This really is the perfect go-to salad for sandwiches or on top of a green salad.
You could easily add crumbled bacon, or raisins, or cashews, or even mix in a little curry powder to the mayo. Of course, homemade mayo puts this salad over the top. But again, a good quality store-bought mayonnaise works perfectly well, too. After cooking the chicken, the salad comes together in only about 15 minutes!
How To Make Chicken Salad
EXPERT TIP: Cook the chicken up to 3 days before assembling and serving. You can also make the homemade mayonnaise several days in advance, too!
Although chilling the salad after it’s mixed is recommended, we think to let the salad return to room temperature is great for taste when serving.
Watch us show you how easy it is to make this truly incredible recipe!
Other “Best-Ever” Salads to Try
What Makes It So Delicious?
So many folks have made this salad and asked us in complete sincerity: “What makes this chicken salad recipe so darn delicious?”
Well, there are several reasons, we believe: Here are some of the main ones:
- Roasting the chicken ensures flavorful, juicy chicken for the salad. In a pinch, you could certainly use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.
- The addition of seedless grapes, almonds, and fresh dill are part of what makes this dish so wonderful.
- A mix of mayonnaise, Dijon, and lemon juice adds a freshness that is just so very delicious. It all adds up to the best chicken salad sandwich you can imagine!
Homemade Mayonnaise Adds More Freshness
If you really are in the mood to make this truly the BEST-EVER chicken salad…make your mayonnaise from scratch.
There’s nothing better than homemade classic mayonnaise (click for recipe).
Of course, good-quality store-bought mayonnaise will work just fine, but we absolutely LOVE making it from scratch! One thing to keep in mind, though, homemade mayo has raw egg in it, which could be an issue with the very young, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.
It’s all about using fresh ingredients.
Fresh dill and parsley add a layer of flavor that we think puts this salad over the top.
If you can’t get fresh, dried will work, just use half the amount that you would be using if fresh.
And it’s even better after it sits in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight! This chicken salad sandwich recipe is really about as good as they come!
I mean, just look how delicious this looks!
Wait until you taste it!! You and those around you will love it!
If you are looking for an easy chicken salad recipe that tastes like something you’d get at an amazing restaurant, you need to look no further!
You can almost taste how good this is just by looking at it.
There is a reason this is hands down the most popular recipe on How To Feed a Loon!
Best-Ever Chicken Salad FAQs
- How far advance can it be made? We recommend serving soon after the salad is assembled. However, you can prepare the chicken and the dressing up to several days in advance. We will say the salad is even tastier after it sits in the refrigerator for a few hours. We just suggest bringing the salad back to room temp before serving. But that’s just a suggestion!
- Is a rotisserie chicken okay to use? Absolutely! We feel pretty strongly that the roasted chicken pieces yield an even tastier salad, but a good-quality rotisserie chicken will work, too. Just please don’t use canned chicken. Please.
- What other ingredients could I include? The sky is practically the limit: We love dried cranberries, sliced apples, cashews or peanuts, even capers! Fresh oregano, rosemary and/or thyme is great, too!
- Can the salad be frozen? Yes! Freeze for up to 1 month in an air-tight container. Let thaw completely and return to room temperature. You may need to make a small batch of the dressing just to stir in before serving after it’s been frozen, but that’s not 100% necessary.
Ready to make the best lunch dish in town? Go for it!
And when you make it, take a picture and post to Instagram and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and #HowToFeedaLoon
Best-Ever Chicken Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken parts (bone-in, skin-on thighs and breasts work well) (You'll need about 4 cups)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup grapes seedless, halved (red and green varieties are great)
- 1 cup almonds thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 3 scallions thinly sliced (white and green parts)
- 2 tablespoon dill fresh, chopped
- 1 tablespoon parsley fresh, chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt (start with ½ teaspoon, then add more, to taste)
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Rub the olive oil all over the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165°F using an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool. Remove the skin then pull the meat from the bones and roughly chop.
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, grapes, almonds, celery, scallions, dill, & parsley.
- In a small-medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Add the mayo/mustard mixture to the chicken mixture and gently stir until well mixed.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Serve on a bed of greens with sliced tomatoes and avocado. Or, serve on bread with green leaf lettuce. Add more toppings to your taste!
Notes
Nutrition
Vic Sain says
Hey Kris!
I am drooling over this! Definitely gonna try this, thanks.
Kris Longwell says
Hey Vic! You’re gonna love it, we’re pretty sure! Let us know what you think!
debra says
Out of all the other chicken salad recipes this one is excellent. I looked spent time a lot of time finding the perfect combination of ingredients. Yours won hands down. This will be my 2nd time making your chicken salad recipe. Thank you. Hello to your friend Wesley, he’s silly. I like him.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Debra! That is the best news we’ve heard all week! We are so thrilled you loved our chicken salad recipe! And thank you so much for the wonderful review and for letting us know. That means the world to us!! And Wesley sends his silly best wishes! You are right…he is silly…but so loveable! Stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
December says
really good! one of my favourite ways to use leftover chicken now. Used grape jelly since I didn’t have plum preserves and still tasted awesome. Many thanks
Robin Hannon says
Absolutely the best chicken salad ever. Thank you for sharing.
Kris Longwell says
Thank you so much, Robin!! We are so so thrilled that you loved our chicken salad recipe! And thank you for letting us know. That means the world to us! Stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Hattie says
Yes indeed gentlemen the Best Chicken Salad Ever! Making it for my family for the third time and everyone absolutely loves it. Thank you for the great recipe
Bob says
Awesome!!!
Kris Longwell says
Thank you, Bob!!!
Polly says
This salad KILLS every time I make it. It really is the best-ever chicken salad. Thanks guys!!!!
Kris Longwell says
Polly!! You have no idea how happy that makes to hear!! So glad you love this chicken salad as much as we do! And THANK YOU for taking the time to let us know!! That means the world to us!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Veronica says
This chicken salad is really the best I’ve ever had and with the homemade mayonnaise it truly is an adventure for the taste buds!
Kris Longwell says
Thank you, Veronica!! So so so glad you liked it…and kudos for making the homemade mayo! We agree…that takes it to an entire new level!! And thanks so much for letting us know and for the great review. We appreciate that soooo much! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Paula says
Hi again! I’m going to try the tuna salad today, since I have leftover dill, lemon, celery and even red onion. Cranberries aren’t on my list of favorites but I’m going to make an exception for your recipe. You didn’t steer me wrong on the chicken salad!
While browsing your website I saw that you were on GGG—I KNEW you looked familiar! What a blast that must have been!!
Look forward to trying out more of your recipes!
Kris Longwell says
Awesome!! We honestly think our tuna salad rivals our chicken salad, but you can be the judge of that! GGG was incredible…and incredibly stressful, but tons of fun! Keep us posted as you check out recipes and let us know what you think or if you have any Qs!! xoxo
Paula says
Hi guys, tried the tuna salad yesterday and used the special “fancy” ingredients—capers and cranberries. I found the wild planet tuna in the organic food section, along with a bag of cranberry and almond salad topping. Everything turned out great, but the 3/4 cup mayonnaise was too much. I’ll cut it down to 1/2 cup next time. Signed up for your FB page and I look forward to more easy but different recipes. It’s nice to have new and better ways to cook old favorites. Egg salad is next!!
Paula says
I’d like to post a couple of photos—how can I do that? (You’re dealing with a 57 almost computer illiterate person here )
Kris Longwell says
Hi Paula! Unfortunately, you can’t post photos in the comments section of our blog. But, if you happen to be on FB, you can post picture on our FB page! https://www.facebook.com/HowToFeedaLoon/. Thanks so much!!! I bet the food looks awesome!
Daphne says
Would this work with Turkey?
Or do you have a turkey salad recipe?
I love this, it is the best chicken salad ever!!
Thank you, Daphne
Kris Longwell says
Hi Daphne!
This recipe would do great with roasted turkey. Roast chicken and roast turkey are similar in texture, a little different in taste, but the turkey would be great. Good use of leftover turkey! And thank you so much for the great review!! We truly appreciate that! Let us know if you make it with the turkey and what you think!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Paula says
Sooo yummy! I’ve tried lots of chicken salads similar to this but could never find *the* one.
I just happened to have the ingredients at home, except for the lemon and fresh dill. It was worth going to the store to get those items because I can’t imagine the salad without them now!! I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was perfect. Thanks for my new favorite recipe!!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Paula!! Nothing makes us much happier in life than to read a comment like this! Thank you SO MUCH for the kind words and the great review! And we couldn’t be happier that our chicken salad became you new ‘go to’ chicken salad. It’s pretty awesome, we have to agree! Thanks so very much for taking the time to let us know, that truly means the world to us! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
December says
I’ve made this dozens of times, and I’m convinced it’s the best chicken salad in the world. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Kris Longwell says
That is so awesome to hear!! We are thrilled you love our chicken salad as much as we do. And thank you so much for letting us know, that means a lot to us!! Stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Zay says
Thanks I added a little curry spice to the mayo. Served it on mini croissants for a wedding shower and everyone loved it. Thank you
Kris Longwell says
Hi Zay! That’s so great to hear and the dash of curry spice sounds wonderful. We LOVE curried chicken salad!! Thanks for letting us know! We appreciate that very much! (maybe next time we’ll get a 5 star rating! LOL). All the best, Kris & Wesley
Stephen says
Followed the recipe almost exactly as it’s posted, and it was delicious! I added slightly more lemon juice and some hot Hungarian paprika – wow! Could you please post a nutritional breakdown for this recipe? This has become one of my main post-workout meals and I’d like to be able to accurately log this information. Thank you!
krislongwell says
Hi Stephen!! Lemon juice is such an important part of the flavor profile, so adding a little more is a great idea! And wow, we best Hungarian paprika is fantastic, too!! We will get the full nutritional breakdown by tomorrow. We are currently updating all recipes to include that, so it’s a bit of a process, but we’ll make sure it’s done by end of week. Thanks so much for letting us know and we are thrilled you liked the recipe! Stay in touch, friend! Best, Kris & Wesley
Ruth Arnett says
My friends and I made this today. She added a couple tablespoons soft cream cheese and used cashews for the nuts. Very good.
krislongwell says
Hi Ruth! That is so fantastic to hear! And we like the idea of adding some soft cream cheese. We’ll have to give that a try, too. And yes yes yes to cashews!! Thanks so much for letting us know and we’re so glad you and your friend enjoyed the recipe. Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Nancy says
I have made this delicious chicken salad several times. My guests always ask for the recipe. This is the only chicken salad I will make from now on. Love this recipe!
krislongwell says
That is so wonderful to hear, Nancy! And thank you SO MUCH for letting us know. We truly appreciate that!! Stay in touch!! Lots more to come! Best, Kris & Wesley
Heather Parkinson says
YUM! Never have visited your site and I WILL BE BACK!!! I had leftover rotisserie last night and chicken Caesar salad is good but I am a wierdo and don’t like eating the same dinner twice in a row, so chicken salad. Went through a half dozen recipes before yours and it was a grand slam. I love the scallions in place of onions for a milder flavor with the grapes and the Dijon is unique to this recipe as far as my research went. I’ve already started a list of other recipes of yours I am going to make. Next up-slow cooker ribs this weekend!
krislongwell says
Heather!!!! That is SO AWESOME to hear!! We are thrilled you loved our chicken salad recipe! We love it so much, too!! And thank you so much for taking the time to let us know and the great review!! And you will LOVE the slow-cooker ribs, we’re pretty sure of that! Do let us know!! Stay in touch and all the best, Kris & Wesley
Jennifer Franklin says
Just made this today. I had leftover bone in chicken thighs I had roasted in the oven and I bought a rotisserie chicken for the chicken breasts and the mixture is so flavorful. I used a little sweet pickle juice to add some sweetness and this recipe is so good! Love a recipe that can accommodate personal preference without taking away from the recipe!