The Simple Chicken Salad Recipe You Need!

There are plenty of simple chicken salad recipes online, so what makes this one different? For starters, I actually had a chicken salad business here in Nashville, so I know a thing or two about making damn good chicken salad, if I do say so myself – ha!

The best chicken salad relies on a perfect balance of chicken, dressing, and add-ins. Each component matters. While a good buffalo or curry chicken salad is excellent, most variations start with a basic foundational recipe. Mastering this gives you a starting point for almost every other flavor profile you want to create.

If you love chicken salad as much as we do, check out my high-protein chicken salad with Southwest vibes and this simple 4-ingredient ranch chicken salad for all of you ranch lovers!

During COVID, I pivoted like so many others and started an at-home business, a chicken salad business. It was a huge success, something I’ll never take for granted. We hit the ground running and were busy from day one, right up until I needed my brain surgery, and we had to shut it down. I made thousands of pounds of chicken salad, made a lot of mistakes, but learned a lot in the process. So what makes this simple chicken salad different from others? It’s less about the recipe and more about a few key tips and techniques.

This recipe serves one person. To make a larger batch, increase servings using the slider in the recipe card below. As you move the slider, you will see all of the ingredient amounts change. 

Simple Chicken Salad

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Everyone needs a simple chicken salad recipe in their back pocket. It’s perfect for quick lunches at home or on the go, and it’s a great way to use leftover chicken, which is what we used in this recipe. If you prioritize protein, chicken salad should be your BFF. It’s packed with protein, and the variations are endless, so you could switch it up each week as part of your healthy meal prep.

Step-By-Step Instructions

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My first tip: start with perfectly cooked chicken. You can make a perfect chicken salad, but if you start with dry chicken, you’ll have to compensate with more dressing, and the result is almost always a soggy, overly saucy salad. Sometimes I use all breasts, and sometimes I use a combination of white and dark meat. Use what you like. A rotisserie chicken works great.

• Make the dressing. I like to do this first so the ingredients have just a few minutes to come together. Don’t be afraid of seasonings, which is my second tip. You’re mixing the dressing with plain chicken, so don’t be afraid to go big with your seasonings and acids.
• Don’t let the tarragon intimidate you. You’ve probably heard it tastes like licorice, but in small amounts, it adds a bright, slightly sweet flavor that gives that little something special in the background you just can’t put your finger on. That said, I wouldn’t buy a whole jar just for this recipe. You can totally leave it out!
• Prep the chicken and add-ins. We like our chicken salad more like a dip, so we chop everything very small, as shown in the picture. Add the chicken and veggies to a bowl.

• Add the sauce a little at a time. Do not go all in with the sauce. The moisture level of cooked chicken varies greatly. Simply put, your chicken may need more or less sauce than mine. Once you add too much sauce, your only option is to cook or defrost more chicken. It’s much easier to add sauce a little at a time than to fix your chicken salad once it’s over-sauced.
• Once the consistency looks good, do a final taste for salt and pepper and enjoy. Optional but recommended: sprinkle on everything bagel seasoning!

Tips & Variations

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• If using nuts, toast them; it releases their natural oils, brings out their flavor, and makes them crunchier.
• Embrace the acid. Chicken salad is an inherently heavy dish, especially if you’re using all mayonnaise. You need an acid to cut through that richness. I love combining lemon juice with either apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar for a more balanced acidity.
• Don’t like celery? You can literally use any crunchy veggies you like. I adore finely chopped radish for a peppery bite or shredded carrot for a subtle sweetness.

Serving Suggestions

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Chicken salad checks all the boxes for dietary needs, especially depending on how you serve it.

• Eat low-carb? Serve it in lettuce cups or with your favorite low-carb chips or crackers.
• Love a good sandwich? Scoop it into a buttery croissant, a soft roll, or make an open-face sandwich on lightly toasted sourdough.
• Want to dip it? Serve in a bowl with various dippers like crackers, chips, and assorted veggies like cucumbers, bell peppers, and celery.
• Wrap it up! My husband loves a chicken salad wrap, especially for a quick, on-the-go lunch.

How To Store Chicken Salad (properly)

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• One of the most valuable lessons I learned in my food safety courses was that the clock starts ticking the minute you cook your chicken, and cooked chicken should be consumed within 3 days, 4 at the most.
• That means, if you cook your chicken at 10 o’clock in the morning on Monday, that’s when that clock starts. Eat it by 10 am on Thursday or, at the absolute latest, 10 am on Friday.
• It might seem silly, but if you’re pushing it to the four-day mark, those extra 10 or 12 hours matter.