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
Sonia says
Love, love, love. I strongly encourage anyone if you are thinking of using this recipe…do it!!! It has such a fresh and vibrant taste. I get so excited when I’m having a group of ladies together, it truly is a good “go to” recipe for gatherings especially at lunch time. I usually get asked if I can give them the recipe and I just tell them to look up “how to feed a loon chicken salad” and make sure to watch the video!!! Love those guys!
Thanks for the recipe that keeps on giving!
Sonia❤️
Indiana
Kris Longwell says
Thank you so very much, Sonia!! You just made us happier than you could ever imagine! So thrilled you love the chicken salad and thank you so much for sharing the love!!! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Lynne says
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I’ve been using it for over two years and it is my go-to chicken salad recipe. The flavor is amazing and I always get loads of compliments on it!
Tanyia says
This was delicious! I loved the dill! The best chicken salad I’ve had. I’m new to your site. Very impressed with all your recipes. I’m very much looking forward to trying many more! Thanks so much!
Kris Longwell says
Hi Tanyia!! Woo hoo!! We are sooooo glad you loved the chicken salad! And we are SO HAPPY you found us!! Please stay in touch and don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or other fabulous comments! We appreciate that so very much!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Brenda Morris says
How many people can you feed with your chicken salad recipe. It looks wonderful !
Kris Longwell says
Hi Brenda! This recipe will easily feed 6 to 8 people. Let us know if you make it and what you think! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Pat says
This assistant next to you WAS TOTALLY ANNOYING. He ruined your video. He never shut up!
Sandy says
Sorry to say, he was annoying (drama?) But-still, can’t wait to try recipe Got the link from Lemonade Mom she raves about it! Thanks for sharing Sandy
CW says
Trying this recipe but I had to stop the video. I just couldn’t. The other guy was making my upset with his interruptions. Anyway, I’ll just read your instructions. Can’t wait to try it!
Emy says
Great recipe! I made this using some leftover chicken that was too dry to eat plain and it still turned out wonderful! I doubled the celery (I like a lot of crunch, personal preference) and added a bit of red onion as well. The dill and almonds definitely add a new layer of YUM. Thanks for another great recipe y’all!
Kris Longwell says
AWESOME!! Sounds like you hit a home run!! So glad you liked the chicken salad! And thanks for the great review! You are the BEST!! Stay in touch!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Elizabeth Reyes says
I’m going to try this tomorrow on my day off. My question though is about the almonds. I bought one of those salad mixed bags with dried cranberries and honey glazed almonds. Are these almonds not supposed to be sweet? Just sliced? I can always go buy the regular ones but I just want to be clear are they supposed to be salted or just plain sliced roasted almonds? Thanks in advance!
Carole says
OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!! Best salad mix ever!!,
I put the mixture on a bed of mixed lettuce, DIVINE
Alisha Ross says
I love reading through a post that can make people think. Also, thank you for permitting me to comment!
Luann says
p.s. I love all your recipes and love you guys!! 🙂 wish you had a TV show ! 🙂
Kris Longwell says
Luann!!!! You just made us get all misty! Thank you SO MUCH!!! We appreciate that so much! And maybe a TV show is in our future! xoxo
Luann says
Made your chicken salad today and it’s delicious!! thank you for the recipe 🙂
Kris Longwell says
Awesome, Luann!! So so so glad you loved the chicken salad! It’s our favorite for sure! And thank you so much for letting us know! Please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
chris says
outstanding chicken salad. easy to make. I did buy a rotesery chicken. the mustard, dill and almonds are the star of the show. could not stop eating, this dish. we put this on fresh buttery crosants, bought at walmart. I also bought roasted almonds, and cut in half. I have many recipies. this one is WOW, dam thats good. thanks Kentucky
Megan says
It really is the best! Made a batch for quick road trip sandwiches and it was delicious. Used a rotisserie chicken and tasted great. Just back to make sure I have everything to make it again.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Megan! So awesome to hear! And THANK YOU for letting us know! We appreciate that so much! Rotisserie chicken works great!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Marisa says
I wish I could give more stars! I don’t typically leave reviews but, this recipe is extraordinary. No single ingredient sticks out. Instead, you find a perfectly balanced texture and the combined layers of flavor are insatiable. Even my children beg for it. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Kris Longwell says
Yay!! Thank you, Marisa! So so so thrilled you loved our chicken salad! And HUGE win that the kids liked it, too!! Thank you so much for letting us know! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Jacklyn Foster says
I’m not a huge mustard fan (I actually don’t like mustard at all…sadly) can it be substituted? Does the Dijon taste carry through when finished?
Terri Wel says
The very best chicken salad ever!
Kris Longwell says
Thanks so much, Terri! So glad you liked the recipe and thank you very much for letting us know. We appreciate that very much!!