Classic Chicken Salad
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Classic chicken salad is a creamy and flavorful mix of shredded chicken, mayonnaise, celery, and fresh herbs. It’s seasoned with salt, pepper, mustard, and lemon juice, and it’s perfect served on sandwiches, crackers, or fresh greens.
This post was originally published August 2012.
This week the temperature has been in the 90’s. I’ve been trying to make all the cold salads and dinner options where I don’t have to turn on the oven. This means I’ve been using my slow cooker,Instant Pot, and the grill.
I was craving chicken salad which is funny because that isn’t something I usually eat. I’ve actually made a really delicious Loaded Chicken Salad with bacon and cheese before. I’ve also made a Hummus Chicken Salad which is great on top of greens. Then I’ve made Greek Chicken Salad which we usually enjoy in pitas.
What is Chicken salad?
Chicken salad is made from cooked chicken that’s chopped or shredded and mixed with mayonnaise, celery, onions, and seasonings. It can be served cold on its own, in a sandwich, on crackers, or over a bed of lettuce. There are many variations, and some include extras like grapes, apples, nuts, or herbs for added flavor and texture
I just wanted a plain old chicken salad with a few herbs from my garden. We had hamburger buns leftover from burgers earlier in the week so I figured we could have the chicken salad on top of those or else just eat them with some crackers.
I found a great recipe from Cooks Illustrated and since they’ve yet to share a recipe that hasn’t turned out I went with it. I did add fresh chives, dill, and parsley from my own herb garden to the chicken salad.
Can I use other herbs?
You can use any fresh herbs you have laying around. Tarragon, basil, or thyme would also be good additions. If you don’t have fresh herbs you can use a few pinches of dried herbs but the fresh herbs really add to the chicken salad.
Ingredients:
- boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- mayonnaise (you can use light mayo if you want)
- lemon juice
- Dijon mustard (this adds a bit of spice)
- spicy brown mustard (you could also just use regular yellow mustard)
- celery
- onion (I like sweet onions but red onions would be good too)
- fresh herbs (I used dill, parsley, and chives)
- salt and pepper
Heat a pot of water over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the temperature reaches 170 degrees. Remove from water and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Can I cook the chicken another way?
You could cook the chicken in an instant pot with a cup or two of water. Cook on high pressure for 10 minutes. I also like to add a chicken bouillon cube to my water to add some flavor to the chicken.
Combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, brown mustard, celery, onion, and herbs in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove chicken from refrigerator and shred. Add to mayonnaise mixture. Refrigerate until ready to use.
The recipe was simple and the herbs it called for just happened to be growing in my garden. I made a few minor changes and the chicken salad was delicious.
It was creamy with a bit of crunch from the celery and a lot of flavor from the fresh herbs. We ate it as a sandwich for dinner and then again today on crackers for lunch.
How do you store chicken salad?
Store your chicken salad in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also double or triple the recipe if you are making it for a party or have a larger family.
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Classic Chicken Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon spicy brown mustard
- 2 celery ribs minced
- 2 Tablespoons onion minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh chives minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh dill minced
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Heat 6 cups of water mixed with 2 tablespoons of salt in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Place the chicken in the water and heat until the water heats to 170 degrees. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let stand until the temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees, about 15 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the water and place on paper towels to drain. Refrigerate until chicken is cool, about 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, spicy brown mustard, celery, onion, and fresh herbs in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cut the chicken into small pieces or shred and add to the mayonnaise mixture. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Notes
More Brunch Recipes:
- Kings Hawaiian Pineapple Cheesecake Danishes from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Chicken Paprikash from Art of Natural Living
- Maple Bacon Monkey Bread from Blogghetti
- Caprese Asparagus from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Pesto Chicken Salad Cups from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Classic Chicken Salad from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Potatoes Boulangére from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Great recipe. Love the use of 2 different mustards. Sounds delicious.
Love this healthy treat! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Love checking salad. Just this morning I nearly spent entirely too much for the pre made one at Whole Foods. I’m going to guess I could make 3 times more for less with this recipe!
I’m a NO MAYO MAMA, so I make chicken salad using Russian or Catalina dressing instead of mayo/mustard. Yummy! I also add grapes, cut in half, to give my chicken salad some healthy sweetness. Maybe your hubby would like that, Pam?
sounds good–my hubby is a NO MAYO MAN so salads like this are not an option for dinner, but its a nice lunch for me =)