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!
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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!
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
- ¼ teaspoon seasoned salt more to taste
- 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
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Especially good chicken salad recipe. I’m normally not much of a fan of chicken salad, but this recipe is fantastic. I did not know what to expect, but this was a great surprise to our family.
I added one diced hard boiled egg to make it stretch a little further and used Bornier Original Dijon Mustard for the first time. Bornier Original Dijon Mustard will be my go to Dijon mustard from now on.
I am a first time reviewer on your site. Your recipe deserves a thumbs up! I like your website, style of writing, and your recipe! This is an easy, straight-forward recipe. Your classic chicken salad recipe is right here by me at the computer; I have it on toasted bread, open-faced. I feel like I could serve this at Easter brunch. It is truly the “classic” chicken salad. So good!
Thank you very much Laura! So glad that you took the time to leave a review.
Excellent. We made it with a leftover rotisserie chicken and used adobo instead of seasoned salt.. and red onion.
Very good. But definitely less season salt next time.
This recipe is husband approved (and he has literally traveled the world, eating at renowned chef restaurants), and now replaces the recipe he thought was great. The only adjustments are less seasoned salt, then sliced grapes or apples as options, served on fresh croissants.
This is fantastic! I didn’t have green onions so I used Hidden Valley Green Onion Seasoning mix. I also added a few chopped dill pickles. Really good!
I have rotisserie chicken and I can’t wait to make chicken salad out of it
Excellent recipe! Made this for lunch the first time exactly as the recipe and it was great as is! Today used your base recipe but I split the mayo with plain yogurt, added chopped granny smith apple, avocado chunks and toasted walnuts plus a light squeeze of lemon juice…It was really great also but slightly more complex, just a bit different from the great base recipe as you would expect…will add a touch of curry next time and maybe some seedless grapes. I love your recipe!
Oh yum, George! That sounds so delicious, thank you for sharing!
Everyone loved this! I made it as instructed and will definitely make it again!
I have made chicken salad for more years than I can count, but something was always missing. I decided to try your recipe because of the good reviews. I had to make homemade season salt because I didn’t have any. Followed recipe exactly. Omg, it was perfect. My husband loved it sooo much he wanted it again the next day. Guess what, 3 weeks has passed and I am making again. I’m so glad old dogs like myself can learn new tricks.lol. thank you for a simple classic recipe.
I recently made your chicken salad recipe and the entire family thoroughly enjoyed it, it was absolutely DELISH!
Their already asking me when I’m going to make it again!
Thank you very much
You’re very welcome Mark!
This is how I have always made mine except I add dill
Relish equal amounts of mayonnaise and hidden valley ranch dressing it’s delicious….. I actually make it quiet often .. everyone loves it
Made this using grilled chicken breast. Simply delicious. I used both yellow and green onion (equal amounts).
GREAT RECIPE!
This chicken salad is awesome! My picky eater even asked me to make more for her school lunch. This recipe is a keeper!!
Best chicken salad I’ve made. Added 1/4 tsp of celery seed, was awesome!
Very tasty! My husband liked the green onion which I never thought to add. This is our new go to~ Thank you!
what or how can i substitute the dijon mustard? I never remember to pick up dijon. I have the regular yellow mustard, can i add something to it, to replace the dijon mustard
You can use yellow mustard in place of dijon.
I roasted a chicken last night in my air fryer and it came out so good that I really wanted to find a perfect chicken salad recipe to make with the leftovers. And this one is absolutely it! I followed the recipe exactly (with the exception of the dill which I couldn’t find in my supermarket). This recipe is exactly as it’s name implies, a Classic Chicken Salad. The blend of flavors is amazing, the Dijon mustard is what has been missing in every chicken salad recipe I have ever tried up until now. For sure I will be making this again and again.
I’m so glad you loved it Dee!
I was looking for a simple chicken salad recipe and this was exactly what I wanted. Do you have preferred Mayonnaise? If so, what do you suggest. Do you ever use homemade Mayo? If you do, is there a remarkable difference? Thank you in advance.
I most often use Hellmann’s because it’s what we have on hand.
Made this tonight for my family. Was disappointed. We don’t like mayonnaise and this recipe tastes like mayonnaise coated chicken.
Your family doesn’t like mayonnaise and the recipe calls for 1/2 a cup of mayonnaise. What exactly were you expecting?
That made me laugh Mike. You are so right !! Rude to give a poor review when you don’t like the ingredients. She should not move even made it!!!
That’s what I was thinking, Mike!
How do you make a recipe that contains chicken and mayonnaise and then come on to the creators website and complain that your chicken salad tasted like mayonnaise? What exactly were you expecting?
I don’t really care for mayo either. I used 1/4 Greek yogurt & 1/4 mayo. It’s delicious that way. It will cut down the “mayo” taste” and give it a bit more flavor. This recipe is really good! :)
The title of the salad says it all. Very EASY to put together and very tasty too. I used creole seasoning and tossed in a tablespoon of sweet pickle relish and a dash or two of sugar.