My Easy Chicken Salad Recipe combines tender chicken, celery, nuts, dried fruits and simple creamy seasonings. It can be enjoyed now, but over time it can improve, which is a great choice for dining.
I love this creamy chicken salad, especially the crunchy nuts and dried fruits. They add too much texture! The secret to this chicken salad is that its creamy flavor is made from mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and a little sesame oil (trust me!). For more classic recipes, see our Easy Chicken Salad and Herbs.
This salad is perfect for using leftover chicken, or just put our tips on cooking the chicken salad perfectly below (I’ve shared 3 easy ways to choose from). For more of these salads, see our Easy Tuna Salad, Egg Salad and My Favorite Chickpea Salad.
How to Make the Best Chicken Salad
I love this creamy chicken salad, especially the crunchy nuts and dried fruits. It is also made quickly and lasts for several days in the refrigerator. So let’s take a quick look at our tips – detailed recipes below.
First, we need some cooked chicken. For this salad, you can use store-bought barbecue chicken, leftover chicken, or cook your own meal using one of the following simple ways:
- Pulled Chicken – Our recipe takes 25 minutes and makes tender, delicious chicken.
- Cooked Whole Chicken – We love this chicken and you can get the tenderest chicken and the most delicious chicken broth in other recipes.
- Whole Roasted Chicken – This is a classic recipe with lemon and garlic.
In addition to chicken, we also add some chopped celery, nuts or seeds (such as thinly sliced almonds or sunflower seeds), dried fruits (such as raisins or cranberries) and our preferred chicken salad seasoning.
Creamy Chicken Salad Seasoning
The seasoning for this salad won’t get much easier. Combine mayonnaise with a little fresh lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt and pepper. Then, for a little more flavor, add a little bit of toasted sesame oil (Adam’s favorite) or stir some jam to sweeten things.
If you want a salad that does not contain mayonnaise, swap the mayonnaise for regular Greek yogurt. It has a stronger flavor, but it still tastes great. If you are interested, we also have an egg-free mayonnaise recipe.
Creamy Chicken Salad
I love this creamy chicken salad, especially the crunchy nuts and dried fruits. It is also made quickly and lasts for several days in the refrigerator. We highly recommend grilled sesame oil – it adds a lovely umami to the seasoning. It took a long walk a little bit, so just add some dashes (no more than 1/4 tsp). When we have time, we cook chicken breasts for this salad. Here is a detailed recipe for how we cook chicken.
8 servings
You will need
For salad
3 cups (480g) chopped or chopped cooked chicken, See our recipe for the perfect poaching chicken
1 cup (120g) chopped celery
4 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs such as chives, parsley and basil
1/4 cup (40g) lightly toasted nuts, such as thinly sliced almonds, walnuts, pecans or pine nuts
1/4 cup (40g) dried fruit, such as golden raisins, cranberries, dates or blueberries
For flavor
1/2 cup (110g) mayonnaise, Check out our homemade Mayo recipes
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon of simplified mustard
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, Add more tastings
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
2 to 4 small dash toasted sesame oil (1/4 teaspoon), Elective
1 to 2 teaspoons jam, Elective
direction
1Mix the chicken, celery, herbs, nuts, dried fruits and fresh fruit (if used) in a medium mixing bowl.
2In another small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard sauce, salt and black pepper. Taste and add optional ingredients. The toasted sesame oil adds umami (a bit long) and the jam sweetens the seasoning.
3Throw seasoning with salad. Taste and adjust with more salt and pepper. Cover the lid in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Adam and Joanne’s Tips
- storage: When stored in an airtight container, the chicken salad stayed in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, which is good news because as I mentioned above, the salad tastes great, but kept in the refrigerator for a day, But the taste is better.
- In addition to substituting dried fruits or substituting dried fruits, add some fresh fruit, such as half grapes or chopped apples.
- For lighter chicken salads, swap the mayonnaise for light mayonnaise or use plain or Greek yogurt.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Service size
1/2 cup
/
Calories
197
/
Total fat
13.4g
/
Saturated fat
2.1g
/
cholesterol
47.1mg
/
sodium
269.9mg
/
Total carbohydrates
5.2g
/
Dietary fiber
0.9 g
/
Total sugar
3.2g
/
protein
13.9 grams
