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
can use you canned chicken?
can you use****
Hi Erin, you could…and we’ve heard from some folks that it still tastes good. But, if you’re looking to cut some time, go with a rotisserie chicken from the deli section in your supermarket, and just pull and shred the meat. But in a pinch, you could go with canned cooked chicken. Let us know what you end up doing and how it turns out! Good luck! Kris & Wesley
First time making this recipe, and man oh man is it good!!! Mixed dark and white meat chicken to give it a classic deli style taste, but I had to sub the scallions with green onion as well as use lemon juice concentrate and dried herbs. Tossed in some sunflower seed as I didn’t have the celery on hand no the scallions which add a crunch to it! Also used half veganase and half mayo as I ran out of mayo!
Sounds great, Jonathan!! So glad to hear it worked out well for you!! Thanks for letting us know!
Thank you so much for this recipe! 5 stars all the way. The only thing I changed was I toasted the almonds, and used dry dill, I did not have fresh on hand. It is by far the best chicken salad I have ever made. For some reviews that thought It had to much lemon juice, use 2 tablespoons, that seemed to be perfect for our taste.
Thank you, Debra! We couldn’t be happier that you enjoyed the recipe! And so glad you adapted it to your taste preferences! Thanks so much for letting us know, and please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
Wow.. this was my first time making chicken salad and its amazing. I of course have had chicken salads but back home they are usually more on the savory side, instead of this sweeter, healthier salad. I omitted the lemon, because we are not crazy about it.. but wow.. this is just delicious and my 2 and 4 year old LOVE it. I also used dried dill and parsley and its still out standing. I also added a bit of garlic powder because.. come on.. everything could use garlic! haha Thanks so much, this will become a regular staple in our home!
That sounds fantastic! We are super happy you liked it! It’s a pretty versatile recipe and your tweaks sound great! Thank you so much for letting us know, and please stay in touch! xoxo Kris & Wesley
I just made this today, and I am SO pleased! It is delicious. Will be taking it for a beach picnic! Thank you!
Awesome!! Thanks so much for letting us know, Katie!! Have a great beach picnic! (We’re jealous!!!). xoxo Kris & Wesley
Just made this for a friend recovering from surgery. I am not a fan of grapes and nuts in chicken salad but this is delicious. Dressing was a little tart for my liking (I may have used too much lemon juice) so I added a couple of tablespoons for Miracle Whip and it was perfect.
That is great to hear, Sarah! We hope your friend is having a speedy recovery, and that friend has a good friend in you, that’s clear! We love hearing from people like you that make tweaks to this recipe to fit their own liking. We think that’s why this recipe is so popular, it’s a fantastic base, but yet very adaptable. Thanks so much for letting us know, and please stay in touch. And give our best to your friend!! xo Kris & Wesley
Hey guys! The chicken salad was a hit. (And so was my strawberry shortcake btw) Do you have a trout recipe you can post on FB or here? Something other than the usual “stuff his belly with lemon and herbs” or my go to “Cajun blackened any kind of fish”. Hope all is well.
Awesome! Let me go back into my archives! I haven’t cooked trout since I lived in Texas many years ago. I’ll let you know what I come up with! Hope you are great, as well!! Best, Kris
Love this recipe! I use 1/2 cup of full-fat Greek yogurt instead of the mayonnaise and about 3 tablespoon of minced red onion instead of scallions. I might try adding some diced red apple next time I make this.
Awesome! Sounds great! That’s what we love about this recipe, it’s very adaptable! Thank you for sharing and please stay in touch!!
I just found you guys on my tablet and read all the wonderful comments that were shared. I plan to make this Chicken Salad today, as I have a rotisserie chicken ready to be dismantled. Can’t wait to see many of your delicious recipes pop up on the screen. Thank’s to you, for sharing.
We had paired loons on our lake side property, only they didn’t cook!
Woo hoo!! Let us know how the salad turned out. And hope you enjoy it! Loons are something to behold!! xo Kris
I just say OMG it was delightful. I followed u our entire recipe, to the bottom of your page, and WHAT LA, instant gratification to our taste buds. My husband said this recipe topped any of, even his grandmother’s, so guess what, it goes in our favorite recipe file for near future use. We thank you for sharing. Can’t wait for more receipe’s to come.
That is so awesome!! Thank you for letting us know!
Hands down, the best chicken salad I’ve ever used. I was in a hurry and just opened canned chicken (sigh), but even THAT was fantastic! The fresh dill TOTALLY popped in it. I’ll be making this for quite a while!
Thank you, Amy!! So glad you liked it! We agree, the dill makes it sing! Stay in touch! xo Kris & Wesley
I just made this for a Father’s Day luncheon for a full house. I was so nervous to try a new recipe when I was hosting my boyfriend’s parents and my family all together for the first time, but this is hands down the best chicken salad I’ve ever had. I prefer toasted walnuts to almonds, so I made a substitution there, and I used grilled chicken breasts. Otherwise made it exactly as specified and served it on fresh croissants. It was fantastic, and I’m eating it again already, only two hours after the last guest departed. You won’t be disappointed.
Melinda! You just made our day!! So very glad you liked this salad. That is a bit of a stressful situation to being trying out a new recipe, but you can’t go wrong with this one. So happy!! Stay in touch, all the best, Kris & Wesley
I really don’t care for dill but everyone loves this recipe. Do you really taste the dill strongly?
The great thing about this recipe is you can adjust anything to your own liking. We think all the flavors blend together just right, but try it and pull back a tad on the dill and see what you think. One of our producers from our show doesn’t like dill, but he loves this salad!! Let us know what you think. Thanks!
Just wondering if adding cream cheese would enhance the flavor. Not instead of mayo, but in addition too. Perhaps cut down on the mayo? Haven’t tried the recipe yet.
Hi Terri! I’ve never tried adding cream cheese to a chicken salad, but sounds interesting. I’m all for trying new things, and this recipe is very adaptable. I don’t like salads, like chicken or potato, that have too much mayo, and we think this ratio is pretty good, but give it a go and let us know how it turns out!! Thanks!! Kris & Wesley
Love this salad! I have even made it with canned chicken In a pinch and it still turns out divine!
So wonderful to hear, Karen!! Thanks for sharing, and please stay in touch!! xo Kris & Wesley
This recipe is very similar to one I got from my Aunt Virginia many years ago only hers did not have dill or mustard in it. I want to try your version too! Sounds yummy!
Hi Karen! I must say I think the dill is key, and the mustard gives it depth. I’d hate to compete with Aunt Virginia! But, give it a shot, I think you’ll like it…and let us know if you do and what you think. All the best, Kris & Wesley
OMG this is amazing! I made this and am making them into pinwheels stuffing for a party. Will let you know how it turns out like that. I can eat this for days. My 13 year old couldn’t stop eating it lol
Love. It! So glad you and your family like it!! Totally want to hear about the pinwheels stuffing…sound awesome! Let us know and thanks so much for letting us know!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
The pinwheels were a hit!!! I also put the left over dressing in a dipping bowl if anyone wanted extra. Definitely making this tonight again for a bbq. So glad I found you guys and this amazing recipe! Thank you!!!
AWESOME!!!! Keep your eyes peeled…so much more to come!! Thanks again!! K&W
This recipe looks perfect for the Bunco party I’m hosting next week! I usually like chicken salad on a crossaint, so will likely do that. Do you have any suggestions for sides and/or desserts that go well with it?