This chicken salad recipe is one of my favorites—it makes a delicious quick lunch or dinner.
Chicken, mayonnaise, a few add-ins and some seasonings come together to create a creamy salad or filling for a homemade chicken salad sandwich or wrap!
Chicken Salad Ingredients
- Chicken: I most often use rotisserie chicken, but leftover chicken of almost any kind, including grilled chicken, can be used. If using canned chicken, mix all ingredients except the chicken in a bowl and then gently fold in the drained canned chicken.
- Add-ins: Since this is a classic chicken salad recipe, I add celery for crunch and green onion for flavor.
- Dressing: Mayonnaise adds a creamy texture, while simple seasonings add flavor.
Variations
- Add dill or other fresh herbs.
- Lighten it up a bit by replacing half of the mayo with Greek yogurt.
- Change the flavor by adding ranch dressing.
- Dress it up with add-ins like chopped apples, grapes, or chopped nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or pecans.
How to Make Chicken Salad
Prepare this classic chicken salad recipe in just 15 minutes with only a few simple ingredients.
- Chop cooked and cooled chicken and place into a large bowl with celery and onions.
- Mix dressing ingredients (recipe below) in a bowl. Toss with chicken.
- Serve on rolls, bread, or over a bed of lettuce.
Serving Suggestions
- This chicken salad sandwich recipe can be served on any type of bread, including a croissant. I love to lightly toast the bread.
- Serve it with crackers for snacking.
- Spoon it over greens or into lettuce leaves to make lettuce wraps.
Storing Leftovers
Refrigerator: Store chicken salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Stir before serving.
Freezer: Prepared chicken salad doesn’t freeze well however, to prep ahead, dice the chicken and freeze it it. When ready to make the salad, combine the thawed chicken with the remaining ingredients below for a quick lunch!
More Favorite Sandwiches
This chicken salad recipe is a favorite lunch or light dinner. Here are more easy sandwiches that top our list!
Classic Chicken Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked chopped chicken or shredded chicken
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 1 rib celery diced
- 1 green onion thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill or ¼ teaspoon dried dill, optional
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, add chicken, mayonnaise, celery, green onion, mustard, salt, pepper, and dill if using. Mix well to combine.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.
- Serve as a sandwich or over salad.
Video
Notes
- 1 cup chopped red grapes or 1 cup chopped peeled apple
- 2 tablespoons chopped nuts (pecans or almonds)
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Salad
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
The balance of flavors is just right, creating a dish that’s both satisfying and flavorful. Definitely a must-try for anyone looking for a delicious, quick, and healthy meal option!
This is the recipe I use for Chicken, beef, pork and tuna. For the chicken and pork I also add chipotle for a mildly spicy taste.
I was looking for a really good but simple chicken salad recipe and I give this 5 stars. I did add a few boiled eggs and I doubled the recipe. I only added 1/2 tsp of the Dijon mustard, as mustard can be a little overwhelming. I didn’t need to double that ingredient. Overall, this will be my go to from now on for chicken salad. It is very, very tasty
Great simple recipe to follow – much appreciated!
Delicious. Just the right amount of ingredients for a great taste!
I’ve been using this recipe since my husband was diagnosed with diabetes 2 and went keto to get well. He’s so in love with this chicken salad recipe he still wants it once a week now for years. Sometimes I mix it up and add new things or use Avocado mayo instead of regular and red onions, sometimes chopped jalapeño peppers, but whatever I do keeps him interested and asking for your amazing chicken salad recipe! Thanks for helping me get started on keeping my man healthier.
Wow Cathy, I’m so happy this is a favorite in your house!
EXCELLENT recipe!!!! I couldn’t get my husband to stop eating! I didn’t have any fresh dill on hand so I minced some pickles in its place. I also added two boiled eggs roughly chopped.
Finally, a chicken salad that is delicious and simple. Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful recipes with us!
This is such a tasty recipe for chicken salad!! Will be making again :)
This is my go-to recipe for chicken salad. It is so easy to follow and delicious in taste. I do substitute 1 Tablespoon of relish for the dill. It is always a hit! Thank you for sharing!
Perfect recipe. Easy and delicious. Makes great sandwich filling. My husband put a bunch in his tossed salad and loved it that way too. I almost always have these ingredients. Good way to use a rotisserie chicken. Thank you!
My sister in law made this for our niece’s bridal shower. It was a huge hit!! I immediately got the recipe and made it a week later. It’s so easy and soooo delicious!!! Another huge hit at home! I doubled the recipe, so we’d have it through the week. Love it!
I regret adding the Dijon Mustard as it took away the great taste of the chicken.
Added dried cranberries and pecan pieces. Used green onions. Delicious.
Holly, Thank you for this recipe. You’re really inspired.
I was wondering..did you go to culinary school? Your recipes seem to suggest that.
I’m an amateur cook and baker at 74 years of age. I make your recipes sometimes “as is”, but sometimes I experiment with other ingredients or techniques. To me, this is what makes cooking and baking so challenging and creative. I really love the process.
I know I have a lot to learn, but trying different things(sometimes yes, sometimes no) always keeps me heading in the right direction. I always learn something no matter what the results are.
Again thank you for your expertise!
So glad you are loving our recipes, Paul! Holly is actually trained in biological technology to work in a research lab! But her love of cooking has led to her to take a variety of cooking classes and culinary boot camp to further develop her expertise! You can read more about her story here!
Just what I needed! I’ll be feasting on these all Winter!
Love all your recipes, they are simple and quick with flavor
I love this recipe! I switched it up today and used crunchy breaded chicken tenders. The only thing I would change when using those is a tad less seasoning salt. But other than that . . . . yum!!
Hi Holly. I had some chicken left over so I thought I’d make some chicken salad. My first thought was of you. I knew you must have a recipe for that. Sure enough I made it and knew I wouldn’t be disappointed! It was delicious! Thanks for all you yummy recipes.
Delicious! For a nice “spin” on this recipe, I added chopped gherkins (Maille – L’Original, the little ones) and a little Sambal Oelek. I reduced the mayonnaise to 1/3 cup, and added more fresh dill. I doubled the recipe for a hungry crowd, serving this salad on fresh ciabatta buns.