Classic Chicken Salad
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
Whip up my classic chicken salad recipe, a tried-and-true favorite for picnics, gatherings, or simply turning last night’s leftovers into today’s tasty lunch. It’s everything you love about deli-style chicken salad, only better!
Everyone should have a trusty chicken salad recipe in their back pocket—whether it’s for a sunny picnic, hosting friends for a mid-day meal, or simply transforming last night’s leftovers into today’s delicious lunch. Over the years, I’ve shared several of my favorite versions with you, from curried chicken salad to chicken salad with grapes and almonds. Yet, this is the classic recipe that I turn to time and again. It’s simple, creamy, and packed with flavor—similar to the chicken salad you’d find at many delis, but even better in my opinion, and without any “weird stuff” in it, as my kids would say.
The key is using tender, juicy chicken. I typically use tender poached chicken, but a store-bought rotisserie chicken works great too. Whether served on a bed of greens, tucked into a wrap, or piled into a hearty sandwich, this chicken salad is a hit every time.
Table of Contents
What You’ll Need To Make Classic Chicken Salad
- Mayonnaise: Serves as the creamy base that binds all the ingredients together. Use a good brand such as Hellmann’s or Duke’s.
- Sour cream: Adds a tangy flavor and creaminess, enhancing the texture and depth of the salad.
- Fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon): Provides a bright, acidic note that balances the richness of the mayonnaise and sour cream.
- Cooked shredded chicken: You’ll need 4-1/2 cups. Poached chicken, leftover grilled chicken, or roasted/rotisserie chicken all work well.
- Scallions: Add a mild, slightly sharp flavor and a bit of crunch.
- Celery: Contributes a crisp texture and a fresh, slightly bitter taste that complements the creamy elements.
- Fresh dill and parsley: These herbs provide a burst of freshness and color.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, sugar, and pepper.
To the dressing, add the chicken, scallions, celery, dill, and parsley.
Toss until evenly combined. (If using a rotisserie chicken, be careful when mixing so that it doesn’t fall apart too much.) Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! Chicken salad can be made and stored in the refrigerator up to 2 days before serving.
Homemade chicken salad made with fresh-cooked chicken typically lasts for 3 to 4 days when stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator. However, if you’re using leftover chicken that’s already been in the fridge for a couple of days, the shelf life of your chicken salad might be reduced. Always take into account the freshness of your starting ingredients.
I don’t recommend freezing chicken salad because of the mayonnaise and dairy-based dressing, as it can separate and become watery when thawed. If you need to prepare chicken salad in advance, it’s better to freeze the cooked chicken alone and then mix it with fresh dressing and other ingredients once you’re ready to serve.
Video Tutorial
You May Also Like
Classic Chicken Salad
Whip up my classic chicken salad recipe, a tried-and-true favorite for picnics, gatherings, or simply turning last night’s leftovers into today’s tasty lunch. It’s everything you love about deli-style chicken salad, only better!
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup mayonnaise, best quality such as Hellmann's or Duke's
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4½ cups cooked shredded chicken (see note)
- 3 scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped dill
- 3 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Make the dressing: In a large bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, lemon juice, mustard, salt, sugar, and pepper.
- To the dressing, add the chicken, scallions, celery, dill, and parsley. Toss until evenly combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Note: Poached chicken, leftover grilled chicken, or roasted/rotisserie chicken all work well for this recipe. If you'd like to roast bone-in chicken, you'll need 3 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange the chicken breasts skin-side up on the prepared baking sheet. Coat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle both sides with 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, or until done. Let cool before shredding.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: This salad can be made and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before serving.
Nutrition Information
Powered by 
- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 431
- Fat: 38 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Carbohydrates: 2 g
- Sugar: 1 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Sodium: 393 mg
- Cholesterol: 94 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
This was delicious! I had to use curly parsley in a pinch as it was all my grocery store had left, but I otherwise made it exactly as written. I’ll probably slightly reduce the herbs next time just due to personal preference, but it was excellent as is. Brought it to a Mother’s Day luncheon and everyone loved it!
If you’re buying already pulled rotisserie chicken about how many lbs. of pulled chicken do you think you’d need for 1 batch? Excited to try this!!
Hi Colleen, I’d recommend about 1.5 pounds. Enjoy!
Hi Jenn,
Can you use this salad in a roasted Panini ?
I really enjoy your recipes. Thank you!
Sure, I don’t see why not (and glad you like the recipes)!
This was absolutely delicious. The tang from the lemon and the dill is what makes this dish so special. Thank you for your recipes.
Excellent! Very flavorful. I poached chicken thighs because I had 5of them in my freezer.
I’m thinking of making this recipe for an event where I need to bring sliders. If I wanted to bring about 24 sliders, maybe using Kings Hawaiian rolls, would I need to double the recipe? Triple?
Thanks!!
I’m guessing that should be enough as they sliders won’t fit that much chicken salad in them. Hope everyone enjoys!
Hi Jenn
I will be making the Classic Chicken salad for a bridal shower. Do you know how many pounds or cups I would need for 30 people?
You’ll need about 22 cups of shredded poached chicken. If you’re using bone-in, skin-on breasts, you’ll need about 15 pounds. Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys!
Thank you for your quick response!!
I made this because I had a left over roasted chicken. I only had 4 cups instead of 4 1/2 cups of leftover meat on the carcass but I figured close enough. Put it all together like the recipe said and was it delicious! I used the demi baguettes from TJ’s crisped in the oven to get a nice crusty consistency, removed the crumb to allow a place for the chicken salad and made a green salad to accompany the chicken salad. It was so good.
Tried this week..delish!!!!
My husband doesn’t like chicken salad but he likes this chicken salad. My husband doesn’t eat leftovers but he ate this chicken salad as a leftover. What!?!