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My quick and simple, classic chicken salad recipe made healthier and lighter to make the proper homemade chicken salad sandwich. The proper cold lunch for meal prep!
Easy Chicken Salad Recipe
This Classic Chicken Salad recipe, made with easy ingredients is ideal for make-ahead lunches. There’s so some ways to eat it, like as a chicken salad sandwich, on a bagel, over a salad or in lettuce wraps. It’s is my go-to lunch to maintain readily available within the refrigerator to eat throughout the week, or to bring to potlucks and it’s dairy-free, gluten-free, high protein, and low-carb. Some more of my favorite healthy chicken salad recipes are Cilantro Chicken Salad, Ranch Chicken Salad, and Chicken Salad with Lemon and Dill.
Classic Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Chicken: Chop 12 ounces of cooked chicken breasts from 1 whole roasted chicken. You can even use rotisserie chicken to avoid wasting time.
- Mayonnaise: I take advantage of light mayo to scale back the calories, but be happy to make use of your favorite mayo.
- Celery: Chop celery for some crunch and veggies.
- Red Onion: Swap red onion for scallions or chives.
- Chicken Broth: If the chicken salad is a bit of dry, stir in two tablespoons of broth.
- Dijon Mustard for a bit of tang
- Seasoned Salt and Black Pepper for flavor
Learn how to Make Chicken Salad
Chicken salad is basically easy to make and an awesome option to use up leftover chicken breast from a complete roasted chicken. You can even poach the chicken in chicken broth (see below) or use my air fryer chicken breast recipe to make this salad.
To make the salad, remove the chicken breast from the roasted chicken and chop it high-quality with the veggies, then mix with mayonnaise, celery, onions, Dijon mustard, a bit of chicken broth if needed and season with salt and pepper.
Learn how to Poach Chicken Breast:
If you need to poach your chicken breast, follow these easy steps:
- Cover chicken breast in broth in a small pot, add water if it doesn’t cover the chicken.
- Add salt and pepper, a chunk of celery and it’s leaves (you would add herbs like parsley, garlic, onion, or whatever you wish) and produce to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, cover tight and let it sit for 15-20 minutes or until thickest a part of the breast registers 160 degrees.
- Chicken will probably be cooked through. Let it cool and chop.
Learn how to Serve with Chicken Salad
Listed here are some ways to serve this chicken salad.
- Wraps using whole wheat or grain-free tortillas
- Bagels: I really like every little thing bagels with chicken salad!
- Bread, like these High-Protein Oat Rolls or your favorite sandwich bread
- Lettuce wraps for a low-carb option.
- Collard Green Wraps are one other healthy low-carb option.
- Salad: Eat the chicken salad over lettuce, and add other veggies, like avocado, cucumber, or cherry tomatoes.
How long does homemade chicken salad last?
Homemade chicken salad lasts about 4 days in an airtight container within the refrigerator.
Chicken Salad Variations
- Mayo Swap: Substitute Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise or use half yogurt, half mayo.
- Add some diced apples or grapes for sweetness and crunch.
- You possibly can add nuts like almonds, walnuts or pecans.
- Mix in dried cranberries or cherries for a pop of sweetness.
- Add some chopped pickles for a sour bite.
- Herbs: Sprinkle in fresh dill, green onions or parsley.
- Add more seasoning like every little thing bagel seasoning, onion powder or garlic powder.
What do I do if my chicken salad is just too dry?
Since I take advantage of less mayo than most traditional Chicken Salad recipes to maintain it light, I wish to add a bit of chicken broth to maintain it moist without having more mayo or yogurt. That is an awesome dairy-free option.
An alternative choice is so as to add some fat-free Greek yogurt together with the mayo which also adds more protein.
More Chicken Salad Recipes You’ll Love
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Total: 10 mins
Yield: 6 servings
Serving Size: 1 /2 cup
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Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and blend well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Serve over salad, in a wrap, or in a sandwich
Last Step:
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Learn how to Poach Chicken Breast:
If you need to poach your chicken breast, follow these easy steps:
-
Cover chicken breast in broth in a small pot, add water if it doesn’t cover the chicken.
-
Add salt and pepper, a chunk of celery and it’s leaves (you would add herbs like parsley, garlic, onion, or whatever you wish) and produce to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.
-
Remove from heat, cover tight and let it sit for 15-20 minutes or until thickest a part of the breast registers 160 degrees.
-
Chicken will probably be cooked through. Let it cool and chop.
Serving: 1 /2 cup, Calories: 131 kcal, Carbohydrates: 2 g, Protein: 18 g, Fat: 5 g, Saturated Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 50 mg, Sodium: 307 mg, Sugar: 1 g