’re softer and squishy – not firm and crispy like grapes – and they’ll probably dye the chicken salad red once you stir them in and they start bleeding out. Flavor-wise I think they’d make a nice substitute.