This chicken salad recipe is truly the best chicken salad ever! It’s creamy, perfectly seasoned and I promise everyone will be wanting you to share the recipe!
A Super Flavorful Chicken Salad Recipe
I’m pretty picky when it comes to chicken salad. Actually I am VERY picky when it comes to chicken salad. I’m particularly picky about the texture and taste of the chicken itself. I prefer a simple chicken salad with seasoned and roasted chicken (this helps ensure that the chicken is the star of the show and no weird texture issues). For me, a good chicken salad has to have a nice balance of being able to taste the chicken along with it being perfectly creamy and not dry or stringy!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Use a good processor. Take the cooked chicken and pop it into the food processor and process it until you get the consistency you like. You can also add the celery and onion in there as well if you prefer. Then combine with the remaining ingredients and stir.
If you want a faster option, try using your air fryer! My Air Fryer Chicken Breast recipe is a great substitute here.
I will tell you, this recipe is amazing all by itself. It really is all you could want in a chicken salad. But if you want it more of a ‘Napa style’ you could try my Grape Chicken Salad. Other times people will put apple chunks or pineapple chunks. Some people like to swap the mayo out for Greek yogurt or flavored Greek yogurt and add other crunchy textures like poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or coconut flakes. Pecans and almonds are also nice to add additional crunch.
If you can’t find the bone-in chicken breasts then just use boneless. You could even use chicken thighs. Some people like to use grilled chicken breast as well. Bone-in chicken breasts really help keep the chicken super moist and less of a chance of drying out (plus many times, they end up being cheaper than the boneless.)
Keep leftovers refrigerated. Will last 3-4 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. I do not recommend freezing it.
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- whole chicken breasts (bone-in, with skin)– when chopping up the chicken, I left it chunky, but you can cut it up smaller if that’s what you prefer. Also, if you don’t want to cook the chicken, you can grab some rotisserie chicken.
- lemon pepper seasoning – this seasoning goes so well with the chicken. It doesn’t overpower the other flavors but really compliments the flavor of the chicken.
- mayonnaise – I prefer Hellman’s, JFG or Duke’s. I absolutely do not like Miracle Whip (sorry Miracle Whip lovers!) It is not mayonnaise, it is a dressing but if that is your thing then go for it!
- sour cream – this chicken salad does not taste “sour” and even if you don’t like sour cream, I still recommend using it. You won’t taste this as a separate ingredient. It helps with the overall creaminess and adds depth of flavor.
- celery and red onion – if you don’t like celery or onion, just leave them out. I like to dice them up really small. I don’t like to bite into a huge piece of onion or celery. Also, if you like red onion but sometimes find it too pungent, try soaking it in some ice water first. This removes the stronger taste but you’ll still get the essence of the onion in your chicken salad.
- salt and pepper – After a lot of testing, I think I have the amounts measured out really well here but obviously, if you like more or less, then please make any adjustment you need.
Cook the chicken
Preheat oven to 350f degrees. On a baking sheet, place chicken breasts skin side up. Drizzle them with a bit of olive oil and then sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.Cook for about 35-45 minutes until the chicken is cooked thoroughly. Allow chicken to cool before continuing. Once chicken is cool, remove meat. You can save the bones and skin for chicken stock later, if you prefer. Cut the chicken up into bite size chunks.
Prepare the dressing
In a medium bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, sour cream, celery, onion and salt & pepper.
Combine everything together
I usually add about 2 teaspoons of salt and maybe a 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Add in diced chicken and stir.
Serve on your favorite bread or just a bed of lettuce or eat it all by itself!
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