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 Time10 minutesmins
Course: Chicken
Cuisine: American
Keyword: best chicken salad, chicken salad for sandwiches, classic chicken salad recipe, easy chicken salad, recipe best chicken salad, traditional chicken salad recipe
Servings: 8
Calories: 283kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
2cupscooked chickenshredded (store bought rotisserie or homemade poached)
½cupchopped celery
½cupmayonnaise
¼cupsour cream
¼cuppecanstoasted if desired*
1tablespoonDijon mustard
1tablespoonlight brown sugar**
1tablespoonlemon zest
1tablespoonfresh squeezed lemon juice
1tablespoonfresh drilledminced (or use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried dill)
1teaspoonsaltor to taste
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepperor to taste
½teaspoonred pepper flakesoptional but recommended***
Croissantsbread, toast, buns, rolls, crackers, etc., as desired for serving
Instructions
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.
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.
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.