Our Favorite Chicken Salad Recipes
- Mandy Crow
- Jun 14, 2022
- 2 min read
Summer doesn't officially start until June 21, but here in Tennessee, we've set heat records for the past two days and relief won't come for a few more days. In these hot, heady days of summer (uhhh, pre-summer), we're filling our plates with light meals that don't create a lot of mess or heat up the house.
And one of our summer favorites is chicken salad. It's versatile, generally easy to make without a trip to the store and delightful on its own, topping a green salad or in a sandwich. Here are a few of our favorite chicken salad recipes for your summertime sampling.
From one of our favorite recipes websites, Smitten Kitchen, is a mix of crunchy and sweet. Walnuts and dried cranberries add those elements, and this salad is relatively light on mayonnaise. What's not to like?
Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman, shares our opinion on chicken salad. As she says, "The great thing about this recipe is, you can use the steps and ingredients as a basis for your own unique recipe, adding and subtracting whatever makes you skirt fly up.“ This recipe combines mayo and greek yogurt or sour cream for creaminess and adds in grapes, green onions and celery for crunch. It's delightfully simple and simply delicious!
Ina Garten, the Barefoot Contessa, starts her recipe with chicken breasts roasted slowly in the oven—so this recipe could heat up the kitchen a bit! Her recipe also features grapes, but throws in both pecans and walnuts (toasted, of course) for crunch and flavor. All the roasting leads to a chicken salad with layers of taste and flavor.
So, some of use like a simple chicken salad, right? No grapes, no fruit, no nuts. If you just want a no frills salad that tastes great, this might be the recipe for you. The crunch comes from celery and preparation is a smidge easier when you use a rotisserie chicken. Chicken, spices, celery and 3/4 cup mayo and that's all you need!
Our founder prefers a simple chicken salad you can whip together in a few minutes:
2 chicken breasts, roasted (or prepared in the instant pot), shredded
2-3 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 cup pecans, chopped
3-4 green onions, chopped
Mix these ingredients together in a bowl, then pour in a little olive oil (once around the bowl) and mayonnaise to taste. Season with garlic salt, black pepper, celery seed and a smidge of thyme. Chill in the fridge for at least an hour and serve!
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