When I search for recipes online, I rarely follow the recipe exactly. Sometimes it’s because I don’t have the items on hand, but my family’s tastes come into play a lot. Certain vegetables they enjoy, others not so much. Certain spices are always welcomed with requests for second helpings, but others leave food on the plates.

Teaching you to fish

“Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll have food for the rest of his life.” This is the thought behind Mom’s Chicken Salad Recipes. While we may include some complete recipes on our site, above all we want to show you how to make your family’s best chicken salad recipe ever.

We’ll show you a basic recipe you can start with and then outline a variety of options so you can create your chicken salad masterpiece.

Our basic recipe

Ingredients:

• 3/4 lb. chopped cooked chicken (canned or prepared yourself)
• 1/2 cup dressing (choose a salad dressing you like or use mayonnaise)
• spices to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder)
• 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice or rice wine vinegar
• 1-1/2 tsp. jam or fruit preserves
• your favorite vegetables, fruits and/or nuts (grated or chopped to the desired size and consistency)

Makes about 4 servings.

I always mix the spices, dressing, jam and lemon juice (or vinegar) together in their own bowl before adding it to the chicken and veggies/fruits/nuts mix (we’ll just call it “veggies” from now on). Then mix everything together thoroughly, taste test and adjust spices if needed.

A note about spices: If you are going to let the chicken salad rest for a few hours or overnight (always recommended, if possible), then don’t be too concerned about the taste. The time it spends “marinating” will make a huge difference, so it’s best to do the final taste test and spice adjustment immediately before serving.

The right chicken salad recipe for YOUR family

Here are the factors you should consider as we construct your chicken salad recipe:

• food likes
• food dislikes
• when you usually want to eat it (immediately vs. the next day)
• how long you typically store food before finishing leftovers
• number of people in your family (that is, number of servings you want to make)

Use the articles on our site to get ideas for what ingredients you could include. Just delete from the list anything your family doesn’t like. If you have some favorite items not on our lists, let us know!

If you’re going to eat the chicken salad right away, you’ll want to use stronger flavorings (dressings, juices, spices) because they won’t have time to soak into the rest of the ingredients over time. If it has time to sit in the fridge overnight, then go easy on the spices because the flavors get stronger over time. You might also save certain kinds of flavor accents for adding immediately prior to serving (like vinegar or other tart/sour notes that you might not want to soak in for long periods).

If you are likely to have leftovers, and you know they might be in the fridge for a few days, then go easy on veggies or fruits that easily get mushy or change color over time (tomatoes, avocadoes, cucumbers, peaches, etc).

Calculating serving size and ingredients amounts

Figure about 2 cups of chicken salad per adult serving. If the chicken salad is going on sandwiches, closer to 1 cup per serving.

• about 6 oz. chicken per serving
• about 1-2 cups veggies per serving
• about 2 tbs. – 1/4 cup dressing per serving (depending how thick you want it!)

Go forth, and create!

Browse our site for further help with cooking your chicken, different combinations of spices for themed chicken salad (mexican, thai curry, tropical, etc), preparing the ingredients and other details. You are well on your way to having your family’s super chicken salad recipe to pass along to the next generation!

Of course, you don’t have to stop there — you might write a recipe card for your most popular “Potluck Version”, or the “Father’s Day Edition” of your chicken salad, with all the ingredients Dad likes the best. You might design your “Quick and Easy” recipe and your very own “Hot & Spicy Chicken Salad Sandwich” with just the spicy elements you like best.

We’d love to hear how it goes. Post a comment with your chicken salad success story!

Here is my never-boring chicken salad secret technique!

Always, always, always, start with good chicken

As we discussed in my article about great chicken making great chicken salad, your best chicken salad recipe is going to start with a bowl of slow-cooked, moist chicken meat. This can be chicken from the freezer or fresh chicken from a local free-range, organic ranch, but the key is in the slow-cooking. You want this chicken falling off the bones when it’s done. You also want to make sure you put a little water in with it and trap the moisture with a cover or aluminum foil securely wrapped around your dish.

After it cools enough to handle, remove the chicken from the bones and separate all the skin, fat and gristle from the delicious meat.

Chop the chicken meat to your preferred size and consistency.

The dressing determines the overall theme

Ah, now we get to the heart of the recipe. The chicken is the meat, the main attraction, but the dressing is where you shape the heart, the style, the flavor of your chicken salad.

Here is where you decide whether you’re going to do a creamy or an oil base. The dressing is where you decide on the thickness of the consistency. This is where you select the spices and decide on themes like mexican, italian, greek, east indian, asian, southern or whatever.

Get a bowl and put your dressing ingredients together separately from the chicken.

1. Creamy bases might start with mayonnaise, yogurt, cream cheese or sour cream. Oil bases are generally olive or other vegetable oil.
2. Add in your other liquids like salad dressing, vinegar, juices (something from a dill pickle jar, or maybe some fruit juice, etc), honey, salsa or other hot sauce, chili oil or paste, mustard, ketchup, tomato paste, etc. Adjust to taste.
3. Raid your spice rack. Mix in whatever spices fit your theme.
4. Mix well! You can use a blender if you like, or just stir it up with a fork or whisk.
5. Check your consistency. If it’s too runny, then thicken it up with a little corn starch or other thickening agent. If it’s too thick, add a little more compatible liquid flavoring (see step #2).
6. Check the flavor one more time. If you have time, let this mix set for 15-60 minutes and then check it again, making any necessary adjustments before mixing it in.

Add your accents

Amazing chicken salad comes from a combination of a solid foundation and the interesting chicken salad recipe additions you throw in to highlight it with special flavors.

Flavor accents come from including things like:

• dried or fresh fruits
• fresh, steamed or sauteed vegetables
• canned treats like olives, corn, beets, pickles, garlic, etc.
• nuts
• fun stuff like bacon bits, shredded cheese or boiled eggs

Prepare and chop up your selected chicken salad accents. This can be a longer process if you clean, chop and sautee fresh veggies — or it can be something quick like dumping in a small can of pre-chopped olives or diced mild green peppers.

Mix it all together!

Put your chicken meat, dressing and the accents all in a good-sized bowl and mix them together. Be sure the dressing is spread over every corner and tasty bit of chicken, fruit, nut, and veggie you may have in your delicious chicken salad recipe.

You don’t want to over mix it if you like having bigger chunks. Mixing it too much will cause the chicken to come apart into smaller pieces and can cause softer pieces of fruit or vegetable to turn to mush.

On the other hand, if you enjoy a smoother chicken salad consistency, then by all means, mix to your heart’s content!

Let it set or serve it up!

If you have time, let your chicken salad set overnight so the flavors mix together and soak in completely. If not, then go ahead and eat it immediately!

It’s great on a sandwich, in a lettuce wrap for those on no-carb diets, or even by itself in a bowl.

Did you try it?

If you’ve taken a great chicken salad recipe adventure and mixed up something new of your own, take a moment to comment below and tell us how it went!

The great thing about my chicken salad recipes is that they still work with canned chicken, canned veggies and dried fruit straight out of the box or bag.

Here’s my secret to fast, easy chicken salad that tastes great in 10 minutes or less!

Chicken salad recipe in 10 minutes or less

Ingredients:

• 2-12.5 oz. cans of canned chicken
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1-15 oz. can of corn, drained
• 1-12 oz. can of sliced olives (black or green, whichever you prefer), drained
• 1/2 cup salad dressing (ranch, caesar or thousand island)
• 2 tsp. fruit juice (apple, orange, lemon, etc)
• 1 tbs. Dijon mustard
• Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste

Dump all the ingredients in a bowl and mix them thoroughly. If the chicken salad seems dry, add more salad dressing or fruit juice.

Serve immediately.

Optional ingredients

Depending on your personal tastes and the contents of your cupboards, you might throw in some of these:

• 1 small (4-6 oz.) can of chopped spinach (salted type)
• 1 small can diced mild green peppers
• 1 small can diced canned carrots
• 1 small can diced canned beets
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1 tsp. asian chili sauce (spicy)
• 1/2 tsp. red curry paste (spicy Thai style)

Suggested side dishes

I always enjoy throwing my chicken salad into a lettuce wrap or into a sandwich with sliced sourdough bread. However, you might consider making a quick meal with these easy side dishes:

• potato chips or corn tortilla chips
• leftover rice or potatoes
• leftover pasta
• salad from a bag
• raw carrot sticks
• sliced apples, oranges, a bunch of grapes or other fresh fruit
• macaroni and cheese (boxed quick version)
  (you can even skip the fake cheese powder and keep the noodles plain, just adding a little olive oil or butter and sprinkling it with Parmesan cheese)

Adding fruit to your chicken salad

One of the top ingredient additions to chicken salad recipes is fruit. This can add a sweet note to plain or spicy recipes, or you can even use fruits to add a tangy or sour note.

From a nutrition standpoint, this adds extra energy, vitamins and nutrients that can turn your chicken salad sandwich into a truly balanced all-in-one meal.

Dried Fruits

When using dried fruits, you should match the size of the fruit with the overall consistency you want for your chicken salad. If you prefer larger chunks of meat, then match the size of the fruit with the size of the meat chunks. If you are going for a smoother spread, do the same with your fruits.

If the fruit is especially chewy or hard, then I recommend soaking it first to soften it up. You can do this more quickly (5-15 minutes) by using warm water and/or zapping it in the microwave to heat it up a little, or you can soak it in cold water for a couple of hours or overnight.

Some recommended fruits (select them according to your taste, preference, and how they complement the chicken salad recipe you’ve selected):

• raisins or currants
• cranberries
• strawberries
• papaya
• pineapple
• apricot
• prunes
• dates
• cherries
• blueberries

Fresh fruits

Because of the nature of the chicken salad mix, harder or firmer fresh fruits do best. Citrus can be used to put a splash of juice for flavor, but isn’t recommended for actual inclusion as chunks of fruit.

Keep in mind the recipe that you’ve selected, and think about what flavor notes you want to add to the mix. Select sweet fruits to contrast with spicy, vinegary or plain recipes. Select sour or tart fruits to contrast with sweeter or richer base flavors. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll throw in a little of both!

• apples
• grapes
• peaches (firm ones)
• apricots (firm ones)
• strawberries (firm ones)
• blueberries, raspberries, blackberries (or the favorite berry of your choice)
• avocado
• mango

Adding vegetables to your chicken salad

Vegetables are GREAT in chicken salad recipes. Adding finely chopped or grated vegetables turns this simple lunch recipe into a fully satisfying, balanced and nutritious meal.

You can mix vegetables and fruits together, but if you choose to mix them, be conservative. Decide which flavors you want to dominate, and then just throw in a little of the other. For example, if you want the garden-in-a-sandwich effect, then use several vegetables and only one small bit of fruit as an accent. Or vice versa.

Hard vegetables

Hard vegetables should be lightly steamed or sauteed first, so they aren’t too crunchy and don’t interrupt the chicken salad eating experience. Sauteed vegetables add an amazing taste to any chicken salad recipe, but definitely take more time to prepare. Peel your veggies or just wash them well and leave the skins on, according to your preference or common sense.

• carrots
• green beans
• broccoli
• cabbage
• cauliflower
• corn
• zucchini
• beets
• spinach, kale, collard or other greens

As-is vegetables

These vegetables can be finely chopped or grated and used fresh. You’ll notice there are a few vegetables that go on both the cooked and fresh lists; they work well either way, but if you use the harder vegetables fresh, it is best to grate or shred them.

• onions (bulb onions or salad onions like scallions)
• cucumbers
• peppers (jalapeño, or mild red, yellow, green or orange bell peppers)
• tomatoes
• zucchini
• radishes
• celery
• carrots

Canned veggies (pickles, corn, beets, green beans, capers, olives, etc) are also easy to chop and include without extra work.

Nuts

Some folks like to include a sprinkling of nuts in their chicken salad recipe. This isn’t usually my preference, but it’s true that I’ve enjoyed it on occasion. Generally, you’ll want to chop these up to a size that fits your chosen consistency, leaving them big enough to notice, but not too intrusive to the chewing process. Softer nuts are preferred, but you can try some of the harder ones to see what you think.

• walnuts
• pecans
• cashews
• almonds
• pistachios
• macadamia

Other interesting additions to your recipe

There are so many things you can try adding to your favorite chicken salad recipe. Here are a few more ideas:

• bacon bits
• boiled eggs
• cheese (shredded, or crumbled bits like feta, gorgonzola, bleu, etc)
• pickles, olives, etc  (in case you didn’t notice them on the veggies list)

Your turn!

Leave me a comment and tell me about what extras you like to include in your best chicken salad recipes!

Choosing your chicken

The chicken you use will depend on your family’s preferences. If you always buy free-range, organic-fed chicken, then use that. If you like keeping a freezer of chicken to pull out when you need it, use that. If you have chickens out in the barnyard ready for slaughter, by all means, start from scratch if you like!

The important thing about the chicken at this point in the process is not so much what type of chicken it is, but how you prepare it for including in your selected chicken salad recipe.

You can use a whole chicken or just cook the parts you like best (chicken breast for white meat or chicken thighs for dark meat).

Cooking the chicken

I’ve always had the best results from slow baking or slow cooking (crockpot) the chicken for my chicken salad. If you’re not sure what sorts of spices you’ll choose to include, or if you intend to use part of the chicken for one recipe and part for another recipe, then keep your spices relatively neutral. A good sprinkling of salt and black pepper is the minimum. I usually add some garlic and onion powder (or even better, some fresh crushed garlic rubbed over it and sliced onions draped over the carcass).

Definitely add a little water to the baking dish and be sure to cover it securely to keep as much moisture in as possible.

A whole chicken will take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours at 350 degrees F.

Chicken parts (breasts or thighs) may only take 1 1/2 to 2 hours at the same temperature.

The thing to look for during the cooking process is to see the meat starting to sag and fall off the bones very easily. As long as you keep moisture in the dish and keep it covered, you almost cannot overcook the meat.

Taking the meat off the bones

Take the chicken out of the oven and let it cool with the cover still on (remember, we’re keeping the moisture in — you don’t want dry chicken in your chicken salad recipe!). You can put it in the refrigerator to cool faster, just be sure to put a hot pad or folded towel under the hot baking dish so it doesn’t hurt your fridge shelf.

Caution: Of course if you do not put it in the refrigerator, be mindful not to leave it out at room temperature for too long. You don’t want to risk food poisoning.

When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bones. Remove any fat, skin, or gristle that you find.

Chopping the perfect chicken salad meat

How do I chop the perfect chicken salad meat? By instinct, of course! Okay, okay, maybe you want more detail than that. Well, as always, it comes down to your personal preference, and that of your family.

I usually chop the meat into chunks or shredded bits no bigger than half an inch square. Some people prefer a smoother spread on their chicken salad sandwich. In that case, make it a quarter-inch or smaller. Or put it through the blender or food processor for a paté-like consistency.

Now your chicken is ready to be put into your selected chicken salad recipe.