The best-ever Chicken Salad Recipe, perfect for lunch, on-the-go, or hosting! It’s the ultimate make-ahead meal that gets more flavorful with time!
author’s note
The Recipe I Make More Than Anything Else!
This Chicken Salad Recipe is hands down the best one I’ve ever had. The balance of creamy, tangy, crunchy, and sweet is just right. The dressing is rich without feeling too heavy, the lemon keeps everything tasting fresh, and the toasted pecans with the chewy cranberries completely make the recipe. Every bite has so much texture and flavor.
I also love that it somehow works for every occasion. I’ve made it for quick lunches, packed it for pool days and road trips, served it at baby showers, and brought giant trays of croissant sandwiches to parties. It’s one of those recipes people always ask for after trying it.
And maybe my favorite thing about it? It gets even better after sitting in the fridge for a bit. The flavors blend together and somehow taste even more delicious the next day.
Quick Tip
The secret to great chicken salad? Tender, flavorful chicken. Use a rotisserie chicken, shred 2 cups of meat, and save the rest for later to use here, here, or here!!
Chicken Salad Recipe Ingredients
This chicken salad needs just four ingredients!
Salad
- Rotisserie chicken: This is the main ingredient! I like using rotisserie chicken because it’s already seasoned and very tender.
- Toasted pecans: Adds a crunch and nutty flavor. If you want extra flavor, try candied pecans!
- Dried cranberries: Brings a sweet burst of flavor and also a chewy texture.
- Celery: Adds a fresh, crunchy texture.
The dressing for this chicken salad recipe is also simple!
Dressing
- Mayo and sour cream: These make the dressing creamy and also give it a tangy flavor.
- Honey: Adds a little sweetness so it balances the tang.
- Dijon mustard: Gives a sharp flavor (make sure it’s Dijon, not yellow mustard).
- Poppy seeds: Adds a tiny crunch. If you don’t have or want them, you can skip them!
- Lemon juice: Adds a fresh, bright flavor.
Variations
Switch Things Up
Change up the typical chicken salad with one of these fun ideas instead:
- Mexican Street Corn Chicken Salad: Mix chicken with red pepper, cilantro, green onions, avocado, and a chili-lime dressing.
- Pesto Chicken Salad: Combine chicken with roasted peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, and creamy pesto.
- Healthy Chicken Salad: Mix chicken, celery, grapes, almonds, and cranberries in a light dressing.
- Curry Chicken Salad: Combine chicken with cashews, raisins, celery, and cilantro in a curried mayo dressing.
- Pineapple Chicken Salad: Mix chicken with pineapple, honey almonds, celery, and also red onion in a sweet and tangy dressing.
How To Make Chicken Salad Recipe
You can make this in 10-15 minutes and enjoy right away!
- Toast the Pecans: Heat in a dry pan until lightly browned. Set aside.
- Mix Ingredients: Then combine chicken, pecans, cranberries, and celery in a bowl.
- Dressing: Mix mayo, sour cream, honey, mustard, poppy seeds, lemon, salt, and pepper.
- Stir and Adjust: Stir everything together and then adjust the seasoning.
- Serve: Enjoy with crackers, apples, or on a croissant with lettuce.
Storage
What To Do With Chicken Salad Recipe Leftovers
- Refrigerate: Put it in an airtight container, and it will stay good for 3-5 days.
- Freeze: This doesn’t freeze well; the mayo can get weird when thawed.
- Leftovers: Best served cold. Stir well before serving and add more salt if needed.
More Delicious Lunch Ideas:
Chicken Salad Recipe
Video
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken diced
- 1/2 cup pecans coarsely chopped, see note 1
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries or try cherry-infused cranberries!
- 2 stalks celery thinly sliced, 1/2 cup
- 1/4 cup mayo Hellman’s/Best Foods
- 2 tablespoons sour cream light works!
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1-1/2 teaspoons poppy seeds optional
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Croissants or other sandwich rolls; add some lettuce for a sandwich
- Thinly sliced apples
- Celery
- Crackers like Wheat Thins!
Instructions
- Optional: Place pecans in a dry pan over medium heat. Toast until fragrant, stirring occasionally (keep an eye on them—they can burn fast). Set aside to cool then finely chop.
- In a large bowl, combine all ingredients listed under “Salad.” Season to taste. I start with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir gently until everything is well coated. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Dish it up with your choice of sides—great on a croissant with lettuce or served with apples, celery sticks, and crackers. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How To Serve Chicken Salad Recipe
- On Croissants: Use big croissants for lunch or small ones for snacks or an appetizer.
- As a Dip: Put the salad in a bowl with chips, veggies, or apple slices around it.
- On Apple Slices: Use apple slices instead of bread for a low-carb option.
- With Crackers: Serve with crackers for a quick snack.
- In Pita Bread: Fill pita bread for an easy meal.
- On a Salad: Put a scoop on greens or in lettuce leaves!
Chelsea, I consider myself to be an expert on chicken salad, and you are so right! This is the BEST! I just made it exactly like your instructions. The only minor change was that I didn’t have dried cranberries, but I had a mix of dried cranberries and almonds. The almonds added a nice flavor as well. Simply love it and will never look at another recipe again! Thank you 🙂
Yay! I’m so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much MaryVee!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I just wanted to point out a glitch in the recipe formatting when you select 2x or 3x. Not sure if this is something that can be fixed. For instance, when doubled, 1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard displays as 2-1 (it’s suppose to show 3, but it looks like the calculator is simple doubling 1 and then doubling the 1/2). Hope that makes sense. Thanks!
I’m so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much for point that out on the metrics! I’ll look into it!
Delicious! I subbed nonfat plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream, used canned chicken instead of rotisserie(it’s what I had on hand), and subbed sweet pickle relish for the mustard (I hate mustard) and the recipe came out great! I love the addition of the lemon juice! I just made a sandwich with white bread and romaine lettuce. Fantastic! Elevated version of a childhood classic!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this one! I love hearing the swaps you made and it sounds like they worked out great! The Greek yogurt, canned chicken, and sweet pickle relish all sound delicious here. And I totally agree, the lemon juice really brightens everything up! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Love this recipe! Next time I will make extra dressing to add – needed a bit more day two.
I’m so thrilled this was a hit! Thanks Shiela!
Absolutely delicious! I did find I needed to increase mayo, sour cream and honey to get to the consistency we like
Yay! I’m so thrilled this was a hit! Thanks Carol!
Sounds delicious! I want to make these for a crowd – do you know how many mini croissants this would make?
I don’t have an exact count, but I’ve made these several times with mini croissants and they stretch pretty far!
I just made this wonderful recipe and give it an A÷
It is absolutely amazing! The only thing I used that was a little different was i used my roasted pecans the salt on them was just perfect I didn’t add more to recipe
Thank you very much for sharing this its a keeper
So kind, thank you! I’m thrilled you loved it, and roasted pecans sound absolutely perfect here. So happy it’s a keeper!
This recipe was easy to make and very tasty! I purchased a rotisserie chicken at Costcol It made a large batch.
Yay! I’m so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Katie!
This recipe is AMAZING! Everyone loves it. I used vanilla yogurt instead of sour cream. Also, omitted the mustard.
I’m so thrilled to hear this! Thanks so much Cheryl!
Love , Love , Love this recipe. I switched out Mayonnaise and used high protein vanilla yogurt instead to make the macros even higher and the taste a little sweeter. I even eat this for breakfast occasionally! Thanks go giving me an absolute go to chicken salad recipe!
Delish! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m so happy this was a hit! Thanks Patty!