Creamy Chicken Salad — Full Recipe

Yield: about 6 cups
Servings: 8–10
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 20–25 minutes if starting with raw chicken
Total: ~45 minutes

Ingredients
Chicken
2½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
4 cups chicken broth or water, for poaching
Dressing
1¼ cups mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1–2 tsp honey or sugar
¾ tsp salt, plus more to taste
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp dried parsley
¼ tsp dried dill
¼ tsp celery seed, optional
Vegetables & add-ins
1 cup finely diced celery
½ cup finely diced green onion
¼ cup finely diced sweet onion
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1–2 tbsp chopped fresh dill, optional
Optional ingredients

Choose any combination:

½ cup halved or chopped pecans
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup sliced almonds
½ cup halved red or green grapes
¼ cup dried cranberries
1–2 tbsp sweet pickle relish

For the closest appearance to the photo: use celery, green onion, parsley and chicken, and skip the fruit and nuts.

Instructions
1. Cook the chicken

Place chicken breasts in a pot and add the broth or water.

Add:

1½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
garlic powder
onion powder

Bring to a gentle simmer.

Do not rapidly boil the chicken, or it can become tough.

Cook approximately 15–20 minutes, depending on thickness, until the internal temperature reaches 165°F / 74°C.

Remove and allow to cool.

2. Shred the chicken

For the texture shown in the picture, don’t finely mince the chicken.

You want a mixture of:

small shredded pieces
slightly larger pieces
some fibers pulled apart

An easy method is to put the cooked chicken in a stand mixer and mix on low speed for 10–20 seconds.

Alternatively, shred it by hand with two forks.

3. Make the dressing

Whisk together:

mayonnaise
sour cream/Greek yogurt
Dijon
vinegar or lemon juice
honey
salt
pepper
garlic powder
onion powder
parsley
dill
celery seed

Taste.

It should be slightly more seasoned than you think it needs to be, because the chicken and vegetables will dilute the flavor.

4. Add the vegetables

Finely dice the:

celery
green onion
sweet onion
parsley
dill

For a smooth deli-style chicken salad, keep the vegetables very small.

5. Combine

Put the shredded chicken into a large bowl.

Add the vegetables and approximately ¾ of the dressing.

Mix gently.

Add additional dressing until you reach the consistency you want.

For the consistency in your photograph, the chicken salad should be very moist and creamy, but it shouldn’t have liquid pooling at the bottom.

6. Refrigerate

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Overnight is even better.

The flavor becomes noticeably better after the chicken salad rests.

Nut Information

The basic recipe above does not contain nuts.

If you’re making it for someone with a nut allergy, however, pay attention to the mayonnaise, mustard, yogurt/sour cream, seasonings and other packaged ingredients for potential cross-contact warnings.

If adding nuts

Good choices are:

Pecans

Rich and buttery
Best with grapes or dried cranberries

Walnuts

More pronounced flavor
Good with apples or cranberries

Almonds

Mild and crunchy
Sliced or slivered almonds work particularly well

Add approximately ½ cup chopped nuts per 6 cups of chicken salad.

For a nut-free version, simply leave them out.

Important allergy note

If this is being prepared for someone with a diagnosed nut allergy, use ingredients specifically appropriate for that person’s allergy requirements and avoid shared cutting boards, utensils and containers that may have contacted nuts.

What Chicken Works Best?
Best option

Boneless skinless chicken breast

It produces the light-colored chicken salad shown in the photograph.

Even more flavorful

Use:

2 lb chicken breast
½ lb chicken thigh

The thighs make the salad richer and more tender.

Shortcut

You can use approximately 2½ lb cooked rotisserie chicken.

Remove the skin and bones, then shred.

Because rotisserie chicken is already seasoned, reduce the added salt.

How to Serve It

This chicken salad works especially well as:

Sandwich

Place between:

croissants
brioche
sourdough
white bread
whole-wheat bread

Add lettuce and tomato if desired.

Lettuce cups

Spoon into:

romaine leaves
butter lettuce
iceberg cups
Crackers

Serve chilled with crackers as an appetizer.

Salad plate

Serve over:

mixed greens
cucumber
tomatoes
avocado
Wrap

Put chicken salad into a flour tortilla with lettuce and shredded cheese.

Storage

Keep the chicken salad refrigerated at 40°F / 4°C or below.

For best quality, use within approximately 3–4 days.

Don’t leave it sitting at room temperature for extended periods.

If you’re portioning it like the containers in the photo, label each container with the preparation date.

Can you freeze it?

Not recommended.

Mayonnaise-based chicken salad tends to separate after freezing and thawing. The celery can also become watery and lose its crunch.

Meal-Prep Version

For containers similar to the photograph, divide the finished chicken salad into approximately:

6 containers × 1 cup each

or

8 containers × ¾ cup each

Keep refrigerated and take out only the portion you’re eating.

For a complete meal-prep container, add:

¾–1 cup chicken salad
lettuce
cucumber
tomato
fruit
crackers or bread separately
Approximate Nutrition

Because the exact mayonnaise, chicken and portion sizes vary, these are estimates.

For approximately ¾ cup of the basic recipe:

Nutrient Approx. amount
Calories 350–400
Protein 30–35 g
Fat 22–27 g
Carbohydrates 4–7 g
Fiber 1–2 g
Sugar 2–4 g
Sodium 500–700 mg

Adding nuts will increase calories, fat and protein.

Using Greek yogurt instead of sour cream can increase protein and reduce some fat/calories.

Using reduced-fat mayonnaise can substantially reduce calories.

Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use canned chicken?

Yes. Drain it extremely well and break it apart before mixing.

Freshly cooked chicken generally gives a better texture.

Why is my chicken salad watery?

Common causes are:

wet celery
insufficiently drained chicken
too much dressing
watery yogurt
adding grapes or other fruit

Pat vegetables dry before mixing.

Why is my chicken salad bland?

Chicken salad needs more seasoning than many people expect.

Try adding a little:

salt
Dijon mustard
lemon juice
black pepper
celery seed

Add gradually and taste after each addition.

How do I make it sweeter?

Add ½ teaspoon honey or sugar at a time.

For a sweeter deli-style version, use grapes or dried cranberries.

How do I make it less sweet?

Increase:

Dijon
lemon juice
black pepper
celery

and avoid honey, grapes and dried fruit.

Can I replace mayonnaise?

Yes.

Try:

Greek yogurt
sour cream
avocado
mashed cottage cheese

For the most similar deli texture, I’d use ½ mayonnaise + ½ Greek yogurt.

Can I use Miracle Whip instead?

Yes, but it will make the salad noticeably sweeter and tangier. If using it, omit or greatly reduce the honey/sugar.

Can I add eggs?

Yes. Add 2–4 finely chopped hard-boiled eggs.

This makes it more like a chicken-and-egg salad and adds protein.

Can I add grapes?

Definitely. Add ½–1 cup halved seedless grapes.

Red grapes provide a particularly nice contrast to the creamy chicken.

Can I add apples?

Yes. Use a crisp apple such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Fuji. Dice it very small and add about ½ cup.

What nuts taste best?

Pecans are my first choice for a classic sweet-savory chicken salad.

Walnuts are excellent if you prefer a stronger nut flavor.

Is this keto?

The basic recipe is relatively low in carbohydrates, but the exact carbohydrate content depends on the mayonnaise, yogurt and any sweetener used. Leave out grapes, dried cranberries and sweet relish for the lowest-carb version.

Is this gluten-free?

The basic ingredients are naturally gluten-free, but check the labels on mayonnaise, mustard, broth, seasonings and other packaged ingredients if you need strict gluten-free preparation.

Is this dairy-free?

Not as written because of the sour cream/Greek yogurt.

For dairy-free chicken salad, replace it with additional mayonnaise or a suitable dairy-free yogurt.

How can I make it healthier?

A good compromise is:

¾ cup mayonnaise + ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt

instead of using all mayonnaise.

You can also increase celery and herbs and reduce the dressing slightly.

How do I get the exact texture shown in the photo?

The important parts are:

Use cooked chicken breast.
Shred rather than finely chop it.
Dice celery extremely small.
Use enough dressing to thoroughly coat the chicken.
Refrigerate before serving.
Don’t add large chunks of vegetables or nuts.

That combination gives the thick, creamy, shredded deli-style appearance visible in your photo.

⭐ My recommended version

For the closest result to the picture, I’d make:

2½ lb chicken breast + 1¼ cups mayonnaise + ½ cup Greek yogurt + 1 cup celery + ½ cup green onion + ¼ cup sweet onion + Dijon + lemon + parsley + dill + salt + pepper.