This Viral Pea Chicken Salad is my new favorite lunch! Tender chicken, sweet peas & a creamy lemon dressing finished with plenty of Parmesan. SO good!
Author’s Notes
Okay, I Completely Get The Hype!
When I saw a new chicken salad going viral all over social media, of course I was intrigued. I am OBSESSED with all things chicken salad!
The big selling point of this one? The combination of chicken, peas & Parmesan! We all know chicken salad is delicious, but did you know adding sweet peas makes it even better?! I love this because peas are one of my very favorite veggies, and I’ll throw them into just about anything!
And apparently, freshly grated Parmesan is the other secret to this viral combo (thank you, TikTok, haha!). Put them all together and you’ve got a lunch I could seriously eat every single day!
Now, I’ll admit, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Greek yogurt-based dressing in the viral version. So I created my own dressing for this pea chicken salad, and WOW. It is SO good! Seriously, this dressing has me craving chicken & peas pretty much constantly these days, haha!
Ingredients In This Viral Pea Chicken Salad
| Ingredient | Let’s Chat About It |
|---|---|
| Rotisserie chicken | Chop into small, even pieces so you get chicken in every bite. Leftover cooked or grilled chicken works great too! |
| Sweet peas | Frozen sweet peas are my favorite. Thaw completely & pat very dry. No need to cook them! |
| Mayo & sour cream | I love Hellmann’s/Best Foods mayo & light sour cream best in this pea chicken salad. |
| Honey, Dijon & lemon | Start with the listed amounts, then add more honey for sweetness or lemon for tang. Don’t skip the zest! |
| Salt, pepper & Parmesan | Season to taste after mixing. Parmesan is already quite salty, so start with less salt if you plan to add it! |
Chelsea’s Notes
Serving Inspiration
- The “viral” way: Spoon this pea chicken salad over a bed of arugula & finish with LOTS of freshly grated Parmesan and cracked pepper.
- Sandwiches: Pile onto mini croissants or your favorite sandwich bread.
- Lettuce wraps: Scoop into crisp butter lettuce or romaine leaves for an easy lunch.
- With crackers: Serve with buttery crackers, pita chips, or toasted baguette slices for scooping.
- In a wrap: Roll up in a tortilla with arugula, avocado & extra Parmesan.
- Straight from the bowl: Honestly, this is how I eat it most often, haha!
Storage
To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3–4 days. Stir well before serving. Freezing not recommended.
More Chicken Salad Recipes
Sandwiches
Rosemary Chicken Salad
Dinner
Teriyaki Chicken Salad
Salads With Meat
Applebee’s Chicken Salad
Salads With Meat
Chipotle Chicken Salad
Viral Pea Chicken Salad
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups coarsely chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1-1/2 cups frozen sweet peas thawed & patted dry
- 1/3 cup mayo Hellmann’s/Best Foods
- 3 tablespoons sour cream I use light
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard
- 1 large lemon 1/2 tsp zest; 2 tsp juice
- Salt and pepper
- Serving suggestsions see note 1 (arugula and Parmesan for the viral version!)
Instructions
- Thaw peas according to package directions. Pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. Excess moisture will water down the dressing.
- Zest the lemon to get 1/2 teaspoon zest, then juice it to get 2 teaspoons juice. Add both to a large bowl along with the mayonnaise, sour cream, honey, Dijon mustard, salt & pepper. Whisk until completely smooth.
- Add the chicken & dried peas. Gently fold with a spatula until everything is evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Enjoy immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve. See Note 1 for my favorite serving ideas!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
