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
I was wondering if dried cranberries would also be good in this salad? Please let me know and I can’t wait to try it!!!
Hi Sherri!! Oh, absolutely!! We LOVE dried cranberries. They would work perfectly in this chicken salad. We actually do call for them in our Best-Ever Tuna Salad. Let us know when you make the dish and what you think!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Perfection
Thanks, Sam!! Couldn’t ask for a better review than that!! 🙂 All the best, Kris & Wesley
Kris and Wesley,
I made your chicken salad tonight and OMG!! It was soooooo good! Our grandchildren gobbled it up! It really made a lot too. I think the children loved it even more because of the grapes. Thank you so much for sharing it with the world. I consider it a gift!
Thanks again!
Angela!! That is so wonderful to hear!! Getting a note like this is a GIFT to us! It means so much, and we could not be happier that you and your wonderful grandkids gobbled it up! Big win!! And thank you so very much for letting us know, means a lot to us. Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
This is seriously the best ever chicken salad! I brought it to work and everyone loved it. They all demanded the recipe, and I even converted a previous chicken salad hater with this recipe. I did alter it slightly by adding extra dill and leaving out the almonds. I also used a whole chicken instead of just the breasts. Sooo Good!
Hi Kayla! That is so awesome to hear! It’s great to make everyone at work super impressed, right? And your changes sound just right (we’re huge fresh dill lovers, too, so we always up the dill content, too!). And THANK YOU so much for taking the time to let us know. That truly means the world to us. Please stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley.
You guys are so funny! I could watch you all day! I’m so excited to try this recipe! My husband and I are raising our four grandchildren and we are constantly looking for alternative recipes for chicken. This looks fabulous!
Hi Angela!! Thank you so much, that means the world to us!! And wow! You’ve got your hands full raising four grandchildren, but somehow, we think you and your husband don’t mind it at all. We absolutely love this chicken salad and really hope you and your family do too! Do let us know what you think and please stay in touch!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
Alright, I was snobby! I made a bath of chicken salad to take for a friends going away party. We ate most of it later that evening, so made a double batch. My friend who was moving looked at me and frowned. I have known you 10 yrs, and you have never made this! Told her it was a family secret…ok, I lied too. She wanted the recipe, i told her i was not sure if i could share it, family thing you know! So she said who is closer to family to you here? I reached in my pocket and gave it to her, including your site on it. ( you know, the family site!) Next thing i know she was running off copies for everyone! Said it was her family recipe! When it works it works…oh, and welcome to the family…bunches of them!
Helen…you have literally made our day, our week, hell! our entire month!! You are so awesome! And we are SOOOOO thrilled that you (and your friend) love our chicken salad. We think it’s the bomb, too!! And you are more than welcome to call it your family recipe…like you said…we’ll just consider ourselves family!! Please stay in touch!! And check out other recipes…lots of other super dishes and tons more to come!! xoxo Kris & Wesley
My husband is extremely picky and he LOVES this! Thank you for this recipe! Has anyone ever used eggs in this recipe?
Thank you, Susan…and your hubby!! So glad y’all liked our chicken salad recipe. And are you kidding??? Eggs would be fantastic in this!! We may just try that on our next batch!! Thank you and stay in touch!! Best, Kris & Wesley
Just made mine and am letting it chill while boiling the eggs… i knew i wasn’t crazy for making mine with them. Can’t wait to try later!
Awesome!! So, how did it turn out?? 🙂
Hi Kris & Wesley,
I’m so excited to try this chicken salad! It sounds amazing, and I’m going to make it for a family Christmas get together. While I’m here, I’ll add that I love watching you all and y’all have the best personalities! I have a question though: if using store bought mayonnaise, will it make a difference if I use regular or light?
Cheers from TN! Gabrielle
I’ve made this dozens of times, and I’m convinced it’s the best chicken salad in the world. Thank you for an amazing recipe!
Nothing makes us happier than to read a message such as this. Thank you so much, Heather!! We are so thrilled you love this recipe! And thank YOU so much for taking the time to let us know. We truly appreciate it!! All the best, Kris & Wesley
great recipe – a keeper!
I love this recipe! I made it a few times but the most recent I added celery seed to complement the celery, and WOW it got even better! Thank you.
Wow! Celery seed sounds great! Thank you for letting us know and we are so happy you are enjoying the recipe! Stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS RECIPE ❤️❤️❤️
It’s my third time making it today and going to the store to get some rotisserie chicken! I’m going to try to make it with avocados this time
I absolutely recommend fresh dill it’s soooo good!!
Awesome!!!! We are so thrilled you love this chicken salad as much as we do!! Avocados sound heavenly!! Thanks so much for letting us know, Meg, and please stay in touch!! xo Kris & Wesley
It turned out heavenly thanks to you guys I ate it for breakfast yesterday with the mini croissants mmmm… My husband kept sneaking it from the container with chips in his hands lol we love your recipe!! Thank you soooooo much!!
Yay!!! Meg, that is such GREAT news! So happy you and your husband enjoyed it!! And thank YOU so much for letting us know. Means the world to us. Stay in touch! All the best, Kris & Wesley
This is a wonderful recipe and my family request it often. It would help for non pro chiefs such as myself if you would give the measurement for the dry dill and parsley, I don’t always have fresh on hand but always have dry spices in my pantry. Thank you for sharing this family favorite recipe.
We make slavic chicken noodle soup and save our chicken for our chicken salad. Thought i would find a new recipe, so I tried yours. It was zdumiewający ~! Even though with boiled chicken the texture is different, it worked out and tasted great. Thanks for your video too.
i really like your dish basically am pure vegii but i really like your recipe .
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Ok, so I broke out of my comfort zone and made this chicken salad. I normally make it the way I make tuna salad and am I glad I stretched my wings! I cook for a small school and the kids all gave this 2 thumbs up! I leery of the dill so I only got one thing and ended up adding dry as well. No nuts due to allergies and the grapes and dried cherries were on the side. Served these in ww pita. Still fabulous! Definitely will make again!
I love your recipe for the chicken salad and the homemade mayonnaise. I am making the mayo right now but it won’t get thick! Help! Any suggestions? I am using all of your ingredients including the avocado oil.
Hi!
I had the same trouble with the mayo. Apparently, you have to slowly add the oil as you blend the other ingredients. To fix the thin mayo- put 1 egg yolk in a separate bowl. Slowly start to add thin mayo mixture to the egg yolk while blending or whisking. It should start to thicken around 2 min.
This was so delicious – best chicken salad I have ever made!! I used two rotisserie chickens which required a bit more of the mayo mixture. As one of those rare people who don’t like celery, I subbed some baby bok choy ribs to keep the crunch! Can’t wait to try this base with some mango chutney and curry powder. Thanks so much!!
Man, oh man, that sounds great! I bet bok choy ribs were great! I’ve added curry before, and it’s divine. Thank you for letting us know and please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley
I’ve been searching for a good chicken salad recipe and tho the dill weed scares me, I’m going to give this a shot. I do a slow broast of whole chickens the night before with the usual suspects (onion, carrot, celery, s/p. gallon of water, & bay leaves) as this also becomes a broth for another day. After deboning I let the bones and the cooked veggies continue to cook all day. I create lunch for a small private school so no nuts and the grapes, dried fruit, and possibly even the celery will be served on side as options along with shredded lettuce & tomato slices. It will be served on ww pita. Lots of homemade pickles and veggies accompany. I’ll let you know how this goes.
Sounds wonderful, Michele! We really hope you and the kids like it! Do let us know! 🙂 Kris & Wesley
Ok, so I broke out of my comfort zone and made this chicken salad. I normally make it the way I make tuna salad and am I glad I stretched my wings! I cook for a small school and the kids all gave this 2 thumbs up! I leery of the dill so I only got one thing and ended up adding dry as well. No nuts due to allergies and the grapes and dried cherries were on the side. Served these in ww pita. Still fabulous! Definitely will make again!
Hi Michele! That is so wonderful to hear! It’s fun to break out of that comfort zone every now and then, especially when you have success. And especially happy to hear that the kids liked it. Sound wonderful in a pita! We’ll definitely have to try that. Thanks so much for letting us know and thanks for the great review!! Please stay in touch. All the best, Kris & Wesley