Classic Chicken Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients for chicken salad? ›

Chicken

Chicken salad / Main ingredient

Classic Carol

All white meat, shredded chicken, finely minced celery, mayonnaise, & our secret seasoning.

How to make chicken salad taste better. The secret ingredient you should be adding to your chicken salad is pickle juice (via Cookies and Cups). You can (and should) add chopped pickles for extra tang and crunch, but if you like to keep things simple, just a splash or two of the pickle juice will do.

To prevent your homemade chicken salad from becoming watery, ensure the chicken is fully cooled and consider roasting or grilling instead of boiling to reduce moisture content. Lightly salt watery vegetables like cucumbers and let them sit before adding to the salad to draw out excess water.

Our chicken salads are made fresh in-house every morning using premium chicken tenderloin, sweet and savory ingredients, and our secret blend of spices and seasonings—you won't find frozen or packaged around here.

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, curry powder, salt and pepper. Gently fold in the chicken, grapes, celery, onion and almonds. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve on whole wheat bread with lettuce and tomato.

Options include White, Wheatberry & Croissants. Availability varies by location.

Chicken: Typically cooked and shredded or diced. Mayonnaise: Often used as a base to bind the ingredients. Celery: Adds crunch and freshness. Salt and Pepper: For seasoning.

Discard any chicken salad with visible mold growth. Fresh chicken salad should have a light color. If the chicken or mayonnaise appears discolored or gray, it's time to toss it. Chicken salad should have a creamy or slightly chunky texture.

After the chicken has cooled to a tolerable temperature, it's time to shred. If you're fan of chunkier chicken salad, feel free to cube the chicken; if you like a creamy, pasty chicken salad (personally it's not my thing, but all preferences are welcome here!), then feel free to chop that chicken into oblivion.

How to thicken up chicken salad? ›

You can thicken the chicken salad by adding more chicken, almonds, celery, cranberries, or grapes. You might also like to stir in some chopped hardboiled eggs.

It's tempting to stir up a big batch so that we can enjoy leftovers for a few days. But how long is it safe to keep chicken salad on hand? The short answer is to store chicken salad in a sealed container in the fridge or cooler for no more than four days.

Cold meat just doesn't smell or taste as flavorful as it does at room temperature or warmer. This is why chilled chicken, even on salads, isn't as delicious as it could be. Warming that chicken before adding it to your salad would return it to its juicy, satisfying best.

The body of the salad consists of the main ingredients. Garnish enhances the appearance of the salad while also complementing the overall taste. Salad dressings are liquids or semi-liquids used to flavor salads.

There are five elements to a perfect salad: greens, sweetness, creaminess, crunchiness, and dressing. Let's talk about each one.

Our chicken salad has fresh celery, walnuts and hand-cut grapes, plus the best Golden Chick chicken. Put that atop fresh lettuce, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots and cheese, and you've got the perfect salad.