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4.8 from 60 votes

Chicken Salad

This classic chicken salad recipe is great for sandwiches, on crackers, over a bed of lettuce, or just dig in with a fork! You can't go wrong with this FAST and EASY and chicken salad that's a tried and true FAMILY FAVORITE! 

Prep Time
10 mins
Servings: 8
Calories: 283 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 2 cups cooked chicken shredded (store bought rotisserie or homemade poached)
  • ½ cup chopped celery
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • ¼ cup pecans toasted if desired*
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar**
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest
  • 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon fresh drilled minced (or use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried dill)
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional but recommended***
  • croissants bread, toast, buns, rolls, crackers, etc., as desired for serving

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. To a large bowl, add the shredded rotisserie or poached chicken. You can also dice it as well as used leftover baked or grilled chicken depending on the flavor and if it will mix well for this recipe.
  2. Add all the remaining ingredients, stir to combine, and taste. If necessary, make any flavor adjustments such as additional salt and pepper, a bit more celery, more chicken if you have it, etc.
  3. Cover and refrigerate to chill for at least 1 hour before serving as desired. Chicken salad will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Notes

  • *Use chopped walnuts, slivered almonds, or omit the nuts if preferred.
  • ** While brown sugar may seem like an odd choice here, it balances the acidity and sourness from the lemon zest and juice. You can try it first without it, but the chicken salad may be a bit bitter and so you'll likely end up adding it at the end after doing a quick taste test.
  • ***The red pepper flakes don't make the chicken salad sandwiches spicy. Rather than add interest and extra flavor but you can omit them, if desired.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1 Calories 283kcal (14%) Carbohydrates 13g (4%) Protein 11g (22%) Fat 21g (32%) Saturated Fat 5g (25%) Polyunsaturated Fat 15g Cholesterol 47mg (16%) Sodium 541mg (23%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 4g (8%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 8Serving

Amount Per Serving

Calories 283

% Daily Value*

Serving 1
Calories 283kcal 14%
Carbohydrates 13g 4%
Protein 11g 22%
Fat 21g 32%
Saturated Fat 5g 25%
Polyunsaturated Fat 15g 88%
Cholesterol 47mg 16%
Sodium 541mg 23%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 4g 8%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.