This really is the perfect go-to salad for sandwiches or on top of a green salad.
You could easily add crumbled bacon, or raisins, or cashews, or even mix in a little curry powder to the mayo. Of course, homemade mayo puts this salad over the top. But again, a good quality store-bought mayonnaise works perfectly well, too. After cooking the chicken, the salad comes together in only about 15 minutes!
How To Make Chicken Salad
EXPERT TIP: Cook the chicken up to 3 days before assembling and serving. You can also make the homemade mayonnaise several days in advance, too!
Although chilling the salad after it’s mixed is recommended, we think to let the salad return to room temperature is great for taste when serving.
Watch us show you how easy it is to make this truly incredible recipe!
Other “Best-Ever” Salads to Try
What Makes It So Delicious?
So many folks have made this salad and asked us in complete sincerity: “What makes this chicken salad recipe so darn delicious?”
Well, there are several reasons, we believe: Here are some of the main ones:
- Roasting the chicken ensures flavorful, juicy chicken for the salad. In a pinch, you could certainly use a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket.
- The addition of seedless grapes, almonds, and fresh dill are part of what makes this dish so wonderful.
- A mix of mayonnaise, Dijon, and lemon juice adds a freshness that is just so very delicious. It all adds up to the best chicken salad sandwich you can imagine!
Homemade Mayonnaise Adds More Freshness
If you really are in the mood to make this truly the BEST-EVER chicken salad…make your mayonnaise from scratch.
There’s nothing better than homemade classic mayonnaise (click for recipe).
Of course, good-quality store-bought mayonnaise will work just fine, but we absolutely LOVE making it from scratch! One thing to keep in mind, though, homemade mayo has raw egg in it, which could be an issue with the very young, the elderly, or anyone with a compromised immune system.
It’s all about using fresh ingredients.
Fresh dill and parsley add a layer of flavor that we think puts this salad over the top.
If you can’t get fresh, dried will work, just use half the amount that you would be using if fresh.
And it’s even better after it sits in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight! This chicken salad sandwich recipe is really about as good as they come!
I mean, just look how delicious this looks!
Wait until you taste it!! You and those around you will love it!
If you are looking for an easy chicken salad recipe that tastes like something you’d get at an amazing restaurant, you need to look no further!
You can almost taste how good this is just by looking at it.
There is a reason this is hands down the most popular recipe on How To Feed a Loon!
Best-Ever Chicken Salad FAQs
- How far advance can it be made? We recommend serving soon after the salad is assembled. However, you can prepare the chicken and the dressing up to several days in advance. We will say the salad is even tastier after it sits in the refrigerator for a few hours. We just suggest bringing the salad back to room temp before serving. But that’s just a suggestion!
- Is a rotisserie chicken okay to use? Absolutely! We feel pretty strongly that the roasted chicken pieces yield an even tastier salad, but a good-quality rotisserie chicken will work, too. Just please don’t use canned chicken. Please.
- What other ingredients could I include? The sky is practically the limit: We love dried cranberries, sliced apples, cashews or peanuts, even capers! Fresh oregano, rosemary and/or thyme is great, too!
- Can the salad be frozen? Yes! Freeze for up to 1 month in an air-tight container. Let thaw completely and return to room temperature. You may need to make a small batch of the dressing just to stir in before serving after it’s been frozen, but that’s not 100% necessary.
Ready to make the best lunch dish in town? Go for it!
And when you make it, take a picture and post to Instagram and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and #HowToFeedaLoon
Best-Ever Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken parts (bone-in, skin-on thighs and breasts work well) (You'll need about 4 cups)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup grapes seedless, halved (red and green varieties are great)
- 1 cup almonds thinly sliced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 3 scallions thinly sliced (white and green parts)
- 2 tbsp dill fresh, chopped
- 1 tbsp parsley fresh, chopped
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Kosher salt (start with 1/2 teaspoon, then add more, to taste)
- Freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Rub the olive oil all over the chicken pieces and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until internal temp reaches 165°F using an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the oven and let cool. Remove the skin then pull the meat from the bones and roughly chop.
- In a large bowl, mix together the chicken, grapes, almonds, celery, scallions, dill, & parsley.
- In a small-medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon, mustard, salt, and pepper.
- Add the mayo/mustard mixture to the chicken mixture and gently stir until well mixed.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.
- Serve on a bed of greens with sliced tomatoes and avocado. Or, serve on bread with green leaf lettuce. Add more toppings to your taste!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
By far the most delightful and delicious salad. Roasted the chicken. Did not have dill, but it was still amazing. I added dried cranberries. Served with leaf lettuce, tomatoes, and kaiser rolls.
I am so looking forward to making this for a wedding brunch. Any suggestions on how to make this in large batches (100 invited guests)?
Hi Monica! So very sorry for the delayed response! Wow! 100 guests! That’s amazing! Obviously, it will depend on how you’re serving it. Prepare sandwiches, or let folks make their own. If you 4x the recipe, you should have more than enough to feed 100 people. I’d start with the chicken first. Roast them and shred and then keep in the fridge until ready to assemble. The prepared chicken salad will keep just fine in a fridge for 24 hours, no problem. Good luck and please let us know how it all turns out. And have FUN!!!! Kris & Wesley
Fabulous recipe. The only change I made was using grainy mustard instead of Dijon; personal choice. Thanks so much!
It’s our all time favorite chicken salad recipe!
This is by far the best chicken salad ever! The ingredient blend together And I feel it is best left in frig overnight before serving!
Hi Gloria! Woo hoo! You have no idea how happy this makes us! We are THRILLED you are loving the chicken salad recipe, and we agree, it just gets better overnight! Thank you so much for sharing and for the GREAT review. That truly means so much to us! Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Wonderful recipe! I’ve tried many different chicken salad recipes and this is definitely the best!
Linda! You just made our day! Thank you so much for sharing and for the GREAT review. That means the world to us! All the best, Kris & Wesley
I substituted Greek Yogurt for the mayonnaise and accidentally bought vanilla instead of plain—but using vanilla makes it soooo good. So now I always use vanilla whenever I make this! The sauce by itself tastes amazing, and then adding the chicken dilutes the vanilla flavor. And I use sunflower seeds and/or chia seeds for “crunch” instead of almonds. And I substituted the stalk part of Bok Choy for celery ribs since that is what I had. Thanks for a great recipe and so nutritious!
Absolutely delicious! You two are a delight to watch. Thank you!
Thank you SO MUCH, Cindy!!!!
Made this for my daughter’s bridal shower and it was a hit!! Absolutely delicious! We love this recipe and will be making it our go to chicken salad recipe!
Hi Sherry! This makes us so so happy! We are thrilled you had success with our chicken salad and we are honored that you made it for such a special occasion. Please tell your daughter we said ‘congratulations’ and are glad we could help out even in a small way! Happy Times! Thanks for sharing and for the wonderful review! That means the world to us!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This has now been my go-to chicken salad for a couple of years! The dill….. Oh my goodness. I leave out celery and use pecans instead of almonds. Thank you for sharing this, it’s the best!
Thank you so much, Melissa! Thank YOU for letting us know! We are so so thrilled you love our chicken salad recipe!! Stay in touch! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Still the BEST!
So good! I tried making the chicken thighs in the crockpot on low for 6 hours and it worked out very well! I can’t wait to try more of your recipes 🙂
Thank you, both, for a recipe that wins every time I make it for family and friends. And this week I’m making your Instant Pot braciole!
Woo hoo, Dave! That makes us so happy! We are thrilled you are loving the chicken salad recipe and thank you so much for letting us know! We truly appreciate that! And let us know how the IP braciole turns out! It is one of our all-time favorites. That sauce is amazing over mashed potatoes or pasta!! YUM!!
Hey guys! Just your loyal reviewer here. I made this chicken salad again for the millionth time. This time I had no Dijon mustard and I found a bottle of honey Dijon mustard hiding on the shelf so used it. I also like the combo of dill weed with celery seed. So I made those changes……over the top delish! You MUST try it. You guys are taking my culinary skills to new levels and I’m forever grateful. And I’m still absolutely loving your membership site still. Keep up the great work guys. On to the coleslaw and new chocolate cake recipe next! What a great Labor Day weekend feast with my favorite guys.
Wow Wow Wow! Talk about a Labor Day FEAST!! We will definitely try the addition of honey and celery seed! Sounds heavenly!!! You are the BEST!!!!
Brilliant recipe! Best chicken salad I’ve ever had and by the looks on faces, it was for everybody. The only thing I did different was to make 1.5 times, doubled the grapes and cut the lemon juice to 1/2 a lemon since my husband isn’t a huge lemon fan. I can’t wait to try your tuna salad – capers! Genius you guys!
Hi Jennifer!! So sorry for the delayed response here! We are THRILLED you had such great success with our chicken salad recipe and your modifications sound perfect!! We hope you love the tuna salad…it’s really yummy! Let us know if you make it and what you think of it!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Well rats. I didn’t realize that I hadn’t reviewed this recipe when I first tried it during our “Loon Thanksgiving Day”. First, what the heck is wrong with Carmen? Ugh….some people are just miserable souls. I have made this recipe a gazillion times. Always my go to chicken salad recipe. I was hooked at dill. My favorite EVER. To me, dill goes with everything and a lot of it. I have made this with good ole mayo as well as your homemade mayo. I’ve used chicken breast, rotisserie chicken and (DO NOT READ THIS) canned chicken breast in a hurry. Actually all of them were really good. The crunch of the grapes with the almonds combined with yummy dill is just out of this world. It’s great on any type of bread, lettuce or just plain straight out of the bowl. It reminds me of my favorite chicken salad with grapes that I used to get at a local deli but theirs had no dill! Once I saw your recipe I had to give it a try and I haven’t been back to that deli. As you can tell by the numbers of reviews that you get along that all of us who love you guys as well as your membership site, don’t fret a hater who has no idea nor respect by what these reviews mean to you. You will always have many great reviews to boost your ratings. Keep on cooking guys and making me laugh.
Diane!!! We LIVE for everything here!! We are so so thrilled you are loving our beloved chicken salad recipe (it’s our favorite) and we appreciate your amazing words and review!! You are the absolute best!!!! Much love, Kris & Wesley
Great Recipe! I used store-bought roasted chicken and it was still delicious! Thanks so much for sharing.
Hi Cynthia! Woo hoo!! Thank YOU for letting us know! So so happy you enjoyed the chicken salad! xoxo Kris & Wesley
Wonderful recipe. If you take out the grapes and put cheese and potato chips on top bake for 30 min you also have a great warm salad. Perfect for winter luncheons. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Love it! Sounds great!!!